Inspection Terminology

Aggregates – Gravel, crushed stone, slag or mineral granules either embedded in a conventional built-up membrane’s bituminous flood coat or applied to a loose-laid roof system as a protective ballast. Aggregates are divided into two sizes – fine and course.

Alligatoring – Deep shrinkage cracks, progressing down from the surface in smooth surface membrane coatings and sometimes in bare spots of aggregate surfaced membranes. It is a consequence of hardening from the sun and air.

Amperage – The rate of flow of electricity through wire.

Anti-oxidant compound – A compound applied to aluminum wiring at the connections to promote a firm connection.

Appurtenance – Any architectural structure, whether decorative or functional, which protrudes from the exterior of a building.

Apron – A paved area such as a junction of a driveway with the street or with a garage entrance.

Asphalt – Dark brown to black, high viscous, bitumen produced from petroleum. Used as the waterproofing agent on built-up roofs.

Automatic flue damper – A device in the flue of the heating unit, which closes the flue when the unit is not in operation in order to prevent unnecessary heat loss up the chimney.

Backup – That part of the masonry wall behind the exterior facing and consisting of one or more widths of thickness of brick or other masonry material.

Ballast – Aggregate, concrete pavers or other material designed to  prevent the wind from lifting a loose-laid roof system.

Ballcock assembly – The mechanism inside the toilet tank which governs the flushing of a toilet.

Berm – A built-up lip of asphalt or concrete which prevents run-off water from entering a garage or driveway.

Bitumin – Generic term for a amorphous, semi-solid mixture of complex hydrocarbons derived from petroleum or coal. Asphalt and coal tar pitch are the two basic bitumins of the roofing industry.

Bleedout – A condition which occurs when the effluent from a septic system rises to the surface instead of draining into the soil.

Blister – Spongy, humped portion of a roof membrane, formed by trapping air vapor under pressure, with the blister chamber located either between felt plies or at the membrane substrata interface.

Bracing – A technique used to stiffen the building. Its use has diminished with the advent of plywood sheathing.

Brick (common) – Any brick made primarily for building purposes and not especially treated for texture or color, but including clinker and over-burnt brick.

Brick (facing) – A brick made especially for facing purposes, usually treated to produce surface texture or made of select clay or otherwise treated for texture or color.

Built-up roof – A type of “flat” roof which is composed of several layers of roof felt and bituminous coating, often topped with gravel.

Built-up-roof-membrane (BUR) – Continuous, semiflexible roof covering of laminations or piles of saturated or coated felts alternated with layers of bitumin, surfaced with mineral aggregate or asphaltic materials.

BX-wiring – Electrical wiring wrapped in rubber with a flexible steel outer covering.

Cap sheet – Mineral-surfaced coated felt used as the top ply of a built-up roof membrane.

Casement window – A window that opens, usually outwards, on hinges at the vertical edge.

Caulking – The operation or method of rendering a joint tight against water.  

Ceiling Joist – One of a series of parallel beams used to support ceiling loads.

Chimney cap – Concrete capping around the top of the chimney brick to protect the masonry work from the elements.

Chimney flashing – A shield used at junction of chimney and roof to prevent leaks.

Circulator pump – The pump on a hot water boiler which moves the water through the heating pipes and radiators.

Coal tar pitch – Dark brown to black solid bitumin obtained from coal tar, used as the waterproofing agent of a deadlevel or low-slope built-up roof.

Coated felt (or base sheet) – A felt that has been saturated with asphalt and later coated with a harder, more viscous asphalt which increases its resistance to moisture.

Cold-process roofing – Bituminous membrane comprising layers of coated felts bonded with cold-applied asphalt roof cement and surfaced with a cutback or emulsified asphalt roof coating.

Collar beam – A horizontal beam fastened between rafters which are opposite each other to add rigidity to the roof framing.

Compressor – The main element in a central air conditioning system. It compresses the gaseous refrigerant.

Condensate line – The line which removes dehumidified water from the air conditioning system’s evaporator coil area.

Coping – A capping or covering to a wall, either flat or sloping to throw off water. The material or member used to form a capping or finish on top of a wall to protect the masonry structure.

