Visual DictionaryBSCI 2300-001

Fall 2009Pilaster

Air Barrier PaperAir barrier paper is a membrane that is applied to the sheathing that serves to

reduce the leakage of air between the interior and exterior of a structure. Also protects the

shell from moisture during construction.

Attic Ventilation Attic ventilation is required to vent

heat and moisture from the attic of buildings. It’s essential for proper temperature and moisture control.

Four common types of ventilation include soffit vents, ridge vents, gable vents, and roof turbines.

Attic Ventilation: Soffit Vent

An opening under the eave of a roof, used to allow air to flow into the attic or the space below the roof

sheathing.Allows for the release of heat from the soffit area. This soffit vent is made from a piece of vinyl siding

designed for use as a soffit vent.

Attic Ventilation: Ridge Vent

A long, open assembly that allows air to circulate in and out of a gable roof at the

ridge. Allows for the release of the buildup of heat from the underside of a

gable roof.

Attic Ventilation: Gable Vent

A screened, louvered opening in the gable that allows for heat to escape through the gable ends.

Attic Ventilation: Roof Turbine

A turbine vent is a passive ventilation device that exhausts humid, hot air from

an attic. Some forms of turbines are equipped with an electric motor.

Backhoe•A backhoe is a is a piece of excavating

equipment consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two piece, hydraulic arm. It can be a

piece of detachable equipment for a tractor or can be a dedicated unit. It’s used for excavating

foundations, septic systems, and for digging various holes.

•This backhoe was detachable, of small scale, and had a 24” wide bucket.

Brick Arches

Gothic Arch

Segmental Arch

Brick Arches: Arch With a Keystone

Keystone

Brick Arches: Centering

A temporary falsework structure that is erected to serve as a guide to construction and support for the finished arch. It is removed after the arch is completed.

Brick Bonds: Flemish Bond

A bond formed by alternating stretchers and headers in every course. Used to tie

two wythes together; also for appearance value.

Brick Bond: Running Bond

Bond made of bricks laid in an offsetting position to the course below and above

it. Made entirely of stretchers.

Brick BondsSoldiers

Rowlocks

Stretchers

Stretchers

Brick Bonds

Headers

Brick Bonds: Sailors

Brick Sizes: Modular

3-1/2”x2-1/4”x7-5/8”

Brick Sizes: Standard

3-1/2”x2-1/4”x8”

BulldozerA bulldozer is a crawler tractor equipped

with a large blade used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during

construction work. It is used for rough grade work and land clearing.

Cladding: Brick

Cladding: EIFS

Cladding: Stone and Wood

Stone CladdingCoursed Ashlar

Wood Cladding

Cladding: Wooden Shingle

Wooden Shake- Shingles that have been split from a solid block of woodWooden Shingle- Shingles that have been sawn from a block of wood; have even dimensions

Pictured to the left are wooden shingles.

Shingles

Code Requirements: Egress From Window

The IBC for emergency exit and rescue from a window requires that the net window area when open be equal to or greater than 5.7’ sq. for second floor bedrooms and for the sill to be no more than 44” AFF. It also states that the opening area of window should be at minimum, 24” wide and 34” high. The window to the right meets the AFF requirement at 26” AFF, but fails to meet the sq. footage requirement. The opening measured 5.272 sq feet and 23” high and 33” wide.

Code Requirements: Residential Stairs

The stairs shown to the right were measured with a tread depth of 11 1/4” while the risers were at a height of 7 ½”.

The IBC states that for residential stairs the treads shall measure a minimum of 10” and the risers shall measure a maximum of 7 ¾”.

These stairs DO meet the IBC.

Concrete Joints: Control Joint

A concrete control joint is placed in concrete to keep the material from

cracking during normal expansion and contraction due to temperature changes.

Concrete Joints: Isolation Joint

Isolation joints are used to relieve flexural stresses due to vertical

movement of slab-on-grade applications that adjoin fixed foundation elements

such as columns, building or machinery foundations, etc. In the photo below, a

concrete wall is being separated from the floor slab.

Concrete Wall

Concrete Slab

Isolation Joint

Concrete Masonry Unit

CMU

A block made of hardened concrete. The unit has hollow cores in the inside that allow for the installation of reinforcement. CMUs allow for quick and affordable construction. Typical dimensions are 8”x8”x16”. One course of CMUs are equal to three courses of masonry brick.

CMUs CMUs

Brick

Concrete Masonry UnitsNon-typical CMU dimensions

Photo at right: 4” block

Photo at left: 12” block

Decorative CMUsRibbed and Split Block

Split Block

Ribbed Block

Doors: Flush Door

Doors: Panel Door

Top Rail

Panel

Stile

Lock Rail

Bottom Rail

Doors: Sidelight and Transom

Transom- A small, window that is located above a door. Allows light in the structure; some have an operable transom for ventilation purposes

Sidelight- A small, narrow window that is directly beside a door. It’s part of the door assembly and runs parallel to it along it’s height.

Electrical Components: Transformer Box

A electrical transformer is used to reduce the high voltage in power transmission lines down to voltage that is suitable for use in normal applications. They

can either be mounted on a pole for overhead service or in a box like this one for underground

service.

Electrical Components: Service Head and Meter

The service head is the location where the electrical service is routed from the high voltage lines down conduit and into the meter and meter

box assembly. The meter is a device that measures the amount of electricity supplied to the residence.

Meter

Service Head

Electrical Components: Service Panel

The location where electricity is distributed throughout the home to

various circuits. Also the place where the electricity can be turned on and off.

Electrical Components: Duplex Receptacle

A duplex receptacle is a device used to transfer the electrical current from the wiring in the walls to the

walls’ surface. They make a connection point so devices can be hooked up to and removed from the

electrical current with ease.

