Construction Terms Glossary: 126 Words From Addendum to Zoning Variance

A

Addendum: A written change to the bid documents, made before signing. It corrects or adds to the plans and specs that every bidding contractor already has.

Aggregate: The sand, gravel, or crushed stone mixed with cement and water to make concrete. ASTM International’s C33/C33M, “Standard Specification for Concrete Aggregates,” sets the grading and quality rules ready-mix producers buy against.

Agreement, Owner-Contractor: The signed contract setting price, schedule, and terms between a contractor and a client. AIA Document A101 is the industry’s standard form for a stipulated-sum project. It works alongside the A201 General Conditions.

Allowance: A dollar figure carried in a bid for an unpicked selection, like tile or a fixture. Going over means the client pays the difference; coming under means a credit back.

Application for Payment: The form a contractor submits to bill an owner for work completed to date. AIA Document G702 is the standard form. It pairs with the G703 sheet, breaking the sum into line items.

As-built Drawings: The final set of plans, marked up to show what was actually built. It includes every field change made after the original drawings went out.

Attic Access: The opening, usually a hatch or pull-down stair, that lets a crew reach attic space for insulation, ductwork, or repairs. Our attic access requirements guide covers the sizing and clearance questions that come up on a walk-through.

B

Backfill: Soil or gravel packed back into an excavation around a foundation, footing, or utility trench. Crews add it once the work below grade wraps up.

Balloon Framing: An older framing method where wall studs run the full height of a building, floor to roof. Platform framing instead stacks studs floor by floor.

Bearing Wall: A wall that carries structural load from the floor or roof above down to the foundation. A dividing wall carries none. Removing a bearing wall without engineering it first is how roofs sag.

Bid Bond: A guarantee that a contractor who wins a bid will sign the contract and provide performance and payment bonds. Owners on public work often require one as a condition of submitting a bid at all.

Blueprint: The construction drawings that guide a project: floor plans, elevations, and details. The name comes from an older blue-tinted printing process. Most sets print in black and white or on a tablet today.

Butt Joint: Where two pieces of material meet edge to edge with no overlap, common in trim, siding, and framing connections.

C

C: Contracts and the crew

Callback: A return trip to a finished job, to fix a defect the client or a follow-up inspection flagged. The contractor usually covers the cost under warranty.

Change Order: A signed document that adjusts a contract’s scope, price, or schedule after work has started. AIA Document G701, “Change Order,” is the standard form the owner, architect, and contractor sign to approve the change.

Competent Person: OSHA’s own definition, 29 CFR 1926.32(f). “one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.” Several OSHA standards, including excavation and scaffolding, require one on site.

Construction Manager: The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies this role under SOC code 11-9021. The Bureau describes the work as planning, directing, or coordinating construction and maintenance for structures and facilities, through supervisors.

Contingency: Money set aside in a budget for the unknowns that show up once walls open. Rot, bad wiring, or a foundation crack are common examples no one saw at bid time.

Continuation Sheet: AIA Document G703 is the schedule that breaks a contract sum into individual portions of work. It pairs with the G702 application for payment to track billed and remaining work.

C: Materials and structure

Cladding: The outer layer of a building’s exterior wall, like siding, brick veneer, or stucco. It sheds water and weather away from the structure underneath.

Concrete Slump: A field test for how wet or stiff a concrete mix is. It checks how far a sample slumps after crews lift off the cone, against what the crew ordered.

Cripple Wall: A short wall section, usually under a standard stud height, that sits between the foundation and the first floor framing. Our cripple wall guide covers why older houses with them need seismic bracing.

Curing: The process of keeping poured concrete moist and at a workable temperature while it gains strength. Skipping this lets it dry out too fast and crack.

D

Dead Load: The permanent weight of a structure itself, like framing, roofing, and drywall. Live load is different: people, furniture, and snow that come and go.

Deck: Either an outdoor structure attached to a house, or the plywood or OSB surface under roof or floor framing. It goes on before the finish material. Context tells you which one is meant.

Demising Wall: The wall that separates one tenant’s leased space from another’s in a commercial building. It also separates two units in a duplex.

Draw Schedule: The agreed timeline and dollar amounts a lender or client releases as a project reaches set milestones. It keeps a contractor from fronting the entire job’s cost.

Drywall: Gypsum board panels fastened to framing to form interior walls and ceilings, then taped, mudded, and sanded before paint.

E

Easement: A legal right for someone other than the property owner to use part of the land. Common purposes include a utility line or a shared driveway.

