Glossary

A cabinet that generally rests on the floor with a toe-kick and countertop

A molding that goes around the perimeter of a room at the base of the walls

A small rectangular piece of wood positioned vertically to cover the seam of adjoining siding boards

A window generally consisting of three wall segments

A framing member usually significantly larger than other framing members that carry roof or floor loads over a certain span

Any wall that carries a structural load

Usually used for interior closet doors, a bifold door is made of two hinged panels that fold to one side of the opening

A notch that is cut out of a rafter where it rests on a bearing wall

A window consisting of many wall segments that create an overall arch or curve out from the main wall surface

Similar to a bay window, the box window is constructed of three separate panels

A short horizontal framing member that joins to studs in a wall (often called blocking or fire blocking)

A window that pivots on a side hinge much like a door with a handle to crank the window open

Pieces of wood trim surrounding a window or door

A ceiling that follows the underside of the roof or rafters, creating a sloped surface

Traditionally used to protect the walls from chair backs, a chair rail is a molding that typically goes around the room's perimeter at the chair back height

A coffered ceiling generally follows the underside of the roof planes up to a specific height where the ceiling is then flattened

A decorative molding placed at the joint of a ceiling and wall surface

A projection of vertical walls through the sloped roof plane with a window and its own roof ties into the home's main roof

A dropped ceiling is created by constructing a ceiling plane lower than the actual ceiling height

A roof with gables extending past the normal ridge of a hipped roof with the hipped roof planes on the lower section

The lower part of a roof plane extends outward from the structure at the same slope as the roof and is generally finished with a fascia board

The metal trim that is placed on the edge of the roof covering the seam between the roof plan on the eave and the fascia board

Building codes regulate egress windows by establishing a minimum size requirement that can be adequately used as a fire escape

A view of an architectural model taken horizontally, looking at a vertical surface in a design

A horizontal board positioned on edge and attached to the ends of the rafters or truss ends where gutters are typically supported

Any electrical, HVAC, or plumbing appliance or article that is attached to the structure

A thin piece of metal used to prevent water from penetrating the junction of a roof with another surface

A footing supports foundation or bearing walls carrying the weight of upper floors, roof structures, etc

The concrete base upon which a house�s walls are built

A trim member placed at the top of an exterior wall where the soffit of an eave and the wall surface meet

When a roof pitch end terminates at an exterior wall, a triangular shape is created within the roof planes

A pitched roof terminating in a gable at one or both ends

A gable roof where two roof pitches are used on either side of the triangular shape

A truss that supports other trusses that are perpendicular to it

A Gull wing roof is the opposite of a gambrel roof, where each side of the gable is divided into two sections

A channel attached to the fascia board designed to carry away water that runs off the roof surface

Heating, air conditioning, and ventilation equipment

A half hip roof has two gabled ends

A platform at floor level that extends in front of a fireplace

A home with a hip roof has a roof place sloped upward and toward the middle of the home

A horizontal framing member usually spaced at a regular interval and used to support a floor or ceiling

Horizontal structural elements that support the floor and/or ceiling loads

A short wall on an upper floor that is not regular height because a roof plane extends through its surface at a lower point

A level platform that is between two sections of stairs

A horizontal support of timber, stone, concrete, or steel across the top of a door or window

Separated glass areas in a window, usually separated by some sort of grid pattern

A mansard roof is a hipped roof with two separate roof pitches within the same plane

A single slab foundation for a house that incorporates footings at its edge without any joints

A mixture of sand, water, and cement or lime that is used to fix bricks or blocks

A support post placed vertically, generally joining sections with railing and balusters

Piers are created by filled drilled holes in the ground with concrete reinforced with steel

A post or newel that extends to the ceiling height

A decorative block of wood often used at the bottom of door casings where the baseboard meets the door

A space-saving door style that slides into the wall rather than swinging open into a room or hallway

A framed wall that extends a shorter foundation wall to full height

A horizontal beam along the length of a roof, resting on principals and used to support the common rafters or boards

Large square stones or stucco trim used as decorative accents on exterior corners of buildings

The cornerstones of brick or stone walls

One of a series of structural members of a roof designed to support roof loads

Reinforcing bar that is used to strengthen concrete structures

A joist at the outer edge of a floor platform to which the floor joist ends meet

A saltbox roof is a type of gable roof where the ridge (or peak) is off-center because the roof's pitch is different on each of the two roof sections

The outer cover of a framed wall or roof section

A single sloped roof section which covers an entire area

A door composed of two sections

The underside of an architectural structure such as an arch, a balcony, or overhanging eaves

The vertical face of a step in a flight of stairs

A foundation wall section generally made of concrete below the framed section and above the footing

A foundation wall or stem wall that may have various heights creating a stepped look

A vertical face frame member of a cabinet between two doors

The angled member of a stair section that supports the risers and treads

A vertical framing member usually used to create walls

Sheet metal placed where the wood framing members are attached to the concrete foundation used to prevent insects from getting into the wood-framed structure

A horizontal framing member placed at the top of the wall studs to carry the ceiling joists or rafters

A window that is placed above a doorway

A vertical framing member that supports a window or door header on its ends

A framework, typically consisting of rafters, posts, and struts, supporting a roof, bridge, or other structure

The horizontal bottom member of a truss that creates the ceiling on the interior of a structure

The process of strengthening the foundation of an existing building or other structure

Sheet metal flashing that is shaped to contour the valley of a roof where two roof sections meet

A barrier that is intended to resist the migration of moisture

A wall cabinet is sometimes called an overhead cabinet

Webbing is made up of several truss members that connect the top and bottom chords filling the truss structure

A small hole that allows water to drain from within an assembly

The bottom horizontal trim member at the base of a window projecting outward

The process of dividing land in a municipality into zones in which certain land uses are permitted or prohibited