Term
Definition
- BTU 0 likes
- British thermal unit; measurement of the heat energy to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit
- Bubble 3 likes
- A large void in the core of gypsum board due to trapping air while the core is fluid during production
- Bucket2 likes
- Large metal container in which concrete is discharged; raised by a crane to the placement area
- A cylindrical open container comprised of metal or plastic with a handle that holds and carries liquids or other materials.
- Bucket Trap 0 likes
- Mechanical steam trap that works on buoyancy to stop the passage of steam through the mechanical system it is protecting
- Buckles 1 like
- In old plastering, raised or ruptured spots which eventually crack exposing the lath beneath; usually due to applying plaster over dry, broken or improperly applied wood lath
- Buckling 0 likes
- Collapse in a sudden sideways deflection; structural failure by gross lateral deflection of a slender element under compressive stress
- Wrinkling or ridging of the carpet after installation due to inadequate stretching, dimensional instability, or manufacturing flaws
- Budget, Construction Budget 0 likes
- Itemized summary of forecasted or proposed expenditures for a given period
- Amount of money set aside for a specific project
- Buffer 0 likes
- Pile of blasted rock left against or near a face that enhances fragmentation and reduces dispersion from the next blast
- Buffing Compound1 like
- Soft abrasive stick bonded with wax
- Buglehead Screw 0 likes
- Screw that sits under the plane of the gypsum board surface without tearing the paper
- Builder 0 likes
- A person who constructs; a building contractor
- Builder’s Risk Insurance 0 likes
- Insurance coverage during a construction project, with extended coverage that may be included to protect the client
- Builders Hardware 0 likes
- Hardware used in construction, such as bolts, nails, nuts, screws, hinges, and other fastenings, metal and plastic parts, butts, and similar items
- Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) 0 likes
- 355 Lexington Ave, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10017, Tel: (212) 297-2122, URL: http://www.buildershardware.com/
- Builders Level1 like
- Measures and sets levels on a construction property; also called a Contractors Level
- Building 0 likes
- Combining materials or parts
- A fixed structure enclosed by a roof and exterior walls
- Building Codes 0 likes
- Legal requirements set forth by governing agencies defining the minimum acceptable standards for all types of construction; see Codes
- Building Coverage 0 likes
- Percentage of land covered by building structures
- Building Demolition 1 like
- The destruction of an existing structure
- Building Drainage System 0 likes
- Pipe system that carries away waste water and sewage; also called House Drainage System
- Building Envelope 0 likes
- Waterproof parts of a building that enclose spaces through which thermal energy may be transferred to or from the outside
- Exterior structure of the building
- Building Excavation 0 likes
- Removing earth and rock to make room for a foundation
- Building Inspector/Official 2 likes
- Government representative authorized to inspect construction for compliance with applicable building codes, regulations and ordinances
- Building Insurance 0 likes
- Insurance that covers the structure of the building
- Building Lime 1 like
- Lime suited for usual or special construction; also called construction lime
- Building Main 0 likes
- Water supply pipe that transports the water from the supply source to the first branch of the building’s water distribution system
- Building Official 0 likes
- Representative charged with administration and enforcement of the pertinent building code
- Building Paper1 like
- Papers, felts, and similar sheet materials used in buildings; usually in long rolls
- Building Permit 0 likes
- Document issued by the appropriate governmental authority allowing construction to commence on a specified project according to specifications
- Building Process 0 likes
- Specified steps of a construction project from its concept to final acceptance and habitation
- Building Related Illness 0 likes
- Diagnosable illness where symptoms are identifiable and the cause is directly attributed to airborne building pollutants
- Building Residual 0 likes
- A real estate appraisal technique where a judicious return on the land is subtracted from the income, the balance then ascribed to the improvements
- Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) 0 likes
- A council of the National Association of Building Sciences 1090 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005-4905 Tel: (202) 289-7800, http://www.nibs.org/
- Building Sewer 0 likes
- Piping that transfers soil and waste water from the building drain to the public sewer or private sewage disposal system; also called House Sewer
- Building Sub-Drain 1 like
