Construction Terms L, Construction terminology L
Construction Terms L speaks to construction terminology L and construction phases L.
It is quite simply a list of common home and commercial building construction terminology used by architects, consultants and contractors of all kinds enabling them to speak the same language.
Labor Lein
A Labor Lien is a legal document filed and recorded against a piece
of property. This lien is normally filed by a subcontractor that has provided
labor for a project but has not been paid.
Labyrinth A cladding joint design in which a series of interlocking baffles prevents drops of water from penetrating the joint by momentum.
Lacquer A coating that dries extremely quickly through evaporation of a volatile solvent.
Lagging Planks placed between soldier beams to retain earth around an excavation.
Lag Screw A large diameter wood screw with a square or hexagonal head.
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Laminate As a verb, to bond together in layers as, a noun, a material produced by bonding together layers of material.
Laminated Glass A glazing material consisting of outer layers of glass laminated to an inner layer of transparent plastic.
Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL) Wood members made up of long shreds of wood fiber joined with a binder.
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) Structural composite lumber made up of thin wood veneers joined with glue.
Laminated shingles Shingles that have added dimensionality because of extra layers or tabs, giving a shake-like appearance. May also be called "architectural shingles" or "three-dimensional shingles."
Laminating Bonding together two or more layers of materials.
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Landing A platform between flights of stairs or at the termination of a flight of stairs. Often used when stairs change direction. Normally no less than 3 ft. X 3 ft. square.
Lap To cover the surface of one shingle or roll with another.
Lap Joint A connection in which one piece of material is placed partially over another piece before the two are fastened together.
Latch A beveled metal tongue operated by a spring-loaded knob or lever. The tongue's bevel lets you close the door and engage the locking mechanism, if any, without using a key. Contrasts with dead bolt.
Lateral (electric, gas, telephone, sewer and water) The underground trench and related services (i.e., electric, gas, telephone, sewer and water lines) that will be buried within the trench.
Lateral Force A force acting generally in a horizontal direction, such as wind, earthquake or soil pressure against a foundation wall.
Lateral Thrust The horizontal component of the force produced by an arch, dome, vault or rigid frame.
Latex Caulk A low range sealant based on a synthetic latex.
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Latex Polymer Modified Portland Cement Mortar A tile setting mortar similar to dry set mortar, but with additives that improve the cured mortar’s freeze thaw resistance, flexibility and adhesion, used for thin set tile applications.
Lath A building material of narrow wood, metal, gypsum, or insulating board that is fastened to the frame of a building to act as a base for plaster, shingles, or tiles.
Lathe A machine in which a piece of material is rotated against a sharp cutting tool to produce a shape all of whose cross sections are circles; a machine in which a log is rotated against a long knife to peel a continuous sheet of veneer.
Lather One who applies lath.
Lattice An open framework of criss-crossed wood or metal strips that form regular, patterned spaces.
Lay-in Panel A finish ceiling panel that is installed merely by lowering it onto the top of the metal grid components of the ceiling.
Lead A soft easily formed nonferrous metal, dull gray in colour.
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Lead In masonry work, a corner or wall end accurately constructed with the aid of a spirit level to serve as a guide for placing the bricks in the remainder of the wall.
Lean Construction Methods of construction and its management that emphasize efficiency, elimination of waste and continuous improvement in quality.
Lease With Option
A rental contract which allows the tenant to purchase the property
during the period of the lease. Payments under the lease may be credited (in
whole or in part) against the purchase price.
Ledger A
horizontal wood member fastened to a wall or beam to which the ends of joists
may be connected.
Ledger (for a Structural Floor) The wooden perimeter frame lumber member that bolts onto the face of a foundation wall and supports the wood structural floor.
Ledger strip A strip of lumber nailed along the bottom of the side of a girder on which joists rest.
Legal description
A description of a piece of real estate that is drafted according
to legal requirements and which clearly and adequately establishes the identity
of the property so described. Found in most instruments for registration on
title to land.
Lehr A
chamber in which glass is annealed.
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Let-in Bracing Diagonal bracing that is nailed into notches cut in the face of the studs so as not to increase the thickness of the wall.
Lessee
A tenant under a lease.
Lessor
A landlord under a lease (the owner of the property being
rented).
Leech
field A
method used to treat/dispose of sewage in rural areas not accessible to a
municipal sewer system. Sewage is permitted to be filtered and eventually
discharged into a section of the lot called a leech field.
Legal Description
A description of a piece of real estate that is drafted
according to legal requirements and which clearly and adequately establishes
the identity of the property so described. Found in most instruments for
registration on title to land.
Lein Waiver
The surrender or passing up on one's right to a claim.
Lessee
A tenant under a lease
Lessor
A landlord under a lease (the owner of the property being
rented).
Let-in
brace Nominal
1 inch-thick boards applied into notched studs diagonally. Also, an
"L" shaped, long (@ 10') metal strap that are installed by the framer
at the rough stage to give support to an exterior wall or wall corner.
Level True horizontal. Also a tool used to determine level.
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Level Cut A saw cut that produces a level surface in a sloping rafter when the rafter is in its final position.
Level Payment Mortgage A mortgage with identical monthly payments over the life of the loan.
Lewis A device for lifting a block of stone by means of a friction exerted against the sides of a hole drilled in the top of he block.