Cornice – Any projecting ornamental molding along the top of a building.

Course – One of the continuous horizontal layers or rows of masonry units which, bonded together, form a masonry structure.

Creosote – A black, gummy, combustible substance which is formed when wood burns. Since it tends to cling to the inner lining of the chimney, it should be removed periodically as a precaution.

Delamination – Separation of felt plies in a built-up membrane; separation of insulation boards into horizontal strata.

Door Jamb – An upright surface that lines an opening for a door.

Drain Tile – An underground drainage system used to carry off excess water at foundation footings.

Eave – The extension of a roof beyond the house walls.

Economic life – The average expected useful life span, based on industry standards.

Efflorescence – White powder that forms on the surface of masonry when moisture is present.

Effluent – Treated sewage from a septic tank, usually over 99% liquid.

Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) – Thermosetting, synthetic rubber used in single-ply elastomeric sheet roof membranes.

Expansion joint – A bituminous fiber strip used to separate blocks or units of concrete to allow free movement and prevent cracking due to expansion from temperature changes.

Fascia – A flat, horizontal member of cornice placed in a vertical position.

Felt – Flexible sheet used in a roofing system produced by interlocking fibers with a binder or through a combination of mechanical work, moisture and heat.

Fiberboard – A flexible board-like material made from pressed fibers of wood.

Fishmouth – Membrane defect consisting of an opening in the edge lap of a felt in a built-up membrane; a consequence of an edge wrinkle.

Flagstone (flagging, flags) – Flat stones from 1 to 4 inches thick, used for walks, steps and floors.

Flashing – Connective devices that seal membranes at walls and other roof interruptions. Base flashings form the upturned edges of the watertight membranes; cap flashings shield exposed edges and joints of the base flashing.

Floor joist – One of a series of framing members which rests on outer foundation walls and interior girders.

Flooring – The interior horizontal surface of the house. May only be plywood if carpeting is used.

Footing – A concrete horizontal base on which the house foundation rests.

Foundation – Construction below or partly below grade which provides support for the house.

Flue – A passageway in a chimney for conveying smoke, gases or fumes to the outside air.

Gargoyle – Water spout or decoration in the form of a grotesque human or animal figure which projects from a wall or water table of a building.

Glaze coat – Thin protective coating of bitumin applied to the lower piles or top ply of a built-up membrane when application of additional felts or the flood coat and aggregate surfacing is delayed.

Gravel – Coarse granular aggregate from crushed rock, used as a protective surfacing or ballast on a roof system.

Gravel stop – Flanged device, usually metallic, projecting above the roof level, designed to prevent loose aggregate, leaves or other waste from rolling or washing off the roof and providing a finished edge detail for the roof.

Ground fault interrupter (GFI) – A sensitive safety device used on circuits where there is a high risk of electrical shock due to the presence of water.

Grout – A mixture of cementitious material, cement or lime for example, and sufficient water to make a consistency that will flow without separation of ingredients.

Gutter – An open channel installed along the eave of a roof to take away rain water.

Header – (1) A brick laid lengthwise along a wall and serving as a bond. A masonry unit laid flat with its largest dimension perpendicular to the face of the wall. It is generally used to tie two wythes of masonry together. (2) A framing member across the top of an opening to distribute the load.

Heat Exchanger – The chamber in a furnace or boiler which separates the heated household air or water from the burned flue gases.

Hollow wall – A wall built of solid masonry units laid in and so constructed as to provide an air space within the wall.

Ice dam – A building up of ice at the lower section of the roof caused by melting snow which refreezes at the cold overhang.

Internal gutters – Gutters which are built into the roofs of older homes.

Junction box – A covered box in which electrical wires are connected to each other.

Kneewall – A support wall in the attic which runs from the floor joists to the rafters in order to give strength to the roof framing.

Knob and tube wiring – This is an old wiring technique in which the wiring is fastened to the framework of the building with a porcelain knob. Porcelain tubes act as bushings to insulate the holes where the wires pass through the framework.

