Glossary of building terms

Moulding surrounding a door or window opening to cover the joint between the frame and the wall finish.

A small post, often turned or decorated, used to support a handrail or fill the space below a handrail.

A series of balusters supporting stair handrail, landing, platform or bridge. They are also used as the collective name for the entire framed enclosure guarding the side of a stair, landing or platform.

Sloping boards along a gable covering the ends of roof timbers and protecting them from rain. Old barge boards can be scallop shaped or otherwise decorated.

Timber member of small, rectangular cross-section. Sometimes used to screen the undercroft area.

A gutter often with both sides built along the roof slope. Used in valleys or behind parapets.

Sub-floor structural timber member supporting floor joists.

Uppermost part on top of a piece of work, often used to provide a cover (ie. ridge capping).

Wall of the chimney that projects into the room and contains the fireplace and flues.

Externally - overhanging moulding at the top of a wall to deflect dripping. Internally - plastered moulding covering the joint between the wall and ceiling.

Finishing of the lower part of an interior wall from skirting to waist height, usually in a darker colour then the rest of the wall.

Impermeable barrier just above ground level at the base of the wall to prevent rising damp. Modern damp-proof courses are generally made from 0.5 millimetre thick, black, polyethylene sheeting. One of the oldest types of damp-proof courses is made up of tar and sand. Another type of impermeable barrier that was traditionally used was glazed hard-burnt ceramic, similar in size and shape to bricks.

Metal accessories for a door, including hinges, handles, locks, bolts, latches and escutcheons (a metal plate surrounding the keyhole, sometimes covered by a metal key drop for protection).

Vertical window through a sloping roof, usually provided with its own pitched roof.

A groove or projection under an overhanging edge designed to throw water off at the outer edge so it does not flow back to the building.

Lower edge of a roof which projects beyond the wall as an overhang.

Glazed opening over the door but within the doorframe.

Board set on edge, fixed to the rafter ends, wall plate or wall to carry the gutter under the eaves.

Strip of impervious material, usually flexible metal (such as galvanised iron, lead or copper) used to cover a joint where water could otherwise penetrate.

Wood cut into decorative patterns (with a fret or jigsaw).

Triangular part of the end wall of a building with a sloping roof. A roof with a gable at one or both ends.

Protecting and projecting element over the outside of an opening to throw off water.

Wooden or steel beam supporting a floor (floor joist) or ceiling (ceiling joist). Steel beam sections are generally called rolled steel joists (RSJs).

Mix of sand, lime and sometimes cement used for rendering, pointing or laying bricks or stone.

Vertical dividing member of a frame between door or window lights.

Low wall guarding the edge of a roof, bridge, balcony, etc or part of a wall that extends above the roof.

Gable-shaped, decorative feature above a parapet, portico, doors, windows, etc.

Raking out mortar joints and pressing into them a surface mortar to finish a masonry wall.

Dressed stones at the corners of buildings, usually laid so that their faces are alternately large and small. Originates from the French word ‘coin’ (corner)

One of the sloping pieces of timber forming the roof framework and supporting the roof covering.

Funnel or box-shaped rainwater fitting for collecting and discharging roof water from a gutter into a downpipe.

A trap in which the outlet leg is vertical and parallel with the inlet leg.

Pliable, water-resistant membrane located beneath the roof covering or external wall cladding to collect and discharge water that may penetrate. often combined with reflective foil to provide thermal insulation benefits.

Lowest horizontal member at the bottom of a window or door frame.

Glass-fitted framed window unit which can be moved by pivoting or sliding, can be divided into smaller panes and is identified as top and bottom sash in a double-hung window.

Decorative, usually projecting, thin horizontal course of brick or stone, often continuing the line of the masonry window sills.

Step or sill of timber or other material at the foot of an external door.

Horizontal dividing member of a frame between window lights or separating a door from a fanlight above.

Framework of timbers or metal bars, usually based on a series of triangles to create a rigid beam to the roof or span a space or form a bracket.

An implement for ventilating a roof to allow hot air to escape.

Timber laid longitudinally on top of the wall where ends of rafters are placed.

Small drain hole for water used to drain water collecting behind retaining walls and prevent hydrostatic pressure developing.

Metal accessories for a window which include hinges, locks, stay bars (to hold casement windows in an open position) etc.