P

Pallets: Wooden platforms used for storing and shipping bundles of shingles.

Parapet: A wall placed at the edge of a roof, especially a flat roof, to prevent people from falling off.

Payment Schedule: A pre agreed upon schedule of payments to a contractor usually based upon the amount of work completed. Such a schedule may include a deposit prior to the start of work. Payments are often scheduled for the beginning of the month and allow the contractor to subcontractors and suppliers by the 10th of the month. There may also be a temporary 'holdout' at the end of the contract for any small items which have not been completed.

Permit: A governmental authorization to perform a building process as in:

• Zoning\Use permit: Authorization to use a property for a specific use e.g. a factory, a single family residence etc.
• Grading permit: Authorization to change the contour of the land.
• Septic permit: A health dept. authorization to build or modify a septic system.
• Building permit: Authorization to build or modify a structure.
• Electrical permit: A separate permit required for most electrical work.
• Plumbing permit: A separate permit required for new plumbing and larger modifications of existing plumbing systems.

Pier: Any column of masonry that is used to support other structural members such as beams or girders.

Pitch: The degree of roof incline expressed as the ratio of the rise, in feet, to the span, in feet. See also slope. Also, a thick, oily substance commonly obtained from tar, used to seal out water at joints and seams. Pitch is produced from distilling coal tar, wood tar, or petroleum.

Pitch pan or Pitch pocket: A container, usually formed of sheet metal, around supporting connections with roof-mounted machinery. Filling the container with pitch, or better yet, plastic roof cement, helps seal out water even when vibration is present.

Plastic Roof Cement: Ultimate protection for those tough jobs is found in this specially formulated heavy-bodied material. Used as a waterproofing medium in new construction and as a general-purpose exterior repair and maintenance material. Stops roof and other leaks fast. Available in both summer and winter grades.

Ply: The number of layers of roofing; i.e. one-ply, two-ply.

Ply sheet: A layer in built-up roofing.

Plywood: Any sheet of wood made of 3 or more thin layers of wood that has been bonded together with glue.

Post: A vertical framing member usually designed to carry a beam. Often a 4" x 4", a 6" x 6", or a metal pipe with a flat plate on top and bottom (see diagram).

Pressure Relief Valve: A device mounted on a hot water heater or boiler which is designed to release any high steam pressure in the tank and thus prevent tank explosions.

Pressure treated lumber: Any wood that has been treated under pressure with some chemical preservative that protects the lumber from moisture and insects.

P-trap: A piece of pipe shaped like the letter P, used in drains. Its shape prevents fumes or sewage gases from going against the flow of draining water and entering the interior of a home

PVC or CPVC: A type of white plastic pipe sometimes used for water supply lines.

Q

Quarter round: A small piece of molding used to cover joints between two right-angle surfaces. Attaches to bottom of baseboard and the finished floor surface.

Quick-setting cement: An asphalt-based cement used to adhere tabs of strip shingles to the course below. Also used to adhere roll roofing laps applied by the concealed nail method.

R

Rafter: The framing member which directly supports the roof sheathing. A rafter usually follows the angle of the roof, and may be a part of a roof truss. The supporting framing member immediately beneath the deck, sloping from the ridge to the wall plate.

Rake edge: The overhang of an inclined roof plane beyond the vertical wall below it.

Random-tab shingles: Shingles on which tabs vary in size and exposure.

Rebar: When concrete cracks it will separate or become uneven, rebar is a rod of steel placed into the concrete, usually in square feet one or two.

Refill tube: On most toilets, a refill tube directs water from the Ballcock into the overflow tube to refill the bowl after the siphon break.

Release tape: A plastic or paper strip that is applied to the back of self-sealing shingles. This strip prevents the shingles from sticking together in the bundles, and need not be removed for application.

Relative Humidity: The amount of moisture in a volume of air as a percentage of the maximum amount of moisture which can be held in that air at a certain temperature - cold air can't hold as much moisture as warmer air.

Ridge: The intersection of two roof planes, or the angle formed by them.

Ridge shingles: Shingles used to cover the horizontal external angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.

Ridge vent: A single or continuous roof vent located at the peak of a gable roof

Rim holes: A series of small holes, in the underside of a toilet rim, around the circumference of the bowl. Incoming water flows down into the bowl through these holes, creating a rinse effect, or "rim wash" over the entire inner surface of the bowl.

Rise: The vertical distance from the eaves line to the ridge.

Roll roofing: Asphalt roofing products manufactured in roll form.

Round front bowl: Toilet bowl having dimensions of 14" wide by 16 1/2" long (from center of seat hinge holes to front outside rim edge).

Roofing membrane: The layer or layers of waterproofing products that cover the roof deck.

Roofing tape: An asphalt-saturated tape used with asphalt cements for flashing and patching asphalt roofing.

Rough in opening: The distance from a finished wall or floor to the center of the waste or supply opening or mounting holes on a plumbing fixture. Any opening in a buildings framework for the insertion of windows, doors, stairways etc.

Run: The horizontal distance from the eaves to a point directly under the ridge. One half the span.

R Value: A measure of insulation. For example, typical new home's walls are usually insulated with 6" of bat insulation with an R value of R-19, and a ceiling insulation of R-28.

Compiled from multiple sources by: DLM Builders

Back to top