Framing around an opening in a wall; it would be referred to as a door buck if it was around the door.

Estimation of all income and expenses for an accounting period or financial forecasting, planning, and controlling.

Mortgage which involves monthly payments for property taxes and insurance in addition to principal and interest.

To shine a surface.

A piece of land separating two or more properties from each other.

Whether or not a home or other structure can be constructed on a piece of land.

Complete estimate of all costs in construction, including but not limited to land acquisition, material, labor and preparation.

Better material or extras that are offered by the builder to the purchaser.

Limited-time warranty (one or two years) against defect, which is offered by builders to new home buyers.

Hardware used in the construction of a building.

Instrument made of a telescope and bubble level, which is mounted on a tripod base. The bubble level is used to level the device and the telescope is used to establish work lines and elevation points and measure horizontal angles using a horizontal vernier scale.

A structure that is built with walls and a roof, such as a house, office, etc. Building Code Laws that control the construction or remodeling of homes or other structures.

Rate of return of capital invested in building improvements.

Laws that control the construction or remodeling of homes or other structures. Municipal or state ordinance which is enforceable under the police powers of the state and locality controlling alterations, construction methods and materials, size and setback requirements, use, and occupancy of all structures. Building codes have specific regulations covering all aspects of construction and are designed to maximize the health and welfare of the residents.

Methods and materials used in fabricating a building.

Concentration (amount) of buildings in a given geographic area.

Main drainage system in a building.

Criterion used to measure the annual utilization of energy by a building.

An employee of a city or county who enforces building codes and ensures that construction is being performed correctly.

Estimated useful life of a building.

Guidelines limiting distance from the street or adjacent property a home or structure can be erected. Line established by a building or zoning code beyond which a building structure may not extend. Alternately, The outer edge of the rafter plate.

Loan agreement where a lender gives money to a builder at varying stags of construction and is also referred to as a construction loan.

An enforced halt to construction, used to slow the rate of development in a town.

Thick, water-resistant paper, serving as insulation to water proof, dust proof or wind proof various points in a house, commonly under siding, between subfloors, beneath roofing, behind paneling and on finish floors.

Permit, issued by local government, allowing construction or renovation of a house or other structure.

Appraisal method for determining a building's value on the basis of the residual building income after adjusting for land value.

Regulations limiting the type of use allowed on a piece of property.

Municipal ordinance stating the distance from a curb or property line where a building can be located.

Sewer, which belongs to the building where it is installed but discharges into the public sewer. Also known as a building sewer.

Drain for runoff such as rainwater.

Line connecting a building storm drain to a disposal point, which is usually the public storm sewer.

Skilled and semi-skilled workers, such as carpenters, plumbers, electricians, etc. involved in the construction industry.

A water seal trap that services the cumulative drain lines coming from a building, to the main sewer line.

Any increase in thickness.

Appliances or other items that are permanently attached and framed into a home.

Made of many parts.

Two or more pieces of lumber, which may consist of many lengths, fastened together to add strength in a horizontal structure member. If the grains are alternated so that they don't all go in the same direction, a glue-laminated wood beam becomes very stable because of elimination of weak spots.

Two or more pieces of lumber that are fastened together to add strength to a vertical structure.

Narrow strips of wood connected to make the vertical part of a door frame.

Roof composed of multiple layers of asphalt felt laminated with coal tar, pitch or asphalt with a top layer of crushed slag or gravel. Normally issued on flat roofs or those with very slight slope.

Spherically shaped item.

1. Retaining wall designed to stop water from the ocean or another body of water.
2. Roof structure over a stairway.
3. An inclined door that allows entry to a basement.
4. A masonry partition that contains newly poured concrete from flowing into another part.
5. Structural wall.

Weight of concrete aggregate that fills a 1 cubic foot container.

Piece of heavy construction equipment consisting of a tractor-like machinery, which moves on treads and has an adjustable, front-mounted scraper blade which moves the dirt by pushing it in front of the machine and is used to smooth and level a building site.

Flat, long handled device that is used to smooth wet concrete.

Masonry unit that ties rows of masonry together.

Tapered steel fastener that aligns holes in a structural member.

Intermediate debt (5 to 10 years) without periodic payments but with the entire amount (balloon payment) due at the maturity date.

Having a rounded edge.

Tool for shaving wood surfaces smooth, which has a blade close to the front end so that it can get into corners.

Tile that has one edge rounded and is used as an edge.

Device that absorbs shock between two objects, such as vehicles. Normally made of a resilient material, which moves easily or, alternately, have hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders that permit it to move when hit.

Timber wood situated on the exteriors of a loading deck to protect it from damage resulting when trucks load or unload.

Using a hammer to shape or remove dents from sheet metal.

A hammer that shapes or removes dents from sheet metal.