Building Terms
Building term definitions, organised by category:
Building Terms: Building Work
- Damp proof course
- A strip of impervious material the same width as a brickwork or blockwork wall. It is necessary in order to exclude rising damp, and also to divert rain through weepholes out of a cavity wall.
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- Hot work
- Work using a naked flame or heat-producing equipment. Soldering, welding etc.
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- Insulation
- Material that controls the transfer of energy, to reduce heat loss/gain in winter/summer. Also material that provides fire protection.
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- Job specification
- The detailed description of work and materials for a particular project.
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- Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT)
- The body which publishes several different standard forms of contract for building works.
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- Lagging
- Insulation on the outside of pipes or tanks to reduce heat loss from warm surfaces, or on cold surfaces to reduce heat gain and condensation.
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- Party wall
- A separating wall.
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- Tanking
- A complete system of waterproofing a basement from floor to ceiling.
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- Underpinning
- Extra concrete cast underneath old foundations. Often to shore up existing foundations in preparation for increased loadings due to structural alterations.
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- Vapour barrier
- A polyethylene sheet used to prevent condensation.
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