A Few Terms That Are Used Often In The Construction Industry!

Soffit –  A projection or an opening from the ceiling, used to accent or define a room, or a space within a room

Threshold – raised member of the floor within the door jamb.  Its purpose is to provide a divider between dissimilar flooring materials or serve a s thermal, sound or water barrier.

Thread – Horizontal plane or surface of a stair step.

Vapor Retarder – Material used to retard the flow of water vapor through walls and other spaces where this vapor may condense at a low temperature.

Weep Hole – Small aperture at the base of an exterior wall cavity intended to drain out trapped moisture.

Parapet Wall – Extension of an exterior wall above and/or through the roof surface.

Plenum – Chamber in which the pressure of the air is higher (as in a forced-air furnace system) than that of the surrounding air.  Frequently a description of the space above a suspended ceiling.

Barrel Roof – A roof design which in cross sections is arched.

Molding – finish wood such as door and window trim

Water Vapor – Moisture existing as a gas in air

Chair rail – A molding that urns horizontally along the wall at about 3 feet from the ground.  In storefront, window wall, or curtain wall systems, a chair rail is an aluminum extrusion applied horizontally to the inside of the system 3 feet from the floor to create a barrier in floor-to-ceiling glazing applications.

Control Joint – A control joint is or accommodates movement I the surface component of a roof.

Façade – The front of a building.  Frequently, in architectural terms an artificial or decorative effort.

Elevation – A side of a building.

Floor plan – The basic layout of the building or the space to be – space plan