Egress: A required, unobstructed way out of a building or a room. It comes up most with bedroom windows and basement finishing, where code sets minimum openable size and sill height.

Electrician: BLS SOC code 47-2111. The Bureau’s own summary: electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems.

Elevation: A drawing that shows a building’s exterior from one side, straight on, without perspective distortion. It shows height, window placement, and roofline.

Engineered Lumber: Structural wood products like laminated veneer lumber (LVL) or I-joists, made from wood strands or veneers, not solid wood. Builders choose them for strength and longer spans.

Excavation: OSHA’s own definition, 29 CFR 1926.650(b). “any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in an earth surface, formed by earth removal.” Crews dig them most often for a foundation, footing, or utility line.

F

F: Envelope and finish

Fascia: The horizontal board that runs along the edge of a roofline, behind the gutter. It finishes the point where the roof meets the exterior wall.

Fenestration: The arrangement of windows and doors in a building’s exterior wall. The term shows up most often in energy code and design documents.

Field Change: A modification made on site during construction, often a minor fix to something the drawings did not anticipate. It gets recorded on the as-built set.

Finish Carpentry: The trim-level woodwork done after rough framing and drywall: casing, baseboard, crown molding, and built-ins. Fit and appearance matter most here.

F: Framing and weatherproofing

Firestop: Material or an assembly installed to seal a penetration or gap in a fire-rated wall or floor. It stops fire and smoke from traveling between spaces.

Flashing: Thin sheet material, usually metal, installed at roof valleys, wall penetrations, and window and door openings. It directs water away from the structure instead of into it.

Footing: The widened base of concrete beneath a foundation wall or column. It spreads a building’s weight over enough soil to keep it from settling unevenly.

Framing: The structural skeleton of a building, the studs, joists, rafters, and beams that everything else attaches to.

G

General Conditions: AIA Document A201 is titled “General Conditions of the Contract for Construction.” It sets out owner, contractor, and architect rights and responsibilities on a project. Agreements like A101 incorporate it by reference.

General Contractor: The contractor holding the prime contract with the property owner. This contractor is responsible for the overall project and for hiring and coordinating subcontractors.

Girder: A large horizontal structural beam that supports other beams or joists. It typically runs between foundation walls or columns to carry a floor system.

Grade: The level of the ground at a given point. Crews reference it constantly in site work, foundation height, and drainage planning (“finished grade,” “rough grade”).

Grading: Shaping and sloping the land around a structure, usually to move water away from the foundation instead of toward it.

Guardrail System: OSHA’s own definition, 29 CFR 1926.500(b). “a barrier erected to prevent employees from falling to lower levels.” The same section defines an unprotected side or edge as a walking or working surface with no wall or guardrail system “at least 39 inches (1.0 m) high.”

Gutter: The channel fastened along a roof edge that collects roof runoff. It routes the water to downspouts instead of letting it sheet off the roofline.

H

Header: The horizontal framing member installed above a door or window opening. It carries the load that would otherwise rest on the missing studs. Our what is a header in construction guide breaks down sizing by opening width.

Hardscape: The non-living, built elements of a landscape: patios, walkways, retaining walls, and driveways. Softscape, the plants and lawn, is the opposite.

HVAC: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, the trade and the systems that control a building’s temperature, humidity, and air quality.

Hip Roof: A roof style where all sides slope down to the walls, with no vertical gable ends. The slopes meet at a ridge or a point.

I

Insulation R-Value: A rating that measures how well an insulation material resists heat flow. A higher R-value means better insulating performance for a given thickness. Energy codes set minimum values by climate zone and building assembly.

Invoice: A bill for work performed or materials supplied. This differs from an estimate, a proposed price given before the work starts.

Ironworker: A tradesperson who erects structural steel, rebar, and metal building components. The work runs from foundations through the steel frame of a building.

J

Jamb: The vertical side piece of a door or window frame, the part the hinges or the sash attach to.

Joist: A horizontal structural member that runs parallel to others and supports a floor or ceiling. It transfers that load to beams, walls, or foundations.

Journeyman: A tradesperson who has completed an apprenticeship and can perform the trade’s work independently. This rank sits below master but past apprentice.

K

Keyway: A groove in a concrete footing, formed before crews pour the foundation wall on top. It locks the two pours together instead of relying on the bond alone.

Knee Wall: A short wall, less than full height, found in an attic where the roof slope meets the floor. It frames usable space under that slope.