Framing Elements

Anchor Bolt#1

Sill Plate#2

Floor Joist#3

Subflooring

#4

Sole Plate

#5

Stud#6

Top Plate#7

Ceiling Joist#8

Rafter#9

Roof Decking

#10

Sheathing #11

Stringer#12

Front End LoaderA front end loader is a piece of equipment primarily used to "load" material (asphalt, demolition debris,

dirt, feed, gravel, logs, raw minerals, recycled material, rock, sand, wood chips, etc.) into or onto

another type of machinery. Can also be used to dig or move fill on the jobsite.

Gypsum BoardA construction material used for wall and ceiling

coverage inside buildings. Gypsum is made using panels made of gypsum plaster pressed

between two thick sheets of paper, then kiln dried. Often called sheetrock or drywall.

Heat Pump

A heat pump is a device that uses a refrigeration cycle either to heat or cool a building by passing air or water over either the evaporating or condensing coils.

The compressor/evaporator moves the coolant around through the unit to facilitate operation. The air handler moves the physical air around through the duct work and across the condenser.

One advantage is the affordability of the unit to purchase and operate.

The major disadvantage of the heat pump is its inability to operate well at very low temperatures and thus requiring a back-up system.

Heat Pump Components

Air Handler

Compressor/Evaporator

Air Handler

Insulation

Insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose. Whilst the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation.

Its primary use is to reduce the effects of the temperature of the outside ambient air and/or the air in adjoining regions.

Insulation: Batt

Insulation: Loose Fill

LintelThe lintel is the horizontal crosspiece over an

opening, such as a door, window, carrying the weight of the masonry above it. Its used in CMU and

masonry construction to span across openings. Two common lintel types are angle iron and concrete.

This is an angle iron type.

Mortar Joints: TooledThe joint below is a tooled joint. It is vee.

The joint was measured at 3/8”. Mortar type is most likely N since the brick is simply for use as a cladding on the Auburn Chemistry

Building.

Mortar Joint: TroweledThe joint below is a troweled joint. It is a

flush joint. It measured at 3/8”. It is most likely type N. The brick serves as

cladding on the outside of a residence.

Oriented Strand Board (OSB)

OSB is an engineered wood panel product that is manufactured in wide mats from

cross-oriented layers of thin, rectangular wooden strips compressed and bonded

together with wax and resin adhesives. It is a nonveneered product.

Plumbing: Lavatory and Water Closet

A lavatory usually is drained by 1 ½” piping while a water closet is usually

drained with 3” piping.

Water ClosetLavatory

Plumbing: Manufactured Tub

Plumbing: Vent PlumbingPlumbing vents allow for air to enter the piping

system and prevent a suction from forming in piping. It allows for free drainage. This vent was located over the kitchen, so I’m assuming that it

serves to vent the sink and dishwasher drains.

Plumbing: SinkThe sink pictured below is a drop in

kitchen sink.

PlywoodPlywood is a type of engineered wood made

from thin sheets of wood, called plies or wood veneers. The layers are glued together so

that adjacent plies have their grain at right angles to each other for greater strength

Reinforcing Bar (Rebar)The rebar below is number 3, or 3/8”, in

diameter. The indentations on the surface of the steel is to give the rebar a better

bond with the concrete it’s embedded in.

Steep Roof Drainage: Gutter

A gutter is a narrow channel which collects rainwater from the roof of a

building and diverts it into a downspout.

Steep Roof Drainage: Downspout

A vertical pipe or conduit that carries rainwater from the gutter, guttering of a

building to a lower roof level, drain, ground or storm water drain.

Steep Roof Drainage: Splashblock

A splashblock is a preformed block of concrete that is designed to divert water

from the outlet of the downspout to a direction away from the foundation

Steep Roof Materials: Underlayment

Underlayment is a layer of material that is laid between the roof coverage material and the decking to provide an additional element

of moisture protection during and after construction.

Steep Roof Materials: Clay Tile Roof

Steep Roof Materials: Shingle Roof

A shingle is a thin unit of water-resistant material nailed in an overlapping fashion

with other units to provide a watertight roof covering. A wood shingle is pictured

below.

Steep Roof Materials: Metal Panel

Metal panel roofs can be made of metals such as enamel coated galvanized steel,

copper, lead coated copper, stainless steel, and terne coated stainless.

Steep Roof Shapes: Gable

Steep Roof Shapes: Gambrel

Steep Roof Shapes: Hip

Steep Roof Shapes: Mansard

Steep Roof Terms

Eave – Horizontal edge at the low side of a sloping roof

Rake – sloping edge of a steep roof.

Steep Roof Terms

Soffit – Undersurface of a roof overhang.

Fascia – The exposed vertical face of an eave.

Steep Roof Terms

Valley-trough formed by intersection of two roof slopes.

Ridge-intersection of two roof planes

Stone: Coursed Ashlar

Stone: Random Rubble

Vapor RetarderThe vapor retarder below is of the foil

type. It’s placed on the side of the insulation that faces the exterior to slow the penetration of water vapor through

the wall.

WaterproofingThis waterproofing is of the roll on,

cementituous type and is used to keep the water from penetrating the brick at the point where the wall intersects the

ground.

Weep HoleA small opening that serves to drain water from the inside of or behind a

particular building material or component.

Window: Outswinging

CasementYou can tell this is an outswinging

casement window because it is hinged along the top and bottom and has a mechanical assembly for operation

Windows: Single HungThe window below is a single hung

window. You can tell that it is because it has a single, operating sash.

Windows: SlidingThe window below is a sliding window.

You can tell because it has a single, operable sash that slides horizontally.