Through-penetration, or "poke-through" openings as they are sometimes called, are holes that penetrate an entire floor or wall assembly to allow the passage of piping, ducts, conduit, cable trays, electrical cables, communications wiring, etc.

Steel anchors grouted into holes drilled in the excavation wall to hold the sheeting, thus reducing the number of braces required.

The joining of structural wood members using wood joints, such as the mortise and tenon.

A system for sealing through-penetrations in fire-resistant floors, walls and ceilings.

- A construction contract which specifies a price for different elements of the work such as cost per hour of labor, overhead, profit, etc. A contract which may not have a maximum price, or may state a 'price not to exceed'.

The horizontal or vertical distance an airstream travels after leaving the air outlet before it loses velocity.

Wood structural members having a minimum m thickness of 6 inches (140 mm).

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

The bottom metal or wood plate of an exterior door frame. Generally they are adjustable to keep a tight fit with the door slab. Raised member at the floor within the door jamb. Its purpose is to provide a divider between dissimilar flooring materials or serve as a thermal, sound or water barrier.

A device which relegates the temperature of a room or building by switching heating or cooling equipment on or off. A temperature-sensitive instrument that controls the flow of electricity to units used to heat and cools spaces in a building.

- Another name for the heating contractor.

Rate of rise of temperature in a fire-testing furnace.

Manufactured structural building component resembling the letter "I". Used as floor joists and rafters. I-joists include two key parts: flangesand webs. The flangeor from of the I joist may be made of laminated veneer lumber or dimensional lumber, usually formed into a 1 ½" width. The web or center of the I-joist is commonly made of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Large holes can be cut in the web to accommodate duct work and plumbing waste lines. I-joists are available in lengths up to 60' long.

- Evidence (usually in the form of a certificate or deed) of a person's legal right to ownership of a property.

- The downspout extension that directs water (from the home's gutter system) away from the home. They typically swing up when mowing the lawn, etc.

Method of fastening two boards together as in a "T" by driving nails into the board that forms the stem of the "T" at an angle so they enter the other board and cross each other.

Joint where the projection or "tongue" of one member engages the mating groove of the adjacent member to minimize relative deflection and air infiltration; widely used in sheathing, flooring and paneling. Tongues may be in "V," round or square shapes.

The permissible deviation from a given dimension or the acceptable variation in size from the given dimension.

To drive a nail in at a slant. Method used to secure floor joists to the plate.

- The upper or top member of a truss.