Lewis Ledger (for a Structural Floor) The wooden perimeter frame lumber member that bolts onto the face of a foundation wall and supports the wood structural floor.
Ledger strip A strip of lumber nailed along the bottom of the side of a girder on which joists rest.
Lien An encumbrance that usually makes real or personal property the security for payment of a debt or discharge of an obligation.
Lieu Foreclosure
A legal instrument in which a borrower conveys property to a lender
under a mortgage to save the expense of foreclosure. See also quit-claim deed.
Life-Cycle Cost A cost that takes into account both the first cost and the costs of maintenance, replacement, fuel consumed, monetary inflation and interest over the life of the object being evaluated.
Lift Slab Construction A method of building multistory sitecast concrete buildings by casting all the slabs in a stack on the ground, then lifting them up the columns with jacks and welding them in place.
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Light A sheet of glass also spelled lite.
Light Gauge Steel Stud A length of thin sheet metal formed into a stiff shape and used as a wall framing member.
Light to Solar Gain Ratio (LSG) The visible light transmittance of a glazing unit divided by the solar heat gain coefficient; a measure of the energy conserving potential of the unit.
Lightweight Aggregate Low density aggregate used to make lightweight concrete, mortar and plaster in concrete. It is aggregate with a density of less than 70 lb/ft3 (1120 kg/m3.
Lignin The natural cementing substance that binds together the cellulose in wood.
Lime A nonhydraulic cementitious material used as an ingredient in mortars and plasters.
Lime Mortar Masonry mortar made from a mix of lime, sand and water used principally in the restoration of historic structures.
Limestone A sedimentary rock consisting of calcium carbonate, magnesium, carbonate or both.
Limited Liability
Responsibility or obligation which is restricted to the limits set
out.
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Limit switch A safety control that automatically shuts off a furnace if it gets too hot. Most also control blower cycles.
Linear Metal Ceiling A finish ceiling whose exposed face is made up of long parallel elements of sheet metal.
Liner A piece of marble doweled and cemented to the back of another sheet of marble.
Line Wire Wire stretched across wall studs as a base for the application of metal mesh and stucco.
Linoleum A resilient floor covering material composed primarily of ground cork and linseed oil on a burlap or canvas backing.
Lintel A beam that carries the load of a wall across a window or door opening.
Lineal foot A unit of measure for lumber equal to 1 inch thick by 12 inches wide by 12 inches long. Examples: 1" x 12" x 16' = 16 board feet, 2" x 12" x 16' = 32 board feet.
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Lintel A horizontal structural member that supports the load over an opening such as a door or window.
Litigation
Litigation is a term used to refer to possibly filing a lawsuit in
court in order to resolve a dispute.
Live Load Nonpermanent loads on a building caused by the weights of people, furnishing, machines, vehicles and goods in or on the building.
Load A weight or force acting on a structure.
Loadbearing Supporting a superimposed weight or force.
Load bearing wall Includes all exterior walls and any interior wall that is aligned above a support beam or girder. Normally, any wall that has a double horizontal top plate.
Load Indicator Washer A disk placed under the head or nut of a high strength bolt to indicate sufficient tensioning of the bolt by means of the deformation of ridges on the surface of the disk and is also called a direct tension indicator washer.
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Loan The amount to be borrowed.
Loan to value ratio The ratio of the loan amount to the property valuation and expressed as a percentage. E.g. if a borrower is seeking a loan of $200,000 on a property worth $400,000 it has a 50% loan to value rate. If the loan were $300,000, the LTV would be 75%. The higher the loan to value, the greater the lender's perceived risk. Loans above normal lending LTV ratios may require additional security.
Lockpin and Collar Fastener A boltlike device that is passed through holes in structural steel components, held in very high tension and closed with a steel ring that is squeezed onto its protruding shank.
Lockstrip Gasket A synthetic rubber strip compressed around the edge of a piece of glass or a wall panel by inserting a spline into a groove in the strip.
Longitudinal Shrinkage In wood, shrinkage along the length of the log.
Lookout A short wood bracket or cantilever that supports an overhang portion of a roof.
Lot Line
The legal perimeter of a parcel of property, often shown on a
survey of the property
Louver
A vented
opening into the home that has a series of horizontal slats and arranged to
permit ventilation but to exclude rain, snow, light, insects, or other living
creatures.
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Low Emissivity Coating A surface coating for glass that selectively reflects solar radiation of different wavelengths so as to permit high visible light transmittance while reflecting some or all types of infrared heat radiation.
Low Lift Grouting A method of constructing a reinforced masonty wall in which the reinforcing bars are imbedded in grout in increments not higher than 4 feet (1200 mm).
Low Range Sealant A sealant that is capable of only a slight degree of elongation prior to rupture.
Low Slope Roof A roof that is pitched so near to horizontal that it must be made waterproof with a continuous membrane rather than shingles. It is commonly and inaccurately referred to as a flat roof in the International Building Code, a roof with a slope of less than 2:12 (17 percent).
Luffing Boom Crane A heavy duty lifting device that uses a tower mountedboom that may rotate in any vertical plane as well as in a horizontal plane.
Lumens Unit of measure for total light output. The amount of light falling on a surface of one square foot.
Construction Terms L
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