- Part of the drainage system that collects the discharge from the fixtures and cannot drain into the building sewer because it is located below the building sewer or building drain
- Building Trap 0 likes
- A trap placed in the building drain to stop sewer gases from the sewer main entering
- Building, Metal 0 likes
- Building made of a structural steel frame, metal roof and wall panels; usually prefabricated offsite and assembled at the site
- Built-In Oven1 like
- An oven installed in a wall or cabinet
- Built-In Shelving 1 like
- Shelving permanently mounted in a cabinet frame
- Built-Up Member 0 likes
- A single structural component constructed from fastening several pieces
- Built-Up Plaque 0 likes
- Localized abnormal patch layers on a surface
- Built-Up Roof 0 likes
- Roofing with three to five layers of asphalt felt laminated with coal tar, pitch, or asphalt, the top finished with crushed slag or gravel; usually used on flat or low-pitched roofs
- Built-Up Roofing Membrane (BUR) 0 likes
- Roofing material employed in sealed waterproof layers, or saturated or coated felts interspersed with layers of bitumen, surfaced with mineral aggregate or asphaltic materials
- Built-Up Steel Lintel 0 likes
- Lintel constructed of two or more pieces of structural steel fastened together to function as one component
- Built-Up Timber 0 likes
- A timber composed of several pieces secured together and producing one larger component
- Bulb, Sensitive1 like
- Part of sealed fluid apparatus that responds to temperature; employed to measure temperature or to control a mechanism
- Bulk 0 likes
- Large mass, size or quantity
- A small structure projecting out from a building, such as a booth or stall
- To cause to swell or bulge
- Bulk Density 0 likes
- Weight per unit of volume of a substance
- Bulk Excavation 0 likes
- Mining or digging out of large quantities of dirt and debris
- Bulk Mail Slot 0 likes
- A sufficiently large opening in a wall or door to enable receipt of large pieces of mail
- Bulkhead 0 likes
- A vertical divider that separates compartments on a ship or airplane
- Structure with a sloping door that provides access to a cellar stairway or shaft
- Structure that resists pressure or turns off water, fire, or gas
- A holding wall along a waterfront
- Bulkhead Formwork 0 likes
- Temporary formwork blocking fresh concrete from an area of forms, or closing the end of a form at a construction joint
- Bulking Curve 0 likes
- Graph of the change in volume of an amount of sand caused by adjustments in moisture content
- Bulking Value 0 likes
- Ability of a pigment to add volume to paint
- Bull Float1 like
- Flat, rectangular wood, aluminum, or magnesium tool employed to smooth unformed surfaces of fresh concrete
- Bull Nose, Drywall 1 like
- Round drywall corners
- Bulldozer 0 likes
- A tractor driven machine with a horizontal blade that clears land, roads, and other obstacles
- Bulletin Board1 like
- A wall hanging unit upon which houses information and messages; a thin board usually made of cork hung on a wall to attach public announcements
- Bulletproof 0 likes
- Prevents breaking or penetration from any strong external force
- Bulletproof Glass 0 likes
- A protective laminated heat and pressure-bonded glass sheet with resin sheets to resist bullets
- Bulletproof Partition 0 likes
- A dividing wall that resists the transfer of bullets
- Bullnose Block 0 likes
- A concrete masonry unit which has one or more round external corners
- Bullnose, Glazed 2 likes
- Ceramic trim tile with a convex radius on one edge and a glassy or glossy surface
- Bulls Eye 0 likes
- A small circular window or opening; bull’s eye window
- A small thick disc of glass mounted to bring in light
- Bumper, Dock 0 likes
- Thick rubber units positioned under loading dock openings to absorb the shock and stop damage when trucks back in to load or unload
- Bumper, Door2 likes
- Rubber tip devices installed on walls or baseboards to stop door knobs from damaging walls
- Bund Wall 0 likes
- A wall built around a tank to secure its contents in case the tank or its piping springs a leak
- Bundle 0 likes
- A package of shingles; usually, there are 3 bundles per square and 27 shingles per bundle
- Bundled Bars 0 likes
- A group of four or less parallel steel reinforcing bars in contact, usually secured together
- Buoyant Uplift 0 likes
- Water or liquefied soil force that can raise a building foundation from the ground
- Burglar Alarm2 likes
- Security system that indicates when any contacts are interrupted
- Burglar Bars1 like
- A grille of steel bars that protect a window from intrusion
- Burlap 0 likes
- A coarse fabric of jute, hemp, or flax employed as a water–retention cover in curing concrete surfaces; also called Hessian
- Burlap Rub 1 like
- A finish achieved by rubbing burlap to remove surface irregularities from concrete
- Burlap, Concrete 0 likes
- A curing concrete surface with a coarse fabric of jute, hemp, or flax used as a water–retention cover
