Glossary
| ADSL | Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (a.k.a. a darn swift line) |
| Backing | material for support between studs to provide a secure mounting surface. |
| Beams | horizontal support members. |
| Blocking | the material which is used to provide additional support particularly where adjustments are made such as in a threshold location. |
| Bulkhead | material used to reserve an area such as space for a lowered threshold in formwork. |
| CHBA | Canadian Home Builders’ Association. |
| Double Plate | the doubling of the top or bottom plate. The bottom plate is doubled for skim coat type construction. The top plate is doubled when the wall is load bearing. |
| Forms | the mould or frame which provides necessary shape especially for foundations. |
| Form Ties | fastening devices placed in forms to ensure the concrete does not distend the form. These ties are removed at the same time as the forms. |
| Framing | a type of construction also referred to as post and beam. |
| GFI Ground Fault Interrupt | required electrical receptacle for outdoor and bathroom installation, assists greatly in reducing the opportunity for a shocking experience. |
| Guards | those portions of a stairway which are pinned onto the wall faces. |
| Handrails | those railings which must be 1″ inches from, and firmly mounted to, the wall. |
| Header | see header joist. |
| Header Joist | a vertical joist which the common joists are framed, around or above an opening. This usually consists of two or more boards being nailed together. |
| Infrared | a control method employing infrared light. |
| ISDN | Integrated Services Digital Network. |
| Joists | horizontally placed parallel beams to which boards of a floor or laths of a ceiling are fastened. (See also header joist, rim joist, and tail joist) |
| Lintel | a horizontal member which rests exclusively upon wall (or jack) studs. The wall studs must have full-length studs doubled with them extending from the bottom to top wall plates. |
| Low Voltage Network | all pre-wiring of paired cabling which may be used for any number things. Rendezvous back at Node Zero. |
| Node Zero | the place where all important electrical, cables, telephone wires, and low voltage networks come together. |
| Nosing | that portion of the tread on a staircase which protrudes past the join of the riser and the tread. |
| Plate | that member at either the top of bottom of a wall to which the vertical members are attached. |
| Pour Hole | an access hole in a bulkhead through which concrete is delivered. This hole helps eliminate air pockets and ensures a proper and complete pour. |
| Pour Strips | 1×1 strips of wood inside a form and used to provide an easy reference for the height the concrete must be poured to. |
| Radio Frequency | a method of remote control which uses frequencies in the radio bands. |
| RESNA | Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America this organization promotes the adoption of Universal Design through a Special Interest Group (SIG: 19). |
| Ribbon Boards | boards laid upon a foundation wall to keep the horizontal beams from making contact with the concrete. |
| Rim Joist | a timber or other support for cross members in floors or ceilings. In stairs, the support on which the stair tread rests. (Also known as stringer joist) |
| Rise | in a staircase, the vertical distance between the tops of successive treads. |
| Riser | in a staircase, that piece rising vertically between treads of a step unit. |
| Run | in a staircase, the horizontal distance from riser to riser or nosing to nosing of successive treads. |
| Saddle | another term for the actual threshold plate often seen in commercial buildings. |
| Shim | any material used to wedge or level two objects. |
| Sill | a horizontal, lower member of a door or window casing. |
| Skim Coat | a lightweight, concrete material poured on a sub-floor for soundproofing. |
| Slab On Grade | a construction method using a floating slab surrounded by poured foundation walls. |
| Slope | usually described as 1 in 12; or 1 in 50. This represents the amount of rise over the amount of run and is used in calculating the angle of slope. |
| Sole | another term for the bottom plate in a wall whether load bearing or not. |
| Spec | short for speculation or building without a specific buyer in mind. |
| Stringer | a timber, generally horizontal, supporting other members of a structure. |
| Sub-Floor | a second floor required beneath the finish flooring where that finish flooring does not have adequate strength to support the design loads. |
| Tail Joist | a relatively short joist supported by a wall at one end and by a header at the other. |
| Threshold | a plank, timber, member, or stone lying under any exterior entry to a building. |
| Top Plate | two 2x4s or 2x6s, one on top of the other creating the top of the wall. |
| Tread | in a staircase, that piece running horizontally between risers of a step unit. |
| Trimmer Joist | a beam or joist to which a header is nailed during framing for a chimney, stairway, or other opening. |
| Ultra-Sonic | a system of control relying upon high frequency signals. |
| Universal Design | the principles which promote thoughtful planning and design at all stages of any design project. |
| Waste Pipe | the pipe and trap allowing drainage of a sink, tub, or shower. |
| X-10 | a power-line based carrier system for controlling electrical devices. |