L

Labor Burden: The true cost of an employee beyond wages: payroll taxes, workers’ comp, insurance, and benefits. All of it belongs in a bid, even though it never shows up on a paycheck.

Laborer: BLS SOC code 47-2061, Construction Laborers. The Bureau’s summary: construction laborers and helpers perform tasks such as using, supplying, or holding materials or tools and cleaning work areas and equipment on construction sites.

Lath: A backing material, wood strips or metal mesh, applied to framing before plaster or stucco. It gives the wet material something to grip and key into.

Lien: A legal claim against a property when a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier goes unpaid for work or materials. It secures the debt against the property itself.

Line Item: A single priced entry on an estimate or invoice, like “labor” or “10 sheets of drywall.” It stands apart from one lump total.

Load-bearing Wall: See Bearing Wall. The two terms are used interchangeably on most job sites and drawings.

Lookout: A short framing member that cantilevers out from a wall or roof structure. It supports an overhang, like a roof eave.

M

Mansard Roof: A roof style with two slopes on each side: a steep lower slope and a shallower upper one. Builders often use it to add usable attic or upper-floor space.

Markup: The percentage or dollar amount a contractor adds to the direct cost of labor and materials. It covers overhead and profit.

Masonry: Construction using individual units, brick, block, or stone, set with mortar, as opposed to poured or framed construction.

Mechanic’s Lien: The specific type of lien available to contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers for unpaid work on real property. Rules and deadlines for filing one vary by state.

Mobilization: The setup work and cost of getting equipment, materials, and crew moved onto a site before the main work begins.

Mudsill: The lowest horizontal framing member, bolted to a foundation, that the rest of the wall framing sits on. Also called a sill plate.

N

Nail Pattern: The spacing and placement scheme a framing or sheathing plan calls out for fasteners. It meets the structural and shear requirements of the assembly.

Net 30: Payment terms meaning the full invoice amount is due 30 days from the invoice date, common between contractors and suppliers.

Notice to Proceed: A written notice from an owner authorizing a contractor to begin work. It typically also starts the contract’s schedule clock running.

O

Occupancy Permit: A permit issued by the local building department, confirming a building or space meets code and is safe to occupy. It is usually the last approval on new construction or a major remodel.

On-center (O.C.): A measurement convention: the distance between the centers of two framing members (like studs or joists), not their edges. A crew then knows exactly where the next piece of lumber lands.

Overhead: A contractor’s ongoing business costs not tied to any single job: office rent, insurance, vehicles, and admin staff. Markup recovers these costs across all jobs.

P

P: Reading the site

Pier: A vertical support, often concrete, that carries a beam or post down to load-bearing soil below. It is common under decks and crawl-space foundations.

Pitch: The steepness of a roof, expressed as a ratio of vertical rise to horizontal run.

Plumb: Perfectly vertical, checked with a level or a plumb bob. A wall or post that is “out of plumb” is leaning.

Purlin: A horizontal structural member that runs across rafters or trusses to support roof decking or panels. It is common in metal building and pole barn construction.

P: Money and process

Plumber: BLS SOC code 47-2152. The Bureau’s summary: plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair piping fixtures and systems.

Progress Payment: A partial payment made to a contractor as a project reaches agreed milestones. Contractors track it through an application for payment like AIA G702.

Punch List: The list of small, unfinished, or incorrect items identified near the end of a project. A contractor must correct them before final payment and closeout.

Q

QA/QC: Quality assurance and quality control: the processes a contractor uses to meet the standards in the plans and specs. Checks happen both before and after installation.

Qualified: OSHA’s own definition, 29 CFR 1926.32(m). “one who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated his ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.”

Quarter Round: A trim molding shaped like a quarter of a circle in cross-section. Installers commonly use it to finish the joint between baseboard and flooring.

Quick-set Concrete: A concrete or mortar mix that reaches handling strength faster than a standard mix. Crews use it for small repairs and posts when they cannot wait on a normal cure.

R

Rafter: A sloped structural member that runs from the ridge of a roof down to the wall. It forms the roof’s structural frame under the decking.

Rebar: Steel reinforcing bar embedded in concrete to give it tensile strength that plain concrete does not have on its own.

Retainage: A percentage of each progress payment an owner withholds until a project reaches substantial completion. The owner releases it afterward as an incentive to finish and correct punch list items.

Ridge Board: The horizontal framing member at the very top of a roof where the rafters from both sides meet.

