jml Property Services Fact
File Building Terms used in the Property
market in the UK   You
receive a builders estimate or surveyors report and if you have never purchased,
extended, built a property before, some of the descriptions can be confusing.
Listed below is an alphabetical list used in the UK buildings industry. Some of
these of course will be found at the local DIY store when you decide to carry
out some improvements yourself. Aggregate:
Pebbles, shingle, gravel etc. used in the manufacture of concrete, and in the
construction of "soakaways". Airbrick:
Perforated brick used for ventilation, especially to floor voids (beneath timber
floors) and roof spaces. Architrave:
Joinery moulding around window or doorway. Asbestos:
Fibrous mineral used in the past for insulation. Can be a health hazard
specialist advice should be sought if asbestos (especially blue asbestos) is found. Asbestos
Cement: Cement with 10-15% asbestos fibre as reinforcement. Fragile
will not bear heavy weights. Hazardous fibres may be released if cut or drilled. Ashlar:
Finely dressed natural stone: the best grade of masonry. Asphalt:
Black, tar-like substance, strongly adhesive and impervious to moisture. Used
on flat roofs and floors. Barge
Board: (See Verge Board) Balanced
Flue: Common metal device normally serving gas appliances which allows
air to be drawn to the appliance whilst also allowing fumes to escape. Beetle
Infestation: (Wood boring insects: woodworm) Larvae of various species
of beetle which tunnel into timber causing damage. Specialist treatment normally
required. Can also affect furniture. Benching:
Smoothly contoured concrete slope beside drainage channel within an inspection
chamber. Also known as Haunching. Bitumen:
Black, sticky substance, related to asphalt. Used in sealants, mineral felts and
damp-proof courses. Breeze
Block: Originally made from cinders ("breeze") the term now
commonly used to refer to various types of concrete and cement building blocks Carbonation:
A natural process affecting the outer layer of concrete. Metal reinforcement within
that layer is liable to early corrosion, with consequent fracturing of the concrete. Cavity
Wall: Standard modern method of building external walls of houses comprising
two leaves of brick or blockwork separated by a gap ("cavity") of about
50mm (2 inches). Cavity
Wall Insulation: Filling of wall cavities by one of various forms of
insulation material - Beads: Polystyrene beads pumped into the cavities. Will
easily fall out if the wall is broken open for any reason - Foam: Urea formaldehyde
form, mixed on site, and pumped into the cavities where it sets. Can lead to problems
of dampness and make replacement of wall-ties more difficult - Rockwool: Inert
mineral fibre pumped into the cavity. Cavity
Wall - Tie: Metal device bedded into the inner and outer leaves of
cavity walls to strengthen the wall. Failure by corrosion can result in the wall
becoming unstable specialist replacement ties are then required. Cesspool:
A simple method of drain comprising a holding tank that needs frequent emptying.
Not to be confused with Septic Tank. Chipboard:
Also referred to as "particle board". Chips of wood compressed and glued
into sheet form. Cheap method of decking to flat roofs, floors and (with Formica
or melamine surface) furniture, especially kitchen units. Collar:
Horizontal timber member intended to restrain opposing roof slopes. Absence,
removal or weakening can lead to Roof Spread. Combination
Boiler: Modern form of gas boiler which activates on demand. With this
form of boiler there is no need for water storage tanks, hot water cylinders etc
and generally the pressure is much better for showers. Condensation:
Occurs when warm moist air meets a cold surface. The water in the air then either
settles as water droplets on the surface (as it does on windows for example),or
if the surface is absorbent, it soaks into the surface. In the latter case condensation
is often not noticed unless or until mould appears. (See also Ventilation) Coping
/ Coping Stone: Usually stone or concrete, laid on top of a wall as
a decorative finish and to stop rainwater soaking into the wall. Corbell:
Projection of stone, brick, timber or metal jutting out from a wall to support
a weight. Cornice:
Ornamental moulded projection around the top of a building or around the wall
of a room just below the ceiling. Coving:
Curved junction between wall and ceiling or (rarely) between ceiling and floor. Dado
Rail: Wooden moulding fixed horizontally to a wall, aprroximately 1
metre above the floor, originally intended to protect the wall against damage
by chair-backs now very much a decorative feature. Damp
Proof Course: (DPC) Course Layer of impervious material (mineral felt,
pvc etc) incorporated into a wall to prevent dampness rising up the wall or lateral
dampness around windows, doors etc. Various proprietary methods are available
for damp proofing existing walls including "electro-osmosis" and chemical
injection. Deathwatch
Beetle: (Xestobium Refovillosum) Serious
insect pest in structural timbers, usually affects old hardwoods with fungal decay
already present. Double
Glazing: A method of thermal insulation usually either: Sealed unit:
Two panes of glass fixed and hermetically sealed together; or Secondary: In effect
a second "window" placed inside the original window. Downpipes:
Drainage pipes from guttering. Dry
Rot:(Serpula Lacrymans.) A fungus that attacks structural and joinery
timbers, often with devastating results. Can flourish in moist, unventilated areas.
