Glossary
A
An anti-ligature product is one from which it is not possible for a ligature to remain secured. The purpose is to deny individuals the opportunity to use the hardware as a means of attaching a liga...
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Either of two incombustible, chemical-resistant, fibrous mineral forms of impure magnesium silicate, used for fireproofing, electrical insulation, building materials, brake linings, and chemical fi...
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B
A molded rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln until hard and used as a building and paving material.
One that builds, especially a person who contracts for and supervises the construction of a building.
C
A skilled worker who makes, finishes, and repairs wooden objects and structures.
A powdery substance made by calcining lime and clay, mixed with water to form mortar or mixed with sand, gravel, and water to make concrete.
An agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law.
The act or process of converting; state of being converted. For example, converting an old farm barn into a house.
D
To add something to so as to make more attractive; adorn; ornament
To plan and arrange the colors, furnishings, etc.
To paint or wallpaper.
A tool or machine for digging.
A hand tool, power tool, or machine with a rotating cutting tip or reciprocating hammer or chisel, used for making holes.
E
In general, computation of a price with regard to time and resource requirements upon which a firm quotation is based.
To remove (soil, earth, etc.) by digging out.
F
a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.
Means of Escape is a structural means, whereby a safe route is provided for persons to escape in case of fire, from any point in a building to a place of safety, clear of the building, without outside...
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G
Work that is done as a preparation for work that will be done later.
H
A protective hat made of rigid material (as metal or fiberglass) and worn especially by construction workers.
Health and safety is a cross-disciplinary area and the legal system concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment.
High-visibility elements have been incorporated into many styles of jacket and workplace clothing. The standard defines three classes of successively more-visible garments.
Contractors who start with groundwork and then lay foundations for a house on a plot of land. Bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians etc all work together to build a house to live in.
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I
An intumescent strip for fireproofing doors and the like comprises an elongate carrier defining an internal cavity containing an elongate insert of intumescent material. The strip is made by extrud...
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J
Craft of assembling exposed woodwork in the interiors of buildings. Joinery has to do with difficult surfaces and curvatures, such as those of spiral stairs, with complex intersections of members o...
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A piece of timber laid horizontally, or nearly so, to which the planks of the floor, or the laths or furring strips of a ceiling, are nailed; - called, according to its position or use, binding joi...
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K
Part of a pavement that are in place for people to walk safely. The mounted part.
A keyhole saw is a long, narrow saw used for cutting small, often awkward features in various building materials. There are typically two varieties of keyhole saw: the fixed blade type and retracta...
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A for of destruction of something existing: this could be materials or a building.
A poplar carpentry terminology – preparing and building something.
A hard place or lump, especially on a tree, at a point from which a stem or branch grows.
L
An area devoted to or developed and maintained with native or exotic plantings, lawn, ground cover, gardens, trees, shrubs, and other plant materials, decorative outdoor landscape elements, pools, fou...
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A horizontal structural member, such as a beam or stone, that spans an opening, as between the uprights of a door or window or between two columns or piers.
M
A person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company or similar organization.
The managing director of a company is the most important working director, and is in charge of the way the company is managed. The abbreviation MD is also used.
A work method statement, sometimes called a "safe system of work", is a document that details the way a work task or process is to be completed. The method statement should outline the ha...
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A machine with a large revolving drum in which cement is mixed with other materials to make concrete.
A building material used to make cement. Bricklayers use it most.
N
A tool that uses pressure to automatically force a nail into an object.
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure.
Sound-absorbing materials installed in partitions, doors, windows, ceilings, and floors.
The selected subcontractor to proceed with designated works.
O
Shingles are wooden roof tiles, made by cleaving wood. They can also be used for wall cladding.
To establish (a line) parallel to a main survey lineat an offset.
A viscous liquid derived from petroleum, esp. for use as a fuel or lubricant.
Oil Gloss has a classic high sheen finish which is popular (and very smart) on front doors and also used on interior/exterior woodwork and metalwork.
Having large rooms with few dividing such as partitions.
A place or opening through which something is let out : exit, vent.
A worktop can overhang past the table.
P
A person whose occupation is painting houses, buildings and all types of property.
The preparation stages prior to works commencing.
Equipment rental, also called plant hire in some countries, is a service industry providing machinery, equipment and tools of all kinds.
A person who installs and repairs piping, fixtures, appliances, and appurtenances in connection with the water supply, drainage systems, etc., both in and out of a building.
A tool driven by a motor. Power tools are used in industry and around the house.
Q
A quantity surveyor (QS) is a professional working within the construction industry concerned with building costs.
R
A skilled worker who is employed to restore or refinish buildings or antique furniture.
Risk assessment is a step in a risk management procedure. Risk assessment is the determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized thr...
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S
A temporary platform, either supported from below or suspended from above, on which workers sit or stand when performing tasks at heights above the ground.
A school is an administrative unit dedicated to and designed to impart skills and knowledge to students. A school is organised to efficiently deliver sequential instruction from one or more teacher...
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A rubbish skip (usually called merely a skip or skip bin, also known as a dumpster in the USA) is a large open-topped container designed for loading onto a special type of lorry.
A reinforced covering for the toe of a boot or shoe, often worn in the building trade to protect workers toes in hazardous situations.
To deprive of covering: e.g. stripping wallpaper.
Something made up of a number of parts that are held or put together in a particular way.
A large-headed nail or other projection protruding from a surface, usually as decoration.
When an individual or a company is involved in a large-scale project, a contractor is often hired to see that the work is done. The contractor, however, rarely does all the work. The wor...
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T
A thin, flat or convex slab of hard material such as baked clay or plastic, laid in rows to cover walls, floors, and roofs.
An implement, especially one held in the hand, as a hammer, saw, or file, for performing or facilitating mechanical operations.
A long narrow ditch embanked with its own soil and used for concealment and protection in warfare.
A framework, typically consisting of rafters, posts, and struts, supporting a roof, bridge, or other structure: "roof trusses".
U
A layer of paint applied after the primer and before the topcoat, which gives a better finish to the paint.
Something placed under or behind something else, esp. material laid under a carpet for protection or support.
Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride, a rigid, chemically resistant form of PVC used for piping, window frames, and other structures.
V
A covered boxlike motor vehicle, typically having a rear door and sliding doors on the side panels, used for transporting goods or people.
Checking for any existing water vapour underlying.
Resin dissolved in a liquid for applying on wood, metal, or other materials to form a hard, clear, shiny surface when dry.
A thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material.
A flooring material made up of a mixture of polyvinyl chloride and plasticisers Pigments are added for color. Vinyl flooring is usually flexible; fine textured, and appears to be relatively non-por...
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W
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is general...
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The hard fibrous material that forms the main substance of the trunk or branches of a tree or shrub.
Activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
A tool for gripping and turning or twisting the head of a bolt,a nut, a pipe, or the like, commonly&nb...
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Wrot is a fitting for metal, usually in plumbing.
A nail hammered out from a bar.
X
Y
A piece of ground adjoining a building or house.
A building material commonly used by bricklayers as part of their cement mix.
Z
Composed of light strips of wood joined by rivets so as to be foldable, all the opening and closing parts being in parallel planes. Also called folding rule.