Glossary

Glossary of 7847 Property Development Terms

H

H Beam - An I Beam turned sideways.

H Clip - Small metal clips formed like an H that fits at the joints of two plywood (or wafer board) sheets to stiffen the joint. Normally used on the roof sheeting.

H Joist - An I Joist turned sideways.

H V A C (Heat Ventilation And Air Conditioning) - An abbreviation for Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.

Habitable Rooms - All rooms in a flat or a house other than bathrooms, water closets (WC) and reclines, maisonettes and/or small kitchen areas.

Hacksaw - Cuts metal quickly and smoothly. Proper amount of tension prevents flexing during the cut. The handle provides knuckle protection.

Half Round File - Bastard-cut file that is double cut for fast stock removal and one face is round for working concave shapes. Classified as a machinist’s file, it’s also useful for fine trimming in wood.

Half Timber - A framed construction method where spaces between members are filled with masonry.

Hamger Bar - A metal bar, either straight or offset, to allow for the mounting of a ceiling outlet box between ceiling joists, or an outlet box, or switch box between wall studs; an adjustable hanger is one that can be made to fit the varying distances between floor and ceiling joists or rafters to securely hold electrical outlet boxes and devices.

Hammer Ball Peen - Featuring a hardened head, it’s used for striking cold chisels and punches for general metalwork. The ball peen was originally used to mushroom rivet heads. Sizes 8 to 32 oz.

Hammer Ball Peen - A hammer which has a rounded head at its opposite end, used extensively in machine shops.

Hammer Brick Mason - Indispensable masonry tool, designed exclusively for setting and splitting bricks, masonry tile and concrete block. Forged steel head with a square striking face opposite a flat, sharp cutting edge. Should never strike metal, including a brick set or stone chisel.

Hammer Bricklayer - Tool shaped like a chisel to trim brick or stone.

Hammer Bush - In stone dressing, a steel hammer used in finishing the harder stones, it has a square-ended prismatic head divided into a number of pyramidal points.

Hammer Claw - Finish carpentry and light-duty nailing jobs. Features two sharp, beveled edges for gripping and drawing out stubborn nails.

Hammer Dead Blow - Strikes blows without damaging the work’s surface. The tool’s hollow head is partially filled with small metal shot, which reduces rebounding.

Hammer Drill - Specially designed to both rotate the bit and apply a pulsing pressure that breaks through masonry neatly, faster and easier than a rotary-action alone. Intended for concrete and other masonry work.

Hammer Drywall - A special hammer used for nailing up gypsum board. It is also known as an ax or hatchet. Edges should be smooth and the corners rounded off. The head has a convex round & checkered head.

Hammer Framing - For use by house framers. Features an extra-long handle, ripping claw and checkerboard face that reduces glancing blows and flying nails.

Hammer Mason - Tool shaped like a chisel to trim brick or stone.

Hammer Nail Holding - A magnet set into the head grips an iron or steel nail. One sharp strike starts the nail.

Hammer Plastic Tipped - A steel-core hammer that features two replaceable plastic faces—one hard, one soft. The hammer can strike various materials without marring, including wood, metals, plastic and stone.

Hammer Rip - Great for rough carpentry work, this 22-oz. hammer has a straight ripping claw. Many workers prefer fiberglass-handled tools because they are virtually unbreakable and more shock-absorbent.

Hammer Tack - Perfect for driving small brads and tacks. Has a magnetized head that holds the tack for one-hand starting. Goes easier on the thumb and forefinger.

Hammer Uphosterers - The magnetic face of the hammer makes it easy to start upholstery tacks and small nails. Also called a tack hammer.

Hammer Warrington - The woodworker's choice of hammers, it has a cross-peen which enables you to start small nails and brads, then finish hammering with the opposite end

Hammer Water - The loud thump of water in a pipe when a valve or faucet is suddenly closed.

Hammer Water - A banging sound in water supply lines caused by the sudden stopping of the water flow.

Hand Backfill - The act or process of placing excavated earth in a trench or back against the foundation of a structure, by a man and a hand shovel.

Hand Plane - A tool to smooth and true wood surfaces, consisting of a blade fastened in frame at an angle with hand grips to slide it along the board.

Hand Saw - The most common and recognizable of all handsaws. Has a wide, tapering blade with teeth cut along one edge and a handle riveted to the wide end. Two basic types: crosscut and rip. Most effectively used to cut large, wide or thick pieces of wood.

Hand Screws - Traditional woodworking clamps, hand screws feature solid maple jaws and dual handles that allow for tremendous pressure. Can be set parallel or at angles. Ideal for complex work with no parallel sides.

