Fireplaces common construction terms 10

Common construction terms 10 Fireplaces

Have you have ever been on a construction site talking to your contractor and been totally lost in the terms that they are using? Well I’m here to help, here are some common terms that contractor’s use that you might not understand.

• Zero clearance fireplace. This is a type of fireplace, can be wood or gas. What you need to know is that just because it’s called zero clearance, it doesn’t mean that you can put anything you want close to it or have the hearth as close to the flame window as possible. Zero clearance refers to the rear of the fireplace. It means that the fireplace can sit up against a wall without needing an air space.
• Cement board. Cement board is the sheeting that is installed on the studs of showers and backsplashes. It is installed anywhere that you want to have tile on a wall or tub deck. It is made from concrete and is usually about ½” thick. It is installed the same way that you install a sheet of drywall, with screws. Cement board is considered non combustable and is safe to use around fireplace openings.
• Chase. A chase is a column in a wall that is allows wiring, mechanical or plumbing to travel from one floor to the next. It is usually framed around by wood or metal studs and covered in drywall.
• Firebox. This is the area in which the fire is actually built and burnt. It is designed to withstand extremes in heat.
• Viewing window. This is the part of the fireplace that you can see the flame.
• Surround. This is either a metal or tile area that is around the viewing window of the fireplace.
• Mantle. This is usually made of wood, it sits above the viewing window of the fireplace. Usually used to display pictures or other worldly treasures.
• Damper. This is a metal flap that is in the chimney that is manually opened to allow more air into a wood burning fireplace.
• Insert. This is a fireplace that is made to fit into an existing fireplace hole. It allows you to convert a wood fireplace into either a sealed gas fireplace or an air tight wood fireplace.
• Bird cage. This is metal screening that is installed at the top of the chimney to restrict birds and other animals from getting into the chimney.
• Clay tiles. These are what a lot of hand built chimney and fireplaces are made out from. They are oblong shapes that are made from clay and are stacked on top of each other to line the chimney. This helps to direct the heat up the chimney and out of the house.
• Draw. This is the rate in which air is pulled up the chimney from the firebox, it helps create a draft so that the fire burns better and the smoke leaves the house through the chimney.
• Chimney cap. This refers to the top of the chimney. It can either be made out of masonry or metal.
• Liner. This is usually a continuous metal sleeve that runs from the top of insect or firebox all the way through the chimney until it reaches the chimney cap.
• Hearth. This is in front of the fireplace, it is made out of a non-combustible material like stone or tile. It can be used as a seat but it’s primary job is to protect against anything overheating and catching on fire. In a wood burning stove its primary function is to protect against sparks and logs that fall out of the firebox.
• Blower. This is a fan that takes the heat from around the fireplace and disperses it into the room away from the fireplace.
• Fresh air intake. This is a duct that brings in air from the outside of the home. They are used with sealed fireplaces.

Look for part 11 coming soon....

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Tools used for Trimming Common construction terms 8

Common construction terms 8 Tools for trimming

Have you have ever been on a construction site talking to your contractor and been totally lost in the terms that they are using? Well I’m here to help; here are some common terms that contractor’s use that you might not understand.

• Mitre saw. This is an electric saw that has a small deck to place the trim on. The saw can be swivelled left and right to cut the appropriate angle.

• Sliding compound mitre saw. This is like a normal mitre saw, it has a small deck and can cut on desired angles turning the saw either left or right. The difference is that it has the ability to slide on rails out towards the user; this allows the user to make longer cuts then the length of the blade.

• Coping. This is a technique for cutting and fitting inside corners together when installing baseboard trim.

• Coping saw. This is a small saw that is used to cope trim. It has a very fine blade and is non electrical.

• 16 gauge trim gun. This is a trim gun used to install trim. The gun uses a 16 gauge nail.

• 18 gauge trim gun. This a trim gun used to install trim. The gun uses 18 gauge nails. This is a smaller nail size then a 16 gauge nail.

• Pin nailer. This is another name for an 18 gauge trim nailer.

• Mitre bond. This is a type of adhesive that is used to hold trim together at the corners and joints. It is a rapid drying adhesive that holds joints together within 20 seconds.

• Finn saw. This is a saw that uses vibration to cut through material. There is no spinning blade. It allows you to cut a piece of trim or casing after it’s installed without damaging anything around it or having an over cut like a typical saw.

• Wood filler. This is a paste like substance that is used to fill the holes created by the installation of nails in the trim; the paste allows the trim to be painted smooth.

• Palm sander. This is sander that takes normal sand paper that is cut into small squares and then is attached to the bottom of the sander.

• Orbital sander. This is a tool used to sand trim, it uses round discs, and the discs are spun in a clock wise rotation.

• Breaking the edge. This is a term that refers to using a planer or a sander to soften or round a sharp square edge on a piece of trim.

• Trim plane. This is a hand held non electrical plane. It is small enough to be used to break the edge of sharp corners on trim, leaving a more rounded edge.

• Nail set. This is a tool used to drive trim nails into the trim below the surface. This allows the nail to be covered with wood filler. They are usually 3 to 4 inches long and come to a point at the end where the nail will be struck.