Lally column – A steel tube filled with concrete used to support girders or other floor beams.

Lintel – A horizontal structural member that supports a load over an opening such as a door or a window.

Loose-laid roof system – Design concept in which insulation boards and membrane are not anchored on the deck, but ballasted by loose aggregate or concrete pavers.

Low water cut off – A safety device on a steam boiler which automatically shuts the unit off if the water level becomes low.

Main girder – The main support that usually runs between foundation walls to carry the weight of a floor.

Masonry – Stone, brick, concrete, hollow tile, concrete-block, gypsum-block or other similar building units or materials bonded together with mortar to form a wall, pier, buttress or similar mass.

Membrane- Flexible or semiflexible roof covering – the waterproofing component of the roof system.

Mineral-surfaced sheet – Asphalt, saturated felt, coated on one or both sides and surfaced on the weather exposed side with mineral granules.

Mortar – A mixture of cementitious materials and aggregate, with or without the addition of plasticizers or other admixtures, reduced to a plastic state by the addition of water and suitable for use to bind masonry units together.

Neoprene – Synthetic rubber used in fluid-or-sheet applied elastomeric single-ply membranes or flashings.

Parapet – A low wall, placed to protect any spot where there is a sudden drop – as in along the roof.

Parapet wall – A dwarf, barrier or section of wall extending above the roof.

Parge Coat – A coating of a foundation wall to retard the passage of water.

Pilaster – A projection of the foundation wall used to support a floor girder or stiffen the wall.

Pitch pocket – Flanged, open-bottomed metal container placed around a column or other roof penetrating element and filled with bitumin or plastic cement to seal the joint.

Plot plan – A diagram showing the underground components of a septic system.

Ply – Layer of felt in a built-up roof membrane.

Pointing – Mortar or the process of pushing mortar into a joint after a brick is laid.

Pointing up – The filling in of the joints in masonry work with mortar in order to improve its strength.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – Thermoplastic polymer, formulated with a plasticizer, used as a single-sheet membrane or liquid coating.

Ponding – A water pool created by improper drainage or a depression in, the roofing surface, which is lower than the drain.

Potability test – A test done on water to determine if it is suitable for drinking.

Private water system – A water supply system other than a municipal system. It could be a well, cistern, pond or other water source system.

Protected membrane roof (PMR) – Roof assembly with insulation on top of the membrane instead of vice versa, as in the conventional roof assembly.

Radiant heat – Coils of electricity, hot water or steam pipes embedded in floors, ceilings or walls to heat a room.

Rafter – One of a series of structural members designed to support roof loads.

Rake – Trim which is inclined; that is neither vertical nor horizontal.

Reglet – Horizontal groove in a wall or other vertical surface adjoining a roof surface for anchoring flashing.

Reverse polarity – A condition within an electrical receptacle where the hot and neutral lines are reversed and the current flows in the opposite direction than in other receptacles.

Ridge board – The horizontal member at the top of the roof where the rafters meet.

Ridging – Membrane defect characterized by upward displacement of the membrane, usually over insulation-board joints.

Reinforced brick masonry (RBM) – Brick masonry in which metal is embedded in such a manner that the two materials act together in resisting forces.

Reveal – That portion of a jamb or recess that is visible from the face of the wall back to the frame placed between jambs.

Roll roofing – Coated felts, generally mineral-surfaced, supplied in rolls and designed for use without field-applied surfacing.

Romex wiring – Modern wiring which is encased in plastic.

Roof Covering – The outer surface of the roof designed to withstand the elements.

Roof Sheathing – These are flat boards that are nailed to the rafters to which is fastened the covering.

Sash lines – The cord or chain that attaches the counter balance weights to each double hung window sash.

Screwjack column – An adjustable metal support post generally used under beams.

Scupper – Channel through parapet, designed for peripheral drainage of the roof, usually as safety overflow system to limit accumulation of ponded rainwater caused by clogged drains.

Septic tank – The first part of a septic system in which sewage settles to the bottom and liquid components are siphoned off the top to the drainage field.