- Burned Finish 0 likes
- Wood finish where the hard part of grain stands out in relief; achieved by using blowtorch and a stiff bristled brush
- Burning In 0 likes
- Restoring a finish by using a heated knife blade or iron
- Burnt Sienna 0 likes
- Earthy substance used in paint; sienna that has been roasted
- Burnt Umber 0 likes
- Brown earthy substance used in paint; umber that has been roasted
- Burst Strength 0 likes
- Internal pressure to break a pipe or fitting; pressure varies according to the rate of build-up of the pressure and the time the pressure is maintained
- Bus Bar2 likes
- A large, flat conductor, generally solid copper that transfers very high electrical currents
- Un-insulated bar or tube employed as an electrical conductor at a circuit junction
- Bus Duct 0 likes
- A prefabricated unit that has one or more electric conductors, often a metal bar that connects two or more circuits
- Bus Duct Connection 0 likes
- A metal bar that connects two or more circuits in a prefabricated unit
- Bus Ground 0 likes
- The place where the neutral (white) service wire connects to the earth by the ground wire in the main electrical service panel
- Bush Hammer1 like
- In stone dressing, a steel hammer employed in finishing the harder stones
- Bushed Nipple 0 likes
- A pipe threaded at both ends to connect two pipes of different sizes
- Bushing 0 likes
- A removable cylindrical lining for an opening that limits the size of an opening, resists abrasion, or serves as a guide
- Electrically insulating lining for a hole to protect a through conductor
- Pipe fitting with male and female threads employed in a fitting to decrease the size; used to connect pipes of different sizes
- Bushing, Conduit 0 likes
- A threaded metal or plastic pipe connector that connects conduit to a box or other housing where the hole is not threaded
- Business Entity Concept 0 likes
- The notion that a business is separate and distinct from its owners’ financial functions and holdings
- Butane2 likes
- A gaseous hydrocarbon employed in liquefied form as fuel; also used as a low temperature application refrigerant
- Butlers Pantry 0 likes
- A service room between the kitchen and dining room
- Butt Hinge1 like
- A leaf connects to the door‘s edge, the other to its jamb
- Butt Joint 0 likes
- Junction where the ends of two timbers or bricks meet, and also where sheets of drywall meet; to place materials end-to-end or end-to-edge without overlapping
- Butt Weld 0 likes
- A weld in a butt joint between two components lying more or less in the same plane
- Butt Welded Pipe 0 likes
- Pipe joined by welding
- Butt, Pile 0 likes
- See Pile Butt
- Butterflies 0 likes
- Color imperfections on a lime putty finish wall that smear under pressure from the trowel; due to lime lumps not passed through a screen and inadequate mixing of the gauging
- Butterfly Reinforcement 0 likes
- Metal reinforcement strips positioned diagonally over the plaster base at the corners of openings prior to plastering
- Butterfly Roof 1 like
- Roof shape similar to an inverted gable, the rain gutter in the middle instead of the ridge
- Butterfly Tie 0 likes
- See Ties
- Butterfly Valve1 like
- A valve made with a disc that turns 90 degrees in the valve body
- Buttering 0 likes
- Spreading mortar on a masonry unit before it is positioned
- Spreading of a bond coat to the backs of ceramic tile just prior to when the tile is placed
- See Surfacing
- Buttering Trowel1 like
- The blade is around 4-1/2 inches wide and 7 inches long; employed in buttering rich mortar to masonry, a method commonly employed in the eastern states
- Buttonback Tile 0 likes
- Tile that have round or square projections on the bondable side
- Buttress 0 likes
- A projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or stabilizing a wall or building wall and to respond against horizontal external forces
- The broad base of a tree trunk or a thick vertical part of it
- Butyl Alcohol 0 likes
- Alcohol of higher boiling range than wood alcohol or grain alcohol
- Butyl Caulk2 likes
- Caulking made from various synthetic rubbers from butanes
- Butyl Membrane 1 like
- Malleable thin sheets or layers made from synthetic rubber
- Buy Down 0 likes
- Subsidy usually paid by a builder or developer to lower monthly payments on a mortgage
- BX Cable1 like
- Indoor wiring comprised of two or more insulated wires shielded by a wound, galvanized steel strip cover, the metal winding creating a pliable tube creating fortification like rigid conduit
- By Fold Door1 like
- Doors hinged in the middle for opening in a smaller area than standard swing doors; usually for closet doors
- Bypass 0 likes
- Passage at a side or around a regular passage
- Secondary pipe or bridging of any plumbing fixture permitting its disconnection while circulation is maintained
- Bypass Doors2 likes
- Doors that slide by each other; usually closet doors

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