Inspection Glossary

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J Channel: Metal edging used on drywall to give the edge a better finished appearance when a wall is not "wrapped." Generally, basement stairway walls have drywall only on the stair side. J Channel is used on the vertical edge of the last drywall sheet.

Jack Post: A type of structural support made of metal which can be raised or lowered through a series of pins and a screw to meet the height required. Basically used as a replacement for an old supporting member in a building. See Monopost.

Jack Rafter: A rafter that spans the distance from the wall plate to a hip, or from a valley to a ridge.

Jamb: The side and head lining of a doorway, window, or other opening.

Joint: The space between the adjacent surfaces of two members or components joined and held together by nails, glue, cement, mortar, or other means.

Joint Cement: A powder that is usually mixed with water and used for joint treatment in gypsum-wallboard finish. Often called "spackle."

Joint Compound: A material applied to threaded connections to help prevent leaks in plumbing. Also, in carpentry, a wet gypsum material applied to sheetrock joints.

Joint Tenancy: A form of ownership in which the tenants own a property equally. If one dies, the other automatically inherits the entire property.

Joint Trench: When the electric company and telephone company dig one trench and "drop" both of their service lines in.

Joist Hanger: A metal "U" shaped item used to support the end of a floor joist and attached with hardened nails to another bearing joist or beam.

Jumpers: Water pipe installed in a water meter pit (before the water meter is installed), or electric wire that is installed in the electric house panel meter socket before the meter is installed. This is sometimes illegal.

 

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Keene's Cement: A white finish plaster that produces an extremely durable wall. Because of its density, it excels for use in bathrooms and kitchens and is also used extensively for the finish coat in auditoriums, public buildings, and other places where walls may be subjected to unusually hard wear or abuse.

Keeper: The metal latch plate in a door frame into which a doorknob plunger latches.

Kelvin: Thermometer scale on which a unit of measurement equals the Celsius degree.

Keyless: A plastic or porcelain light fixture that operates by a pull string. Generally found in the basement, crawl space, and attic areas.

Keyway: A slot formed and poured on a footer or in a foundation wall when another wall will be installed at the slot location. This gives additional strength to the joint/meeting point.

Kick Hole: A defect frequently found in perimeter flashings arising from being stepped on or kicked. A small fracture of the base flashing in the area of the cant.

Kiln Dried Lumber: Lumber that has been kiln dried often to a moisture content of 6 to 12 percent. Common varieties of softwood lumber, such as framing lumber are dried to a somewhat higher moisture content.

Kilowatt (KW): One thousand watts. A kilowatt hour is the base unit used in measuring electrical consumption. Also see Watt.

King Stud: The vertical 2x4 frame lumber (left and right) of a window or door opening, and runs continuously from the bottom sole plate to the top plate.

Knife Consistency: Compound formulated in a degree of firmness suitable for application with a putty knife such as used for face glazing and other sealant applications.

Knot: In lumber, the portion of a branch or limb of a tree that appears on the edge or face of the piece.

Kraft: A heavy, water resistant paper.

Kynar Coating: Architectural coating that is UV stable and suitable for exterior use on aluminum and other metal surfaces.

 

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Labor Hour: A standard in which one person's labor is performed in one hour.

Ladder, Fixed: A ladder which is permanently attached to a building.

Laminated Glass: Two or more lights of glass permanently bonded together with one or more inter-layers.

Laminated Shingles: Shingles that have added dimensionality because of extra layers or tabs, giving a shakelike appearance. May also be called "architectural shingles" or "three-dimensional shingles."

Laminating: Bonding together two or more layers of materials.

Landing: A platform between flights of stairs or at the termination of a flight of stairs.

Lap: To extend one material partially over another; also, the distance so extended.

Lap Cement: An asphalt-based cement used to adhere overlapping plies of roll roofing.

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.

Lath: A building material of wood, metal, gypsum, or insulating board that is fastened to the frame of a building to act as a plaster base.

Lath and Plaster: The most common wall finish prior to the introduction of drywall. Thin wood strips (lath) were nailed onto the framing as a base for the sand/lime plaster.

Lattice: A framework of crossed wood or metal strips.

Lavatory: Bathroom or washroom sink.

Leach 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.

Lead: A malleable metal once extensively used for flashings.

Lead Based Paint: Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around our homes. Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children 6 years old and under are most at risk, because their bodies are growing quickly.

Leader: See Downspout.

Lean-To Roof: The sloping roof of a building addition, having its rafters or supports pitched against and supported by the adjoining wall of a building.

Ledger Strip: A strip of lumber nailed along the bottom of the side of a girder on which joists rest.

Let-In Brace: Nominal 1 inch-thick boards applied into notched studs diagonally.

Level: Term use to describe any horizontal surface whereby all sides are at the same elevation.

Level (Carpenter's Level): A tool used to check for level.

Level Payment Mortgage: A mortgage with identical monthly payments over the life of the loan.

Leveling Rod: A rod with graduated marks for measuring heights or vertical distances between given points and the line of sight of a leveling instrument. They are longer than a yardstick and are held by a surveyor in a vertical position.

Lien: An encumbrance that usually makes real or personal property the security for payment of a debt or discharge of an obligation.

Light: Space in a window sash for a single pane of glass. Also, a pane of glass.

Limit Switch: A safety control that automatically shuts off a furnace if it gets too hot. Most also control blower cycles.

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.

Lintel: A horizontal structural member that supports the load over an opening such as a door or window.

Liquated Damages: A monetary amount agreed upon by two parties to a contract prior to performance under the contract that specifies what a either party owes the other if that party defaults under the contract.

Liquid-Applied Membrane: Generally applied to cast-in-place concrete surfaces in one or more coats to provide fully-adhered waterproof membranes which conform to all contours.

Lite: (Not the beer!) Another term for a pane of glass. Also spelled "light" in industry literature.

Live Load: Loads produced by use and occupancy of the building or other structure and do not include construction or environmental loads such as wind load, snow load, ice load, rain load, seismic load, or dead load.

Load Bearing Wall: A wall which is supporting its own weight and some other structural elements of the house such as the roof and ceiling structures.

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.

Lookout: A short wood bracket or cantilever to support an overhang portion of a roof or the like, usually concealed from view.

Loose Laid: In roofing, a membrane "laid loosely," i.e. not adhered, over a roof deck or Burm.

Lot: A parcel of ground with boundaries determined by the county.

Louver: An opening with a series of horizontal slats arranged so as to permit ventilation but to exclude rain, sun. light, or vision. See also Attic Ventilators.

Low-Slope Application: Method of installing asphalt shingles on roof slopes between 2 and 4 inches per foot.

Lumber: The product of the sawmill and planing mill not further manufactured other than by sawing, re-sawing, and passing lengthwise through a standard planing machine, crosscutting to length, and matching.

Lumens: Unit of measure for total light output. The amount of light falling on a surface of one square foot.

 

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