Materials library
A plain-English glossary
Drip edge, ridge vent, J-channel, casement. Short definitions for the words that show up on a proposal.
166 materials
- Architectural shingle
Roofing
A thicker asphalt shingle with a layered look, also called a laminate or dimensional shingle.
- Attic ventilation
Roofing
A path for outside air to enter low and leave high, so the attic stays closer to the outdoor temperature.
- Change order
General
A written change to the contract price or the work, signed before the extra work is done.
- Code upgrade
restoration
Work required because today's code asks for more than the house was built with.
- Counterflashing
Roofing
The metal cap that covers the top of step or base flashing and is cut into the wall or chimney.
- Egress
Windows
A window large enough, and close enough to the floor, for a person to climb out in a fire.
- Fiber cement
Siding
A siding made of cement and cellulose that holds paint and does not rot like wood.
- Flashing
Roofing
Sheet metal that turns water away from a joint the shingles cannot seal by themselves.
- Ice & water shield
Roofing
A sticky membrane that seals around nails in the spots where ice and wind drive water uphill.
- Inspection
General
A visit by the building department, or by the contractor at a milestone, to check the work.
- Kick-out flashing
Roofing
A small bent piece at the bottom of a roof-to-wall joint that throws water into the gutter.
- Lead-safe
General
Work practices required when disturbing paint that may contain lead, common in houses built before 1978.
- Lien waiver
General
A signed paper saying a contractor or supplier has been paid and will not file a lien for that money.
- Matching
restoration
The question of whether a repair has to blend with the rest of the house, not just the damaged spot.
- Mechanic's lien
General
A claim filed against a house by someone who did not get paid for work or materials.
- OSB
Roofing
Oriented strand board: wood chips pressed into a sheet and used as roof or wall sheathing.
- Overhead and profit
restoration
The contractor's cost of running the company, plus profit, often written as two 10 percents on insurance work.
- Pipe boot
Roofing
The rubber-and-metal collar that seals a plumbing vent where it comes through the roof.
- RCV
restoration
Replacement cost value: the cost to replace the damaged work with something new, before depreciation.
- Recoverable depreciation
restoration
Depreciation the insurer will pay once the repairs are actually done.
- Rough opening
Windows
The framed hole in the wall, a little larger than the window that will sit in it.
- Substantial completion
General
The point where the house can be used for what the contract promised, even if a punch list remains.
- Substrate
General
Whatever a finish is applied to: the deck under shingles, the board under tile, the wall under paint.
- Synthetic underlayment
Roofing
A plastic sheet underlayment that lies flatter and tears less than felt.
- Thermal bridging
drywall
Heat leaking through the wood studs, which insulate worse than the batts between them.
- Waste factor
Roofing
The extra material, as a percent, added because cuts and hips do not use full pieces.