Shingling – Pattern formed by laying parallel felt rolls with lapped joints so that one longitudinal edge overlaps the longitudinal edge of one adjacent felt; whereas, the other longitudinal underlaps the other adjacent felt. Shingling is the informal method of applying felts in a built-up roofing membrane.

Shower pan – The metal receptacle below tiled shower floors.

Siding – The exposed surface of exterior walls of frame buildings.

Sill plate – One of a series of horizontal framing members resting on top of the foundation walls.

Slab – Concrete floor placed directly on earth or gravel base and supported on the footings.

Slag – Porous aggregate used as built-up bituminous membrane surfacing, comprising silicates and alumino-silicates of calcium and other bases, developed with iron in a blast furnace.

Smoke chamber – A large void over the fireplace damper that prevents the smoke from backing up into the room and also prevents rainwater from entering the firebox.

Smooth-surfaced roof – Built-up roofing membrane surfaced with a layer of hot mopped asphalt or cold-applied asphalt-clay emulsion or asphalt cutback, or something with unmopped inorganic felt.

Soffit –The visible horizontal underside of the eave or overhang of a house. The underside of an arch, floor, lintel, stair or other similar construction.

Soil stack – Vertical plumbing pipes for waste water.

Soldier – A brick laid on its edge so that its longest dimension is parallel to the vertical axis of the face of the wall.

Solid wall – A wall built of solid masonry units, laid contiguously, with the spaces between the units filled completely with mortar. Also, walls built of solid concrete.

Spall – A small fragment removed from the face of the stone, brick or other masonry material by a blow or by the action of the elements.

Spalling – The flaking of the top ¼” or ½” of the face of the stone, common with brick and soft stone.

Splash block – A small masonry block laid with the top close to the ground surface to receive roof drainage from downspouts and to carry it away from the building.

Stack (or chimney) – Any structure or part of a structure partly or wholly exposed to the atmosphere which contains a flue or flues for the discharge of gasses.

Steam vent – A vent on a steam radiator which allows the air in the radiator to escape as steam begins to fill the radiator and automatically closes when the radiator is full of steam.

Stucco – Most commonly refers to an outside plaster made with Portland cement as its base.

Stud – One of a series of vertical members of the house framing to which horizontal sheets are nailed.

Sub-flooring – A wood or fibrous material that is nailed to the floor joists and then receives the finished flooring.

Sump – A pit in the basement or crawl space floor which collects water so it can be pumped out.

Swale – A wide, shallow depression in the ground to form a channel for storm water drainage.

Tearoff – Removing a failed roof system down to the skeletal deck.

Thermal shock – Stress produced phenomenon resulting from sudden temperature change in a roof membrane when, for example, a rain shower follows brilliant, hot sunshine.

Through-wall flashing – Water-resistant membrane or material assembly extending through a wall’s horizontal cross-section and designed to direct water flow through the wall to the exterior.

Toilet seal – A seal, usually wax, which joins the toilet base to the drain pipe.

Tread – The horizontal part of a stair step.

Veneer – A facing masonry material attached, but not bonded, to the backing.

Vent – Opening designed to convey water vapor or other gas from inside building or building component to the atmosphere.

Vent pipe – A pipe which allows gas to escape from the plumbing system.

Voltage – The pressure behind the flow of electricity.

Wall board – An interior wall surface of plasterboard or material other than plaster. 

Wall sheathing – A sub-surface material nailed to exterior studs to back the siding.

Wall tie – Strip of metal used for tying a facing veneer to the body of a wall.

Water table – (1) The level below which the ground is saturated with water. (2) A slight projection of masonry or mid-wall cornice, designed as an architectural decoration or, when slightly above the ground, as a protection against water.

Weep hole – A small hole in a wall or storm window which permits water to drain off.

Well log – A chart indicating well data such as depth, size of equipment, etc.

Window Casing – The framing members containing and supporting the windows of the house.

Window well – A metal or masonry frame outside of a basement window which keeps the earth away from the window yet allows light to enter.

Withe or Wythe – A single thickness of brick laid up to form a wall.

Wood Preservative – A liquid compound (with or without stain) which helps to preserve wood.