Hand Vise Combination - Indispensable for holding all types of small parts securely; can be fitted on a handle or on a clamplike mechanism to secure it to a work surface.

Handler Air - Fan-blower, heat transfer coil, filter, and housing parts of a system.

Handling System Air - A system to heat, cool, humidify, dehumidify, filter, and transport air, consisting of an air handling unit, fresh air and exhaust air damper at the building exterior, ductwork, supply air, diffusers or registers, and return air grills in the conditioned space.

Handsplit Shingles - A shingle made by splitting a block of cedar along its grain and thereby creating a shingle which may be used for roofing or siding.

Hanger Adjusted Bar - A metal hanger that can be made to fit the varying distances between floor and ceiling joists or rafters to securely hold electrical outlet boxes and devices.

Hanger Beam -

• A strap wire or other device used to hang beam forms from another structural member.
• A steel strap used for securing the end of a beam.

Hanger Bracket - Hanger supporting a wall hung sink.

Hardness Test Brinell - A laboratory test for measuring the hardness of a material by hydraulically pressing a steel ball into the surface.

Hardwall Plaster -

• Plaster having portland cement as its binder, used on exterior surfaces or in damp areas.
• Gypsum plaster made to be used with the addition of sand for basecoat plaster.
• Also called Neat plaster.

Hardware - All of the metal fittings that go into the property when it is near completion.

Hardware Builders - Hardware used in construction, such as bolts, nuts, screws, nails, and other fastenings, metal and plastic parts, hinges, butts, catches, and similar parts.

Hardware Cabinet - Metal and plastic fasteners and connectors used to facilitate the operation and movement of doors, drawers, and shelves in cabinets.

Hardwood - The close grained wood from broad leaved trees such as oak or maple.

Harmony Of Colour - Colours which are related by containing one colour in common; colour harmony.

Hatch - An opening in a deck; floor or roof. The usual purpose is to provide access from inside the building.

Haunch - An extension, knee like protrusion of the foundation wall that a concrete porch or patio will rest upon for support.

Hawk - A flat wood or metal tool 10 inches to 14 inches square with a handle used by plasterers to carry plaster mortar or mud.

Hazard Insurance - Protection against damage caused by fire, windstorms, or other common hazards. Many lenders require borrowers to carry it in an amount at least equal to the mortgage.

HDD (Heating Degree Days) - The number of degrees per day that the daily average temperature (the mean of the maximum and minimum recorded temperatures) is below a base temperature, usually 65 degrees Fahrenheit, unless otherwise specified; used to determine indoor space heating requirements and heating system sizing. Total HDD is the cumulative total for the year/heating season. The higher the HDD for a location, the colder the daily average temperature.

Head - The common form of an arch over an opening.

Head Plate - The topmost horizontal member in a timber stud partition.

Header - A beam placed perpendicular to joists which joists are nailed into to form an opening.

Header Band - A board nailed perpendicular across the ends of floor joists.

Header Blind - A concealed header in the interior of a wall, not showing on the faces.

Header Bond - A brick bond that will show only headers on the face or surface of a wall, each header would be divided evenly over the header underneath it.

Header Trimmer - A wood stud that supports the ends of a header and assists in transferring the load on the header.

Headers - Double wood pieces supporting joists in a floor or double wood members placed on edge over windows and doors to transfer the roof and floor weight to the studs

Hearth - The inner floor of a fireplace.

Heartwood - The wood extending from the pith to the sapwood, the cells of which no longer participate in the life processes of the tree.

Heat Auxiliary - The extra heat provided by a conventional heating system for periods of cloudiness or intense cold, when a solar heating system is insufficient.

Heat Capacity - A property of a material denoting its ability to absorb heat.

Heat Exchanger - A device, such as a coiled copper tube immersed in a tank of water, that is used to transfer heat from one fluid to another through a separating wall.

Heat Exchanger Air To Air - A method of heat recovery in which the intake and exhaust ducts are brought together at the heat exchanger; this system transfers only heat.

Heat Gain - An increase in the amount of heat contained in a space, resulting from direct solar radiation and the heat given off by people, lights, equipment, machinery and other sources.

Heat Load Design - The total heat loss from a house under the most severe winter conditions likely to occur.

Heat Loss - A decrease in the amount of heat contained in a space, resulting from heat flow through walls, windows, roof and other building envelope components.

Heat Loss Standby - Heat lost though storage tank and piping walls.

Heat Meter - A municipal inspection of the electric meter breaker panel box.

Heat Pump - A mechanical device which uses compression and decompression of gas to heat and/or cool a house.