Not to be confused with wet rot. Eaves:
The overhanging edge of a roof. Efflorescence:
Salts crystallised on the surface of a wall as a result of moisture evaporation. Engineering
Brick: Particularly strong and dense type of brick, sometimes used
as damp-proof course. Fibreboard:
Cheap, lightweight board material of little strength, used in ceilings or as insulation
to attics. Flashing:
Building technique used to prevent leakage at a roof joint. Normally metal (lead,
zinc, copper) but can be cement, felt or proprietary material. Flaunching:
Contoured cement around the base of chimney pots, to secure the pot and
to throw off rain. Flue:
A smoke duct in a chimney, or a proprietary pipe serving a heat-producing appliance
such as a central heating boiler. Flue
Lining: Metal (usually stainless steel) tube within a flue essential
for high output gas appliances such as boilers. May also be manufactured from
clay and built into the flue. Foundations:
Normally concrete, laid underground as a structural base to a wall - in older
buildings may be brick or stone. Frog:
A depression imprinted in the upper surface of a brick, to save clay, reduce weight
and increase the strength of the wall. Bricks should always be laid frog uppermost. Fused
Spur: Power socket that does not have a plug going into it, instead
the cable from an appliance like a fridge, radiator, burglar alarm etc and has
a fuse socket built into it. Gable:
Upper section of a wall, usually triangular in shape, at either end of
a ridged roof. - Gable end. Gang:
Referred to for 13amp power pints 1 gang = 1 single socket 2 gang = 1 double socket. Ground
Heave: Swelling of clay sub-soil due to absorption of moisture: can
cause an upward movement in foundations. Gully:
An opening into a drain, normally at ground level, placed to receive water etc.
from downpipes and wastepipes. Haunching: See Benching.It is also a term
used to describe the support to a drain underground. Hip:
The external junction between two intersecting roof slopes. Inspection
Chamber: Commonly called a man hole. Access point to a drain comprising
a chamber (of brick, concrete or plastic) with the drainage channel at its base
and a removable cover at ground level. Jamb:
Side part of a doorway or window. Joist:
Horizontal structural timber used in flat roof, ceiling and floor construction.
Occasionally also metal. Landslip:
Downhill movement of unstable earth, clay, rock etc. often following prolonged
heavy rain or coastal erosion, but sometimes due entirely to sub-soil having little
cohesive integrity. Lath:
Thin strip of wood used in the fixing of roof tiles or slates, or as a
backing to plaster. Lath and plaster walls were very common in houses from late
1800,s to 1950's Lintel:
Horizontal structural beam of timber, stone, steel or concrete placed over window
or door openings. LPG:
Liquid Petroleum Gas or Propane. Available to serve gas appliances in areas without
mains gas. Requires a storage tank. Man
Hole: - See Inspection Chamber Mortar:
Mixture of sand, cement, lime and water, used to join stones or bricks. Mullion:
Vertical bar dividing individual lights in a window. Newel:
Stout post supporting a staircase handrail at top and bottom. Also, the
central pillar of a winding or spiral staircase. Oversite:
Rough concrete below timber ground floors: the level of the oversite should be
above external ground level. Parapet:
Low wall along the edge of a flat roof, balcony etc. Pier:
A vertical column of brickwork or other material, used to strengthen the wall
or to support a weight. Plasterboard:
Stiff "sandwich" of plaster between coarse paper. Now in widespread
use for ceilings and walls. Pointing:
Smooth outer edge of mortar joint between bricks, stones etc. Powder
Post Beetle: (Bostrychidae or Lyctidae family of beetles) A relatively
uncommon pest that can, if untreated, cause widespread damage to structural timbers. Purlin:
Horizontal beam in a roof upon which rafters rest. Quoin: The external angle of
a building; or, specifically, bricks or stone blocks forming that angle. Rafter:
A sloping roof beam, usually timber, forming the carcass of a roof. Random Rubble:
Primitive method of stone wall construction with no attempt at bonding or coursing. Rendering:
Vertical covering of a wall either plaster (internally) or cement (externally),
sometimes with pebbledash, stucco or Tyrolean textured finish. Reveals:
The side faces of a window or door opening. Ridge: The apex of a roof. Riser:
The vertical part of a step or stair. Rising
Damp: Moisture soaking up a wall from below ground, by capillary action
causing rot in timbers, plaster decay, decoration failure etc. Roof
Spread: Outward bowing of a wall caused by the thrust of a badly restrained
roof carcass (see Collar). Screed:
Final, smooth finish of a solid floor, usually cement, concrete or asphalt. Septic
Tank: Tank Drain installation whereby sewage decomposes through bacteriological
action, which can be slowed down or stopped altogether by the use of chemicals
such as bleach, biological washing powders etc. Not to be confused with Cesspool. Settlement:
General disturbance in a structure showing as distortion in walls etc.,
possibly a result of major structural failure, very dry weather conditions etc.
