Useful Terms
For your information Madison Property Developments have put together a list of commonly used terms and phrases used within the building industry:
Architrave: Used architecturally in decorative skirting, ceiling architrave and moulding.
Balustrade: A series of uprights used for supporting a handrail and used on a staircase or banister.
Birdsmouth: A timber roofing joint connecting a timber rafter to a timber top plate.
Carpentry: Doors, windows and staircases, roof timbers etc.
Decorative: When applied to brickwork, using a range of brick laying styles to create a fancy design.
Electrics (home): Home electrical supply system, mains, lighting, heating and cooking.
Flat roof: Roofs often part of extension design and finished with a durable, waterproof, fiberglass coating.
Groundwork: The excavation and laying of foundations for brickwork and building extensions.
Hip: The angled timbers on a sloping roof meeting at the hip end.
Insulation: Primarily a layer of material adhering to Building Regulations to ensure minimum heat loss.
Joinery: Carpentry applying to wooden doors, timber window frames, built in wardrobes.
Keying: To prepare a freshly cemented surface to accept securely a render coat.
Lime render: A historical formulation for listed building conservation and buildings of a certain age.
Orangery: A conservatory or greenhouse
Pergola: A landscaping trellis to support shrubs, plants etc.
Plastering: Forming a skim to provide a flat surface to walls and ceilings to prepare for decorating.
Quantity Surveying: To ensure the correct amount of building materials are purchased for the project.
Render: A flat surface protection skim to the exterior walls and property as in K Render.
Stud Walls: Partitioning of rooms with a timber framework and dry lining to add space where required
Tarmac: The finish of roads, paths and driveways.
Underground drainage: Soak ways, soil pipes, including bio tanks and cesspits.
Velux Window: A window fitted into sloping roof for loft conversion.