Robertson Custom Homes

A

• A/C Condenser - The outside fan unit of the Air Conditioning system. It removes the heat from the freon gas and turns the gas back into a liquid and pumps the liquid back to the coil in the furnace.
• Anchor bolt - A long, usually L-shaped, bolt embedded in concrete or another strong material for the purpose of fastening to a foundation or other support.

B

• Balusters - Vertical members in a railing used between a top rail and bottom rail or the stair treads. Sometimes referred to as 'pickets' or 'spindles'.
• Batter board - One of a pair of horizontal boards nailed to posts set at the corners of an excavation, used to indicate the desired level, also as a fastening for stretched strings to indicate outlines of foundation walls.
• Bottom plate - The 2' by 4's or 2' by 6's that lay on the sub floor upon which the vertical studs are installed. Also called the 'sole plate'.
• Brick lintel - The metal angle iron that brick rests on, especially above a window, door, or other opening.
• Budget - 1) An itemized summary of estimated or intended expenditures for a given period of time. 2) The total sum of money allocated for a specific project. See also Construction Budget.
• Bull nose (drywall) - Rounded drywall corners.

C

• Change Order - A written document between the owner and the contractor, which is signed by the owner and the contractor, and that authorizes a change in the work, or an adjustment in the contract sum or the contract time. The contract sum and the contract time may be changed only by a change order.
• Construction Budget - 1) An itemized summary of estimated or intended expenditures for a given period of time. 2) The total sum of money allocated for a specific project. See also Budget.
• Cricket - A small drainage-diverting roof structure of single or double slope placed at the junction of larger surfaces that meet at an angle, such as above a chimney.

D

• Daylight - The end of a pipe (the terminal end) that is not attached to anything.
• Dormer - An opening in a sloping roof, the framing of which projects out to form a vertical wall suitable for windows or other openings.
• Drywall - A manufactured panel made out of Gypsum plaster and encased in a thin cardboard. Usually 1/2" thick and 4' x 8' or 4' x 12' in size. This is also the 'joint compound'. 'Green board' type drywall has a greater resistance to moisture than regular (white) plasterboard and is used in bathrooms and other "wet areas". See also Sheet rock, Wall board, or Gypsum.

F

• Flatwork - Common word for concrete floors, driveways, and sidewalks.

G

• Ground fault / Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI, GFI) - An ultra sensitive plug designed to shut off all electric current. Used in bathrooms, kitchens, exterior waterproof outlets, garage outlets, and "wet areas". Has a small reset button on the plug.
• Gypsum - A manufactured panel made out of Gypsum plaster and encased in a thin cardboard. Usually 1/2" thick and 4' x 8' or 4' x 12' in size. This is also the 'joint compound'. 'Green board' type drywall has a greater resistance to moisture than regular (white) plasterboard and is used in bathrooms and other "wet areas". See also Sheet rock, Wall board, or Drywall.

H

• H V A C - An abbreviation for Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. It represents your indoor air quality (i.e. what you breathe, how you feel, temperature, humidity) and basically everything you sense as you live in your house. Remember that when you hear the term HVAC, your builder is talking about the entire air system of your home.
• Hose bib - An exterior water faucet.

K

• Keeper - The metal latch plate in a door frame into which a doorknob plunger latches.

L

• Light - Space in a window sash for a single pane of glass. Also, a pane of glass.

O

• Oriented Strand Board (OSB) - A manufactured 4' X 8' wood panel made out of 1"- 2" wood chips and glue. Often used as a substitute for plywood.

R

• R-Value - A material's R-value is the measure of its resistance to heat flow, or a measure of a material's resistance to the passage of heat. The higher a material's R-value, the more it insulates, and the higher the R-value, the more insulating "power" it has. For example, a typical new home's walls are usually insulated with 4" of batt insulation with an R-value of R-13, and a ceiling insulation of R-30.
• Register - A grill placed over a heating duct or cold air return.
• Reglaze - To replace a broken window.
• Riser - Each of the vertical boards closing the spaces between the treads of stairways.

S

• Sheathing - The structural wood panel covering, usually OSB or plywood, used over studs, floor joists or rafters/trusses of a structure. See also sheeting.
• Sheet rock - A manufactured panel made out of Gypsum plaster and encased in a thin cardboard. Usually 1/2" thick and 4' x 8' or 4' x 12' in size. This is also the 'joint compound'. 'Green board' type drywall has a greater resistance to moisture than regular (white) plasterboard and is used in bathrooms and other "wet areas". See also Drywall, Wall board, or Gypsum.
• Sheeting - The structural wood panel covering, usually OSB or plywood, used over studs, floor joists or rafters/trusses of a structure. See also sheathing.

T

• Tread - The horizontal board in a stairway on which the foot is placed.
• Turnkey - A term used when the contractor provides all materials (and labor) for a job. Robertson Custom Homes will provide your turnkey custom home, and also you the opportunity to take a minimal 'hands-on' approach, where you can provide some of the materials or labor yourself.

W

• Wall board - A manufactured panel made out of Gypsum plaster and encased in a thin cardboard. Usually 1/2" thick and 4' x 8' or 4' x 12' in size. This is also the 'joint compound'. 'Green board' type drywall has a greater resistance to moisture than regular (white) plasterboard and is used in bathrooms and other "wet areas". See also Sheet rock, Gypsum, or Drywall.
• Water closet - Another name for toilet.
• Weep holes - Small holes in the bottom of a brick wall that allows moisture to escape.

Y

• Yard of concrete - One cubic yard of concrete is 3' X 3' X 3' in volume, or 27 cubic feet. For example, one cubic yard of concrete will pour 81 square feet of 4" thick sidewalk.