Glossary
Terms That Every Homeowner Should Know Before Talking to a Contractor
Awning
Windows are hinged at the top and open outward.
Bay Window
This style projects out from the wall; a center window parallel to the wall is flanked by two windows attached at
an angle, usually casement or double-hung styles. Box bays have side windows at a 90-degree angle.
Board
& Batten
A style in which a narrow strip of siding appears to cover the seam between
two wider boards. Board and batten siding is installed vertically.
Bow Window
A bow window projects
like a bay but has more than three sections that join to form a gentle curve. Center windows
are generally fixed; side sashes are typically casement windows.
Box Vents
Vents on the pitch
of a roof that come out horizontally from the attic.
Butt
An exposed end of a shingle, larger
than others.
Casement
Windows are hinged at the sides.
Drip Edge
A metal strip that runs
along the edge of the roof that sheds water away from eves or siding.
Dormer
A window set vertically
into a small gable projecting from a sloping roof.
Eave
The underside of the house wall that
is visible, found on sloped roofs.
Exposure
The exposed end of a shingle that sticks out from
your roof.
Fascia
The front facing surface of trim on a house above the soffit but below
the roof line.
Flashing
Metal shields that keep water out of intersections of your roof as well
as joints or valleys.
Gable Vent
Slated vent usually found near attics at the top of the home.
Grain
The embossed pattern pressed
into the vinyl, simulating wood grain or texture.
Granular Deterioration
The wearing away of the
shingle by weather or sunlight.
Hopper
Windows are hinged
at the bottom and open inward.
Ice & Water Shields
Prevent leaks and ice dams, which can
wreak havoc on a home's roofing and walls.
Joist
Any of a number of small, parallel beams of
timber, steel, reinforced concrete, etc., for supporting floors, ceilings, or the like.
Leaf
Guards or Gutter Guards
A covering that keeps debris out of the gutter preventing blockage.
Louvers
A framed opening,
as in a wall, door, or window, fitted with fixed or movable horizontal slats for admitting air
and light and shedding rain.
Low-E Glass
Is a coating applied to a thermal window that reflects
radiant heat. In the winter time when you are heating your home, the radiant heat bounces off
your windows and back into your home. Equally important, radiant heat from the sun in the summer
time bounces off your windows as well.
Nail Hem
The top portion of a vinyl siding panel. It
has oblong horizontal slits into which the installer nails the siding.
OSB
Oriented Strand Board,
made from wood ground into thin wood strands. These strands are mixed with wax and adhesive and
then hot pressed. Approximately 50 layers of strands make one sheet of OSB.
Pitch
The slope/angle
of your roof, this is determined by a ratio of rise to distance.
Positive Lock
Positive Lock
ensures that the panels can be locked together, but can also easily slide back and forth for
ease in installation. This ensures that the panels stay permanently affixed during adverse weather.
Profiles
The actual siding panels are called profiles. Some commonly sized profiles
are D4, D5 and Dutchlap.
Roof Deck
The roof deck is the structural member upon
which the roofing material (shingles or tiles) are installed. The roof deck is typically constructed
of plywood, tongue-and-groove boards, or hardboard.
Shadow Line
The shadow cast by the sun on
the butt edge, making the panel look deeper from a distance. Each vinyl siding profile has its
own distinctive shadow line.
Shakes
A shingle or clapboard formed by splitting a short log into
a number of tapered radial sections with a hatchet.
Slider
Both sashes slide horizontally in
a double-sliding window. Only one sash slides in a single-sliding window.
Soffit Vent
Air vents
that are flush with the ceiling or wall ventilation system indoors.
Square
A measurement of
roof area that equals 100 square feet (an area 10' by 10').
Rafters
The framework that holds
up the roof deck and roofing materials.
Rake
The sloped edge of a roof over a wall.
Ridge
The
peak where two sloped roof sections meet.
Ridge Vents
A vent mounted along the entire ridge
line of the roof to allow the passage of air through the attic or cathedral ceiling.
Truss
A
roof system that distributes weight to the ceiling joist.
Turbine Vent
A powered vent that circulates
air up and out of the home.
Under Layments
Roofing paper that has been impregnated with asphalt.
This creates a water proof barrier between other materials and the roof deck.
Valley
The angle
formed where two sloping roof surfaces intersect.
Weep Hole
A small hole in the bottom butt
edge of the vinyl siding panel, allowing condensation to escape.
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