Sometimes of little current significance. (See also Subsidence) Shakes:
Naturally occurring cracks in timber; in building timbers, shakes can appear
quite dramatic, but strength is not always impaired. Shingles:
Small rectangular slabs of wood used on roofs instead of tiles, slates etc. Soakaway:
Arrangement for disposal of rainwater, utilising graded aggregate laid
below ground. Soaker:
Sheet metal (usually lead, copper or zinc) at the junction of a roof with a vertical
surface of a chimneystack, adjoining wall etc. Associated with flashings that
should overlay soakers. Soffit:
The under-surface of eaves, balcony, arch etc. Solid Fuel: Heating fuel,
normally coal, coke or one of a variety of proprietary fuels. Spandrel:
Space above and to the sides of an arch; also the space below a staircase. Stud
Partition: Lightweight, sometimes non-load bearing wall construction
comprising a framework of timber faced with plaster, plasterboard or other finish. Subsidence:
Ground movement, generally downward, possible a result of mining activities
or clay shrinkage. Sub-soil:
Soil lying immediately below the topsoil, upon which foundations usually bear. Sulphate
Attack: Chemical reaction activated by water, between tricalcium aluminate
and soluble sulphates. Can cause deterioration in brick walls and concrete floors. Tie
Bar: Heavy metal bar passing through a wall, or walls, to brace a structure
suffering from structural instability. Torching:
Mortar applied on the underside of roof tiles or slates to help prevent moisture
penetration. Not necessary when a roof is underdrawn with felt. Transom:
Horizontal part of a step or stair. Tread:
The horizontal part of a step or stair. Trussed
Rafters: Method of roof construction utilising prefabricated triangular
framework of timbers. Now widely used in domestic construction. Underpinning:
Method strengthening weak foundations whereby a new, stronger foundation
is placed beneath the original. Valley
Gutter: Horizontal or sloping gutter, usually lead-or-tile-lined, at
the internal intersection between two roof slopes. Ventilation:
Necessary in all buildings to disperse moisture resulting from bathing, cooking,
breathing etc. and to assist in prevention of condensation. Floors -necessary
to avoid rot, especially Dry Rot; achieved by airbricks near to ground level.
Roofs - necessary to disperse condensation within roof spaces; achieved either
by airbricks in gables or ducts at the eaves. (see Condensation) Verge:
The edge of a roof, especially over a gable. Verge
Board: Timber, sometimes decorative plastic material, placed at the
verge of a roof: also known as bargeboard. Wainscot:
Wood panelling or boarding on the lower part of an internal wall. Wall
Plate: Timber placed at the eaves of a roof, to take the weight of
the roof timbers. Wastepipe:
Drainage pipe for baths, basins, wc's. Wet
Rot: (Coniophora Puteana) Decay of timber due to damp conditions. Not
to be confused with the more serious Dry Rot. Woodworm:
Colloquial term for beetle infestation: usually intended to mean Common Furniture
Beetle (Anobium Punctatum): by far the most frequently encountered insect
attack in structural and joinery timbers. The
above has been compiled to assist people with rental terminology. We advise that
this information is for guidance only and cannot be relied on for accuracy and
that you should consult a qualified legal representative if you require full explanation.
© jml Property Services June 2005 See
Also: The
Role of the Solicitor for buying and selling property in England and Wales
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