Rough-in: The stage of plumbing, electrical, or HVAC work done inside open walls and floors. It happens before insulation, drywall, fixtures, and finishes go in.

S

S: Contracts and completion

Schedule of Values: A breakdown of a contract’s total price into the individual portions of work. Contractors use it as the basis for billing progress payments over the life of a project.

Scope of Work: The written description of exactly what a contractor is and is not responsible for on a project. A vague one is the single most common source of dispute.

Subcontractor: A contractor hired by a general contractor to perform a specific trade’s work, like electrical or drywall. It does not hold a direct contract with the property owner.

Substantial Completion: The point at which a project is complete enough for its intended use. Minor punch list items may still remain. It usually triggers warranty periods and retainage release.

S: Materials and structure

Sheathing: The structural panel material, plywood or OSB, fastened over wall studs, roof rafters, or floor joists. It goes on before the finish siding, roofing, or flooring.

Shim: A thin piece of material, often wood or plastic, inserted to fill a gap. It trues up a door, window, or fixture that is not perfectly plumb or level.

Slab-on-grade: A foundation type where a concrete slab is poured directly on prepared ground, with no crawl space or basement underneath.

Soffit: The underside of a roof overhang, or a boxed-in section of ceiling that conceals ductwork or plumbing. It is typically vented to allow attic airflow.

Stud: A vertical framing member in a wall. Plates, sheathing, and drywall attach to it. It is spaced according to the wall’s on-center layout.

Sump Pump: A pump installed in a basement or crawl-space pit that collects and discharges groundwater. It moves water away from a foundation before it can flood the space.

T

Take-off: The process of counting and measuring materials directly from the drawings to build an accurate estimate, the step before pricing.

Tear-out: Demolition of existing material, like flooring, cabinetry, or drywall, to prepare a space for new work.

Termite Shield: A metal barrier installed between a foundation and the wood framing above it. It blocks termites from traveling directly from soil into structural wood.

Tile Setter: A tradesperson who installs ceramic, porcelain, or stone tile on floors, walls, and countertops.

Truss: A prefabricated, engineered structural framework, usually triangulated. It spans a roof or floor without the need for interior bearing walls at every point.

U

Underlayment: A layer of material between a structural deck and a finish surface. Examples: roofing felt under shingles, or a moisture barrier under flooring. It adds protection the finish material alone lacks.

Unprotected Sides and Edges: OSHA’s own definition, 29 CFR 1926.500(b). “any side or edge (except at entrances to points of access) of a walking/working surface, e.g., floor, roof, ramp, or runway where there is no wall or guardrail system at least 39 inches (1.0 m) high.” It is the trigger condition for most fall-protection requirements on a site.

Utility Easement: A right granted to a utility company to run and access lines, like power or sewer, across private property. This restricts what an owner can build over that strip of land.

V

Valley: The internal angle where two roof slopes meet and drain into each other, a high-water spot that gets extra flashing.

Vapor Barrier: A material installed to slow the movement of water vapor through a wall, floor, or ceiling assembly. Installers place it on the warm side of insulation in most climates.

Vinyl Siding: An exterior cladding material made from PVC plastic, installed in overlapping panels. It is valued for low maintenance compared to painted wood siding.

Void: An unintended empty space. It comes up most in concrete work when a pour does not fully fill a form, leaving a weak spot.

W

Waste Factor: An extra percentage of material added to a take-off to cover cuts, breakage, and mistakes. It keeps a crew from running short mid-job.

Waterproofing: A membrane or coating system, more robust than standard damp-proofing, designed to fully block water intrusion. It is common on below-grade walls and roof decks.

Weep Hole: A small, intentional gap left in masonry veneer or a window sill. It lets trapped water drain back out instead of sitting inside the wall assembly.

Work Order: An internal document authorizing and describing a specific task for a crew. Crews often use it for smaller jobs or service calls rather than a full contract.

X, Y & Z

X-brace: Diagonal bracing installed in an X pattern across a wall or floor bay. It resists lateral (sideways) forces like wind or seismic load.

Yard: Short for cubic yard, the pricing unit for concrete, mulch, and fill dirt. A cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet, the number behind any length-by-width-by-thickness delivery order.

Zoning: Local government rules dividing land into districts (residential, commercial, industrial) and setting what can be built there and how.

Zoning Variance: A formal exception granted to a property owner to deviate from a zoning rule, like a setback. Owners seek one when strict compliance would create an unusual hardship.