Heat Rough - Work performed by the Heating Contractor after the stairs and interior walls are built. This includes installing all duct work and flue pipes. Sometimes, the furnace and fireplaces are installed at this stage of construction.

Heat Sink - A body which is capable of accepting and storing heat, and therefore may be used as a heat source.

Heat Source - A medium or container from which heat flows.

Heat Specific - The number of BTU's required to raise the temperature of one pound of a substance 1° in temperature.

Heat Storage - A device or medium that absorbs collected solar heat and stores it for use during periods of inclement or cold weather.

Heat Storage Capacity - The amount of heat which can be stored by a material.

Heat Strengthened Glass - Flat or bent glass that has been heat-treated to a specific surface and/or edge compression range to meet the requirements of ASTM C 1048, kind HS. Heat-strengthened glass is approximately two times as strong as annealed glass of the same thickness when exposed to uniform static pressure loads. Heat-strengthened glass is not considered safety glass and will not completely dice as will fully tempered glass.

Heat Transmission Coefficient - The rate of heat loss in BTU per hour through a square foot wall or other building surface when the difference between indoor and outdoor air temperatures is one degree Fahrenheit.

Heat Trim - Work done by the Heating Contractor to get the property ready for the municipal Final Heat Inspection. This includes venting the hot water heater, installing all vent grills, registers, air conditioning services, turning on the furnace, installing thermostats, venting ranges and hoods, and all other heat related work.

Heater Baseboard - Heating strips that are installed at the juncture of the wall and floor and may be either recessed or surface-mounted; generally along the outside walls of rooms.

Heater Cabinet - A heating element enclosed in a metal housing, with openings for airflow, usually with a fan for controlling air flow.

Heater Ceiling - An electric heater installed in a ceiling, often in a bathroom.

Heater Wall - A heating unit installed in or on a wall.

Heater Wall Mounted - A heating unit mounted on or attached to a wall.

Heater Water - An apparatus for heating and storing water.

Heating -

• Air-Conditioning The process of bringing air to a required state of temperature and humidity, and removing dust, pollen and other foreign matter.
• Baseboard Heater A radiator shaped like a decorative baseboard having openings at the top and bottom through which air circulates.
• Central Heating A heating system in which a number of rooms or spaces are heated from a central source.
• Convector A heating device in which the air enters through an opening near the floor, is heated as it passes through the heating element and enters the room through an upper opening.
• Hot Water Heating The circulation of hot water through a system of pipes and radiators either by gravity or a circulating pump.
• Panel Heating Coils or ducts installed in wall, floor or ceiling panels to provide a large surface supply of low intensity heat.
• Radiant Heating A heating system in which only the heat radiated from panels is effective in providing the heating requirements.
• Warm Air Heating A warm air heating plant consisting of a heating unit (fuel-burning furnace) enclosed in a casing, from which the heated air is distributed to various rooms of the building through ducts.

Heating Central - Heating, usually in the form of radiators, which is supplied centrally form a boiler to all parts of a house.

Heating Degree Days (HDD) - The number of degrees per day that the daily average temperature (the mean of the maximum and minimum recorded temperatures) is below a base temperature, usually 65 degrees Fahrenheit, unless otherwise specified; used to determine indoor space heating requirements and heating system sizing. Total HDD is the cumulative total for the year/heating season. The higher the HDD for a location, the colder the daily average temperature.

Heating Load - The amount of heating required to keep a building at a specified temperature during the winter, usually 65 deg F, regardless of outside temperature.

Heating Season - The period from early fall to late spring (in the northern hemisphere) during which additional heat is needed to keep a house comfortable for its occupants.

Heating System Indirect - A solar heating or cooling system in which the solar heat is collected exterior to the building and transferred inside using ducts or piping and, usually fans or ducts.

Heating System Passive - A solar heating or cooling system that uses no external mechanical power to move the collected solar heat.

Heating System Warm Air - Any heating system which depends upon the circulation of warm air.

Heating Warm Air - Any heating system which depends upon the circulation of warm air.

Heavy Duty Drill - Perfect for propelling large multi-spur bits, fastener bits and hole saws. Necessary for tasks such as boring fist-sized holes.

Heavyweight Aggregate - Aggregate of high specific gravity such as barite, magnetite, limonite, limenite, iron, or steel used to produce heavy concrete.

Hectare - A metric measurement of an area of land equivalent to 2.47 acres. An acre contains 4840 square yards.

Heel -

• The point at which the intersection of a mitre begins
• The end of a rafter that rests on the wall plate.