• Punch. This is another name for a nail set.

• Wonder bar. This is a small pry bar that is made thin enough so that you can slip it under trim without damaging it.

• Biscuit jointer. This is a machine that is used to cut a small groove into the side of a piece of trim. Another groove is cut into the material that you want the trim to be attached with ie; the jamb of a window and the casing.

• Biscuit. This is a small piece of wood shaped like a small football. It is installed in the groove cut by the biscuit jointer.

This should help you understand what your contractor is talking about the next time you have a meeting with them. Look for part 9 of common construction terms, coming soon.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Common construction terms Part 1 (framing houses)

Common construction terms  (Part 1)  FRAMING OF HOMES

Have you have ever been on a construction site talking to your contractor and been totally lost in the terms that they are using? Well I’m here to help; here are some common terms that contractor’s use that you might not understand.

• Plates. (Not what you ate off for dinner) A plate is either a bottom plate or a top plate. They are horizontal pieces of 2x4 or 2x6 that are placed in the top or bottom of the wall. They help support the wall from racking and keep the wall straight. All vertical placed pieces of 2x4 and 2x6 (studs) are nailed into the plates.

• Stud. (not the guy dating your teenage daughter) A stud is a piece of wood that is either a 2x4 or a 2x6 that is vertically placed in an inside or outside wall at a regular interval of 16 inches. This forms the outside wall and anything from drywall to siding will be nailed or screwed into them.

• Pre-cuts. Pre-cuts are studs that come from the lumber yard a certain length so that when you place it in the wall between the bottom plates and the top double plates the wall ends up with an exact height such as 9’1” or 8’1”. No cutting of the pre-cut studs is required.

• Exterior sheeting. Exterior sheeting is the plywood or OSB that is installed on the outside of the walls, nailed to the studs. This helps keep the wall square and stable.

• Bearing wall. A bearing wall is a wall that has been built in a certain exact spot to hold up the roof or floor above. If you are being told that’s a bearing wall by your contractor they are probably trying to explain to you why you can’t remove the wall! Listen to them.

• Code. This refers to the building code. The building code supersedes all other things; it supersedes your ideas and even common sense. So if the builder tells you its code then they are telling you that legally they can’t change it.

• Rough openings. This refers to the hole that is framed in the wall for your windows and doors to be installed later. The Rough Opening is a different size then the actual window size. The rough opening is also referred to as an RSO and is always bigger than the window or door size.

• Blocking. This refers to pieces of lumber that have been installed between the wall studs to help anchor things such as shower doors, towel bars, handi-cap bars, hand rails, TV brackets, ect.

• TGI’s. TGI’s are the floor joist that span your foundation to create your floor. After they are installed they are covered by plywood. The TGI is a common name for TJI. TJI stands for Truss Joist I-beam. They are also called wood I’s. They are the most common form of floor joist.

• Squash blocks. These are solid pieces of wood or “I” joist that are installed in specific areas of the walls and floors where there will be a large heavy load. They are installed to prevent the floor or walls from being squashed by the weight above from second floors, roofs or bearing walls by transferring the load to the bearing wall or footings below.

• Point Load. A point load is a point in a wall, floor or roof where there is an increased pressure that the conventional framing will not support on its own. You have to install squash blocks, extra studs, beams, posts or even footings.

• Footings. Footings are placed below your concrete floor or walls. They are engineered to a certain size and dimensions. They sometimes have rebar installed to help strengthen them against heavy loads. They are installed to help take the weight of loads coming down from the rest of the building. They are built in a way that will spread the weight over the ground below it so that there is no shifting or cracking in the walls and structures above.

• Pitch. (Not from baseball) A pitch is usually referring to the slope of a roof. The pitch is the angle that the roof runs on. So common terms for this is 9-12 pitch. What this actually means is that for every twelve inches that you travel across the roof horizontally the angle of the roof rises nine inches. Those giving you a 9-12 pitch.

• Back framing. This is a term referring to installing blocking after you have framed all your walls, floors and roofs. Back framing is usually pieces of wood that are installed to help drywallers when they install there ceiling board. It gives them somewhere to put there screws when they get to the edge of the wall or corner.

• I beam. An "I" beam is a steel beam that is in the shape of the letter "I" when looked at from the end. They are used as load bearing beams. They are usually placed were a load bearing wall or point load needs to be supported.

• Hangers. (Not your closet clothes hangers) Hangers are a term used to explain joist hangers. They are a galvanized piece of metal that is manufactured in a way that encircles a floor joist or beam, allowing for nails to be installed into the surface of the wall that the joist butts into. The function of a joist hanger is to hold the joist from ever moving up, down or side to side. Joist hangers are part of the building code to hold joists up, which means they are mandatory to install on any floor joist that is not sitting on top of a wall.

• LVL. Means Laminated Veneered Lumber, LVL. LVL’s are used when framing houses. They are used as beams to carry floors, roofs or load points. They act the same as steel “I” beams. They are made from laminating many layers of wood together. They can come in sizes that range a lot larger then convention lumber.

This should help you understand what your contractor is talking about the next time you have a meeting with them. Look for part 2 of common construction terms, coming soon.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.