| 
| 
Jargon Buster Your A-Z Guide
Adjudication
A quick and inexpensive method of dispute resolution resulting in an immediately enforceable, non-binding dispute settlement by an Adjudicator.
Arbitration
The main alternative to the court system where the parties have the power to decide many of the procedures that will govern the conduct of their arbitration. The decision is binding in law.
Architrave
Moulding around openings such as doors or windows.
Barge Board
Wide board fitted on edge of tiles following the slope of the roof.
Batten
timber strips to which roof tiles are fitted.
Bead (or Beading)
Small moulding to cover a join.
Blown or Live
Plaster that has lost its bond with the wall.
Bond
Arrangement of bricks to ensure stability of brickwork.
Conciliation
The main difference between mediation and conciliation is that in conciliation the agreement reached is binding in honour only.
Consumer Unit
like a fuse box; the mechanism by which circuits are protected from overload.
Cooling off period
Period of time allowed to change your mind about a purchase decision. Currently, goods and services that are sold unsolicited are subject in law to a seven day cooling off period.
Coping
Protective capping to the top of a wall.
Corbelling
Successive projecting courses of brickwork.
Damp proof course
An impervious membrane laid about two brick courses above ground level to prevent damp from rising.
Distemper
Wall paint made from water, pigment and glue (traditional).
Distribution Board
An assembly containing switches or protective devices (e.g. fuses, circuit-breakers, residual current operated devices).
Drip
Moulding or groove in external sill to prevent water creeping back.
Eaves
Overhang of roof beyond wall below.
Efflorescence
Unsightly powdery white salts brought to surface of brickwork.
Estimate
An informed guess, a rough price.
First fix
joiner, plumber and electrical carcassing prior to plaster.
Flashing
Metal sheet used to deflect water at junction between roof and wall.
Flaunching
Cement mortar filler round the top of a chimney stack.
Flush Door
Door with completely flat faces.
Frog
Indent on bed face of a brick.
Gable or Verge
Upper part of an outer wall at the end of a pitched roof.
Glazing Bar
Thin bar shaped to receive pane of glass.
Grout
Material used to fill the joints in wall tiles.
Header
The end face of a brick.
Header Tank
Small open cistern (tank) that feeds water to central heating system.
Herringbone
Zigzag pattern of brickwork.
Hip
Line of adjoining sections of pitched roof at external angle of building.
Hip Tile
Roof tile shaped to cover hip of roof.
Hipped Roof
Pitched roof, the ends of which are also sloped.
In situ
to work on an item where it is sited rather than take it offsite.
Jamb
The side of an opening in a wall for a door or window.
Joist
Support for floor and ceiling.
Knotting
Varnish to stabilise knots in wood.
Lean-to Roof
Sloping roof supported along its highest part by a taller adjoining wall.
Light
Subdivision of a window.
Lintel
Concrete, timber or steel beam over opening to support wall above.
Loose-Fill Insulation
loose material for insulating cavity walls and lofts.
Making good
The finishing touches that bring work up to scratch.
Mansard Roof
Form of pitched roof designed to provide more space for rooms.
Mediation
A voluntary, non-binding 'without prejudice' process in which trained third party negotiators attempt to bring people together to reach settlement.
Mezzanine
Extra floor.
Mitre
Angled joint (similar to joint in picture frame).
Muck
A bricklayer's slang term for mortar.
Mullion
Upright post in window.
Newel
Vertical post at top and bottom of staircase.
Nogging
Short wooden stiffeners inserted between joists.
Nosing
Rounded edge of a stair tread projecting beyond the riser.
Parapet
Low wall at the edge of a roof.
Pebble Dash
Roughcast wall finish with stones bedded in rendered wall.
Pitch
Slope of roof.
Plain tile
Rectangular 'flat' roofing tile.
Plasterboard
Prefabricated sheets of plaster for walls and ceilings.
Purlin
Horizontal beam, part way up a rafter to prevent sagging.
Quote or Quotation
A fixed price that is binding.
Rafters
Series of structural timbers rising from eaves to ridge to support pitched roof covering.
RCD
Residual Current Device, a protective device on an electric circuit.
Render
External sand-cement coating for walls.
Reveal
Vertical side of door or window opening.
Ridge
Top of a pitched roof.
Ring Main
Power circuit for sockets.
Rise
Vertical distance between two adjacent stair treads.
Riser
Upright part of a stair OR vertical water pipe from the mains.
Roof Truss
Prefabricated structural timber framework to support roof.
RSJ
Rolled steel joist.
Sarking Felt
Waterproof felt under roof tile battens.
Sash
Framework for glass.
Screed
Layer of fine concrete used to provide smooth surface prior to floor finish.
Second Fix
items fitted following plastering.
Sill
Bottom horizontal member of a door or window frame.
Skim
Finishing coat of plaster.
Skirting
Horizontal board at junction between floor and wall.
Soffit
Visible underside of a projecting surface.
Soil pipe
vertical pipe to take waste water and sewage out of a building.
Span
Horizontal distance covered by a beam or lintel etc.
Spoil
Material dug out during excavation.
Stack
Vertical pipe carrying waste from sinks and toilets.
Stretcher
The side face of a brick.
String
Sloping board carrying the treads and risers of a staircase.
T&G boarding
Tongue and Groove, traditional softwood floor boards.
Trap
A curved section of drain that holds water, providing a seal that prevents odours from escaping.
Tread
Horizontal part of a stair.
TRV
Thermostatic radiator valve.
Verge tile
Edge of a roof which runs from eaves to ridge at a gable.
