Decoding Builders Jargon: A Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners

Do terms like "joist", "rafter" and "fascia" leave you scratching your head when you talk to your builder? You're not alone.

Here's a list of common building terms and what they actually mean. It'll have you speaking builder in no time.

THE BENEFITS OF KNOWING BUILDERS' JARGON

Understanding the lingo helps you avoid misunderstandings that turn into costly mistakes, make better decisions about your build, and spot problems before they cause delays.

Plus, knowing the lingo just makes the whole building process a bit more enjoyable. It’s way more satisfying to ask your builder how the “plasterboard install” is going instead of just saying, “How are the walls coming along?” Feels like you're in on the action.

WORDS HOUSE BUILDERS SAY AND WHAT THEY MEAN

Here are some of the most common terms you'll hear on site and in your contract, in alphabetical order:

Abutting - Where two elements meet, e.g. a wall abutting a roof. These junctions need flashing to keep water out.

Acoustic plasterboard - A type of plasterboard that is used to reduce noise within a room

Allowance - An amount of money set aside in the contract for items not yet selected or work not yet fully known. See prime cost item and provisional sum below.

Articulation joint - A vertical gap in a brick or block wall, filled with a flexible sealant, that lets the wall move (from shrinking, swelling or thermal movement) without cracking.

As built drawings - Drawings that show what was actually built, as opposed to the proposed design. Often requested for services like electrical, plumbing, water and sewer, so you know where the pipes and cables really run.

Batten - A long, thin strip of wood or metal used in construction, typically to screw down roofing or fix plasterboard.

Balustrade - The railing or barrier along the edge of stairs, balconies and decks that stops people falling. Height and gap sizes are set by the NCC (National Construction Code).

Base course (or 1st course) - The lowest row of bricks, sitting on the slab rebate or footing, that the rest of the wall is built on.

Beam - A horizontal structural member that supports loads from above.

Brick – a modular unit, usually a rectangular block of fired clay or concrete that's used for building external walls.

Brickwork - this refers to the construction of walls using bricks

Brick veneer - A single skin of brick built outside a timber or steel frame, tied on with wall ties, with a cavity between. The brick is cladding. It isn't structural and isn't waterproof; the wrap and flashings behind it manage water.

Cantilever - A projecting beam or member supported at only one end. Commonly used in decks and balconies.

Cavity wall - A wall with an air gap (cavity) between two layers. The cavity lets any water that gets through the outer layer drain away, and helps insulate the home.

Cement – a powdery substance made from limestone and clay that's mixed with water to make mortar or concrete.

Column - A vertical structural member that supports loads from above.

Cladding - material used to cover the outside of a building, for example brick or render

Concrete – a mixture of cement, sand, gravel and water that's used for paving or building foundations, floors and walls.

Cross bracing - Diagonal members used to strengthen a structure against lateral forces.

Damp proof course (DPC) - A waterproof layer built into a masonry wall near its base to stop moisture rising up through the wall.

Defects liability period - The period after practical completion during which the builder must come back and fix defects. It's 12 months under the Queensland standard contracts.

Dowel - A small cylindrical rod of wood or metal used to join two pieces of wood or other material together.

Extension of time (EOT) - Extra time added to the contract for a delay that couldn't reasonably have been foreseen when the contract was signed, such as wet weather or a variation. An approved EOT means the builder doesn't owe you liquidated damages (the daily amount set in the contract for finishing late) for that period.

Fascia - From the Latin for 'band'. The horizontal board or metal strip along the lower edge of the roof where it overhangs the walls. The gutter is usually fixed to it.

Footing - The concrete base that spreads the load of the house into the ground.

Gable - The triangular top of an end wall where two roof slopes meet at the ridge. A gable roof has two slopes and a gable at each end.

Gravel – small stones that are usually mixed with sand or cement to make concrete.

Inspection opening (IO) - An access cap on a sewer or stormwater pipe so a plumber can get in to clear a blockage or run a camera.

Joist - A horizontal structural member that supports floor and ceiling loads.

Load bearing wall - a wall that carries a structural load.

Lintel - A beam placed over an opening, such as a door or window, to support the weight of the structure above it.

Manhole - The access hatch in the ceiling into the roof space.

ORG - Overflow relief gully. The grate outside, usually the lowest sewer fitting at your home, that lets a blocked sewer overflow outside instead of backing up through your floor wastes and toilets.

Plasterboard - Also known as drywall or gypsum board: a panel made of gypsum plaster sandwiched between two sheets of heavy paper. In Australia most people just call it Gyprock.

Plinth - The base course of a building's wall below ground level; also refers to the bottom step of a staircase.

Practical completion (PC) - The stage when the home is finished except for minor defects and you take possession. Your 12-month defects period starts here (QLD standard contracts, GC 29.1).

Prime cost (PC) item - An allowance for an item that hasn't been chosen yet, like taps, an oven or a dishwasher. If you pick something dearer than the allowance, you pay the difference plus the builder's margin. Low PC allowances are a classic cause of cost blowouts.

Progress claim - The builder's invoice for a completed contract stage (base, frame, enclosed, fixing, practical completion). Check the stage is actually complete before you pay.

Progress report - a document that shows the state of a project at any given time

Provisional sum (PS) - An allowance for work that can't be accurately priced yet, such as rock excavation or extra site works. If the actual cost is higher, you pay the difference plus margin, so ask how each figure was worked out.

Rafter - The beams that form the sloping roof frame of a building.

Sand – a loose, granular material made up of tiny pieces of rock that's often used as an ingredient in mortar or concrete.

Schedule - A plan of when each part of the project is due to be done, usually broken into stages.

Slab - A concrete floor, usually reinforced, poured directly onto the prepared ground.

Specifications - The written requirements for the project, including materials, finishes and methods of construction. Read them as carefully as the plans.

Stud - A vertical member in a timber or steel wall frame that carries loads from above and gives something to fix the wall linings to.

Timber - Wood that has been cut into beams or boards for use in construction.

Variation - Any change to the work after the contract is signed, whether you asked for it or the site threw up a surprise. In Queensland it must be in writing, with the cost, before the work is done.

Waffle pod - A polystyrene void former laid under a slab to create a grid of ribs, so less concrete is needed.

Weephole - A small gap left in the brickwork, at the base of the wall and above windows and doors, that lets water in the cavity drain out. Don't let anyone fill them in.

FINAL WORD

Knowing what your builder is actually talking about makes those conversations less intimidating, and helps you check the work is being done properly. Now go and ask how the plasterboard install is going.