Heel Bead - Sealant applied at the base of a channel, after setting the light or panel and before the removable stop is installed, one of its purposes being to prevent leakage past the stop.

Heel Cut - A notch cut in the end of a rafter to permit it to fit flat on a wall and on the top, doubled, exterior wall plate.

Heremetic Accessible - Assembly of motor and compressor inside a single bolted housing unit.

Heritable Fixtures - Items which are securely attached to the walls, floors and other areas of a property.

Heritable Property - Relating to land and buildings.

Heritage - Relates to real estate, buildings or land.

Hermetic Seal - Vacuum seal (between panes of a double-paned window i.e. insulated glass unit or IGU). Failure of a hermetic seal causes permanent fogging between the panels of the IGU.

Hermetical Sealing - The practice of making a material impervious to air and other fluids by fusion.

Herringbone Bond - Bricks laid in a zigzag fashion representing a herringbone pattern.

Hessian - A coarse fabric of jute, hemp, or less commonly, flax, for use as a water-retaining covering in curing concrete surfaces, also called Burlap.

Hiding Bond - Ability of a paint to hide or obscure the surface on which it is applied, a degree of opacity of a pigment or paint.

High Early Cement - A portland cement sold as Type III sets up to its full strength faster than other types.

High Lending Fee - A fee charged by some lenders when the loan amount is for a high proportion of the value of the property.

High Pressure Boiler - Boiler furnishing steam at pressures of 15 pounds per square inch gauge or higher (1.05 kg/cm2).

High Street Lenders - Providers of mortgage products who can be broadly split into two groups - the building societies and the banks. Banks are profit-making businesses that return a portion of their profits to shareholders in the way of dividends. Building societies on the other hand, are mutually owned organisations, which exist not for profit but for the benefit of the members. They claim that this allows them to return profits to their customers in the form of cheaper products.

High Velocity Water Blasting - Blast cleaning using high velocity water.

Highlights - A light spot, area, or streak on a painted surface.

Hinge Backset - The distance from the edge of the door to the hinge.

Hinge Ball Bearing - A hinge having ball bearings positioned between the protruding, cylindrical parts of the hinge, to prevent friction.

Hinge Bottom Pivot - A flexible pair of plates joined by a pin to allow swinging of a door or gate installed at the bottom.

Hinge Butt - A type of hinge designed for mortising into the edge of the door and into the rabbet of a door frame, consisting of two plates with a removable connecting pin, also called a Butt.

Hinge European - A hidden style hinge fastened to the door with a cup hole.

Hip - A roof with four sloping sides. The external angle formed by the meeting of two sloping sides of a roof.

Hip Rafter - A rafter that forms the intersection of an external roof angle.

Hip Roof - A roof that slopes to the eaves on all sides.

Hipped Roof - A roof that slopes on the ends as well as the sides.

Hoist Air Powered - A hoist that is operated by compressed air.

Hoistway - A shaftway for the travel of one or more elevators.

Hold Down Clamp Vise Grip - Squeezes objects together to promote bonding.

Hole Scuttle - A small opening either to the attic, to the crawl space or to the plumbing pipes.

Hollow Core Door - A door that is hollow and not made up with traditional members.

Hollow Quarter - A concave molding or cavetto of which the transverse section is an arc of about 90 degrees, the converse of a quarter round, or ovolo.

Home On Market - This is a purchaser who must sell a property before they can buy another.

Home Run Electrical - The electrical cable that carries power from the main circuit breaker panel to the first electrical box, plug, or switch in the circuit.

Home Search Agency - In a nutshell, a home search agency will meet with you to discuss your criteria and needs, then go out and find properties that they believe are suitable. They will charge you either a flat fee, or a commission on the purchase price of the house.

Home Studio Room - A room in a house deignated furnished with high tech audio visual equipment.

Home Theatre Room - A room in a house deignated furnished with high tech audio visual equipment.

Homebuy Loan - A homebuy loan is one which is used to buy a property under a homebuy scheme.

Homebuy Scheme - Homebuy schemes are often run by housing associations looking to sell of their property and are a type of initiative aimed at encouraging home ownership amongst those people who may not ordinarily have the means to purchase their own home. Generally, you will have to obtain a mortgage for 75% of the property value, while the RSL (Registered Social Landlord) will front the rest of the money. The RSL will retain there share and if you sell the property they will keep the same proportion of the sale proceeds, including any gains that are made.

Homebuyers Report - A basic survey that includes a valuation.

Honey Bee Wax - Wax produced by honey bee.

Honey Combs - The appearance concrete makes when rocks in the concrete are visible and where there are void areas in the foundation wall, especially around concrete foundation windows.

Honeycomb -

• Areas in a foundation wall where the aggregate (gravel) is visible. Honeycombs can be usually be remedied by applying a thin layer of grout or other cement product over the affected area .
• Method by which concrete is poured and not puddled or vibrated, allowing the edges to have voids or holes after the forms are removed.

Hook Bar - A semi circular (180 degree) or a 90 degree turn at the free end of a steel reinforcing bar to provide anchorage in concrete.

Hook Brush - A long handled tool for clearing brush.

Hook Chisel - Features a harpoon-like tip for light finishing cuts on delicate pieces and hard-to-reach areas.

Hopper Light - Inward opening sash hinged at the bottom.

Horned Dado - This is caused by the outside blades of a stacked dado head cutting deeper than the chipper blades.

Horsepower Boiler - Term now seldom used, meaning equivalent to a heating capacity of 33,475 Btu/hr. (983 watts).

Hose Air - Hose of air supply quality, usually red.

Hose Bibb - A water faucet to which a hose may be attached

Hosting - A service wherein a company provides and sets up all the furniture and accessories in a property. Used by developers for furnished leases and also used for show homes for presentation purposes. You can have hosting done by monthly rental or you can purchase the furniture, accessories and services outright. Becoming very popular with property developers and leasing companies.

Hosting Furniture - A service wherein a company provides and sets up all the furniture and accessories in a property. Used by developers for furnished leases and also used for show homes for presentation purposes. You can have hosting done by monthly rental or you can purchase the furniture, accessories and services outright. Becoming very popular with property developers and leasing companies.

Hot Patch - In roofing, a roof repair done with hot-applied material.

Hot Water - Potable water that is heated to at least 120°F and used for cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, and bathing.

Hot Wire - The wire that carries electrical energy to a receptacle or other device in contrast to a neutral, which carries electricity away again. Normally the black wire, also see ground wire.

Hourly Air Change - The number of times the air volume of a room or building can be replaced in an hour by an air-handling, circulating, or exhaust system.

House - A residential building.

House Drainage System - Complete system of piping used for carrying away waste water and sewage, also called Building Drainage System.

House Sewer - The piping that takes the soil and waste water from the building drain and conveys it to the public sewer or private sewage disposal system, also called Building Sewer.

Household Insurance - Buildings and contents insurance can often be purchased together protecting both the building structure and your belongings and possessions inside.

Housing Act Of 1986 - The 1986 housing act is a wide ranging piece of government legislation that covers many aspects of buying, selling, renting and letting property.

Housing Association - A non-profit making body that provides relatively low rent accommodation. They also often run which lets you buy a percentage of the property and pay rent on the rest.

Housing Cluster - High density housing in a confined area.

Housing Market - The total amount of properties available at one time to people who create and meet demand by wishing to buy or sell, also the aggregate effect on price caused by changes in demand as well as the effect of interest rates.

Housing Supply - The overall stock of new housing, or supply, has a direct affect on the aggregate level of prices. When there is too much new development, prices lower to stimulate demand and when there is not enough new housing, prices rise as the sellers are able to get a better price due to the high demand.

Hub - In plumbing, the enlarged end of a pipe which is made to provide a connection into which the end of the joining pipe will fit.

Humidified Bond - In gypsum wallboard, the ability of the surfacing paper to resist delamination from the core under extremely high humidity conditions.

Humidifier - An appliance normally attached to the furnace, or portable unit device designed to increase the humidity within a room or a house by means of the discharge of water vapour.

Humidity - The amount of water vapour in the air

Humidity Absolute - The density of water vapor per unit volume of air.

Humidity Relative - The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, expressed as a percentage of the maximum quantity that could be present at a given temperature. (The actual amount of water vapor that can be held in space increases with the temperature.)

Hurricane Clip - Metal straps that are nailed and secure the roof rafters and trusses to the top horizontal wall plate, sometimes called a Teco Clip.

HVAC - Abbreviation for Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning.

Hybrid Solar Energy System - A system that uses both active and passive methods in its operation.

Hydrant Wall - A connection to a water main cut through and mounted on a wall. See Hose Bibb.

Hydration Water - The water required to replace the water lost during the calcination process.

Hydroelectric Elevator - An elevator where liquid is pumped under pressure directly into the cylinder by a pump driven by an electric motor without an accumulator between the pump and cylinder.

Hydrotherapy Chair - A device for the immersion of a medical patient in water.

Hypchlorite Calcium - A chemical compound of chlorine and calcium used as a bacteriacide in swimming pools, available in white granular or tablet form and releases 70 percent of its weight as available chlorine.

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