Construction Terms W, Construction terms W
Construction Terms W speaks to construction terminology W and construction phrases W.
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.
Wafer Board A manufactured wood panel made out of 1"- 2" wood chips and glue. Often used as a substitute for plywood in the exterior wall and roof sheathing.
Waffle Slab A two way concrete joist system.
Wainscotting A wall facing, usually of wood, cut stone or ceramic tile that is carried only partway up a wall.
Waler A horizontal beam used to support sheeting or concrete formwork.
Walk Through A final inspection of a home before "Closing" to look for and document problems that need to be corrected.
Wall Out When a painter spray paints the interior of a home.
Wane An irregular rounding of a long edge of a piece of dimension lumber caused by cutting the lumber from too near the outside surface of a log.
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Warm Edge Spacer A glazing edge spacer with improved thermal resistance.
Warping Any distortion in a material.
Warranty In construction there are two general types of warranties. One is provided by the manufacturer of a product such as roofing material or an appliance. The second is a warranty for the labor. For example, a roofing contract may include a 20 year material warranty and a 5 year labor warranty. Many new homebuilders provide a one year warranty. Any major issue found during the first year should be communicated to the builder immediately. Small items can be saved up and presented to the builder for correction periodically through the first year after closing.
Washer A steel disk with a hole in the middle used to spread the load from a bolt, screw or nail across a wider area of material.
Waste Pipe and Vent Plumbing plastic pipe that carries waste water to the municipal sewage system.
Water Board Water resistant drywall to be used in tub and shower locations. Normally green or blue colored
Water Cement Ratio An expression of the relative proportions, by weight, of water and cement in a concrete mixture.
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Water Closet Another name for toilet.
Water Meter Pit The box /cast iron bonnet and concrete rings that contains the water meter.
Waterproofing Material acting as a barrier to the flow of water and capable of withstanding hydrostatic pressure.
Water Reducing Admixture Concrete admixture that allows a reduction in the amount of mixing water while retaining the same workability, resulting in higher strength concrete.
Water Repellent Preservative A liquid applied to wood to give the wood water repellant properties
Water Resistant Gypsum Board A gypsum board designed for use in locations where it may be exposed to occasional dampness.
Water Smoking The process of applying heat to evaporate the last water from clay products before they are fired.
Water Stop A metal, synthetic rubber, bentonite clay or sealant strip used to seal joints in concrete foundation walls.
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Water Struck Brick A brick made in a mold that was wetted before the clay was placed on it.
Water Table The location of the underground water, and the vertical distance from the surface of the earth to this underground water.
Water Tap The connection point where the home water line connects to the main municipal water system.
Water Vapor Water in its gaseous sate.
Wattle and Daub Mud plaster (daub) applied to a primitive lath of woven twigs or weeds (wattle).
Waxing Filling of voids in marble slabs.
Weathered Joint A mortar joint finished in a sloping, planar profile that tends to shed water to the outside of the wall.
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Weathered Steel A steel alloy that forms a tenacious, self protecting rust layer when exposed to the atmosphere.
Weather Resistive Barrier A membrane used to resist the passage of liquid water or air through the exterior enclosure of a building.
Weatherization Work on a building exterior in order to reduce energy consumption for heating or cooling. Work involving adding insulation, installing storm windows and doors, caulking cracks and putting on weather-stripping.
Weatherstrip Narrow sections of thin metal or other material installed to prevent the infiltration of air and moisture around windows and doors.
Web A cross connecting piece, such as the portion of a wide flange shape that is perpendicular to the flanges or the portion of a concrete masonry unit that is perpendicular to the face shells.
Web Stiffener A metal rib used to support the web of a light guage steel joist or a steel structural girder against buckling.
Weep Holes Small holes in storm window frames that allow moisture to escape.
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Weld A joint between two pieces of metal formed by fusing the pieces together by the application of intense heat, usually with the aid of additional metal melted from a rod or electrode.
Welded Wire Reinforcing (WWR) A welded grid of steel reinforcing wires or bars used most commonly for reinforcing of slabs. Also called welded wire fabric.
Welding The process of making a weld.
Weld Plate A steel plate anchored into the surface of concrete to which another steel element can be welded.
Well Graded Soil Coarse grained soil with a full range of particles sizes, also called poorly sorted soil.
Well Sorted Soil Soil with less than a full range of particle sizes also called poorly graded soil.
Wet systems Construction systems that utilize considerable quantities of water on the construction site, such as masonry, plaster, sitecast concrete and terrazzo.
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White Portland Cement A Portland cement that is white in colour, used for architectural concrete where greater colour control is required.
Wide Flange Shape Any of a wide range of structural steel components rolled in the shape of the letter H or I.
Wide Module Concrete Joint System A one way concrete framing system with joists that are spaced more widely than those in a conventional one way concrete joist system.
Whole House Fan A fan designed to move air through and out of a home and normally installed in the ceiling.
Wind Bracing Metal straps or wood blocks installed diagonally on the inside of a wall from bottom to top plate, to prevent the wall from twisting, racking, or falling over "domino" fashion.
Winder A stair tread that is wider at one end than at the other.
Wind Load A force on a building caused by wind pressure or suction pressure.
Window Buck Square or rectangular box that is installed within a concrete foundation or block wall. A window will eventually be installed in this "buck" during the siding stage of construction.
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Window Frame The stationary part of a window unit; window sash fits into the window frame.
Window Sash The operating or movable part of a window; the sash is made of window panes and their border.
Wind Uplift Upward forces on a structure caused by negative aerodynamic pressures that result from certain wind conditions.
Wired Glass Glass in which a wire mesh is embedded during manufacture principally for fire protection.
Wire Nut A plastic device used to connect bare wires together.
Wonderboard A panel made out of concrete and fiberglass usually used as a ceramic tile backing material. Commonly used on bathtub decks.
Wood Plastic Composites (WPC) Woodlike products made from wood fibers, plastics of various types and other additives with a plastic content not to exceed 50 percent.
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Wood Polymer Composite Planks Linear strips intended for outdoor decking and other outdoor uses that are made of wood fiber and plastic binder.
Work
The successful performance of the entire scope of the project being performed
for a specific construction project including labor, materials, equipment, and
other associated items necessary to fulfill all obligations under the contract.
Workability Agent Admixture for concrete that improves the plasticity of wet material to make it easier to place in forms and finish.
Working Construction Joint A connection that is designed to allow for small amounts of relative movement between two pieces of a building assembly.
Working
Drawing
A drawing sufficiently complete with plan and section views, dimensions,
details, and notes so that whatever is shown can be constructed and/or
replicated without instructions but subject to clarifications. (see Drawings)
Work
Letter
A written statement (often called Exhibit B to a lease or rental agreement) of
the specific materials and quantities the owner will provide at his own
expense. The work letter defines the building standards, including the type of
ceiling , the type and number of light fixtures, the size and construction of
the suite-entry and interior doors. Building standards define the quality of
tenant spaces. Generally, a Work Letter is associated with the leasing or
renting of office space by a tenant within a Building Envelope. (see TI'S and
Building Envelope)
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Work
Order
A written order, signed by the owner or his representative, of a contractual
status requiring performance by the contractor without negotiation of any sort.
Wrapped Drywall Areas that get complete drywall covering, as in the doorway openings of bifold and bipass closet doors.
Wrought Iron A form of iron that is soft, tough and fibrous in structure containing about 0.1 percent carbon and 1-2 percent slag.
Wythe A vertical layer of masonry that is one masonry unit thick.
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