Padding- A material installed under carpet to add foot comfort, isolate sound, and to prolong carpet life.
Palladian Window - A three part window featuring a large ached center and flanking rectangular sidelights.
Panel- A thin flat piece of wood, plywood, or similar material, framed by stiles and rails as in a door (or cabinet door), or fitted into grooves of thicker material with moulded edges for decorative wall treatment.
Paper, building - A general term for papers, felts, and similar sheet materials used in buildings without reference to their properties or uses. Generally comes in long rolls.
Parallam® - A registered trademark of Trus Joist. Parallam® is a type of parallel strand lumber (PSL), a composite wood product manufactured using clipped 1- to 2-inch strips pressed together (all grain parallel) into a large billet. The billets are cut into different size pieces for use as high-strength beams and columns. The final material is attractive in appearance and may be left exposed.
Parapet- The portion of the wall that extends above the roof (wall surrounding a flat roof).
Parging- Parging is applying a strong form of cement to a wall and creating a smooth, flat wall. Parging is usually applied along the bottom 1 to 4 feet of a wall.
Parquet Flooring - Flooring traditionally made up of small wooden blocks arranged in a herringbone or other geometrical pattern. Modern alternatives consist of thinner wooden panels, which give the same effect.
Parting Stop or Strip - A small wood piece used in the side and head jambs of double hung windows to separate the upper sash from the lower sash.
Particleboard - A panel manufactured using particles of wood flakes, sawdust or shavings bonded together with resin, or other added binder, under heat and high pressure.
Partition- An interior wall 1 storey or part storey in height that is not loadbearing.
Party Wall - A wall jointly owned and jointly used by 2 parties under easement agreement or by right in law, and erected at or upon a line separating 2 parcels of land each of which is or is capable of being, a separate real-estate entity.
Passage Hardware - Interior door hardware that does not lock.
Passive Solar Heating - Involves capturing, storing, and using solar radiation to heat a dwelling without the use of fans or pumps to circulate the heat.
Paver- Materials—commonly masonry—laid down to make a firm, even surface.
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. There may also be a temporary 'retainer' (5-10% of the total cost of the job) at the end of the contract for correcting any small items which have not been completed or repaired.
Pea Gravel - Aggregate or stones roughly the size of peas.
Peak Hour Demand - Time when the largest demand for hot water or electricity is needed.
Pedestal- A metal box installed at various locations along utility easements that contain electrical, telephone, or cable television switches and connections.
Pedestal Sink - A bathroom sink with a china bowl hung on the wall and supported by a china pedestal.
Penalty Clause - A provision in a contract that provides for a reduction in the amount otherwise payable under a contract to a contractor as a penalty for failure to meet deadlines or for failure of the project to meet contract specifications.
Penny- As applied to nails, it originally indicated the price per hundred. The term now series as a measure of nail length and is abbreviated by the letter "d". Normally, 16d (16 "penny") nails are used for framing
Percolation Test - