Construction Lingo

To ensure you get what you need, the Crosslake Builders will lead you through the myriad of construction idiosyncrasies to ensure a beautiful, long-lasting structure. Here is  a list of common verbiage we’ll refer to as we discuss and build your project.

  • Anchor bolts – bolts to secure the sill plate to the concrete floor.
  • Backfill – replacement of earth into a trench or excavation around and against a foundation.
  • Bearing wall – any wall supporting any vertical load and its own weight.
  • Building code – a collection of legal requirements designed to protect the safety, health, and general welfare of those in and around buildings.
  • Build-up – Raised portion of a garage floor that is built up do to uneven or sloped grade.
  • Eve – the side of the building that the roof slopes down to. Gutters are on the eve side. The eve side is a load bearing wall.
  • Float slab – a monolithic or single piece of concrete such as a garage floor poured in one pour (one continuous piece of concrete, the entire piece moves together).
  • Frost footings – Footing under the edges of a concrete floor that extends below the frost line.
  • Gable – a vertical, triangular part of a building, contained between the slopes of a roof.
  • Gable end – end wall having a gable. The end of the building where the roof forms a peak, the garage is below the gable.
  • Gabel Reverse – this is the eave side. If the garage doors are located on this site, we use the term Reverse.
  • Mesh – Welded wire used in concrete floors and driveways to help control cracks. Usually in rolls or large sheets.
  • Non-bearing wall – a wall or partition which extends from the floor to the ceiling which supports no load other than its own weight.
  • OC – on center, measurement from center of one object to the center of another object, such as wall studs 16″ OC.
  • OHD – Overhead door
  • Pitch – angle of the roof, slope.
  • Re-rod or re-bar – Steel rod usually 1/2″ or #4 used in garage floor footing. Helps to control concrete from spreading do to cracks.
  • Saw cut – A sallow groove cut in concrete floors, driveways and walkways to help control cracks.
  • SD – Service door or entry door.
  • Sill – the lowest member of a frame resting on the foundation and supporting the uprights. Also the lowest member of an opening such as a window sill or door sill.
  • Slab – see Float slab
  • Soffit – the underside of a cornice, (roof overhang).
  • Studs – one of a series of slender vertical structural wood members placed as supporting elements in walls.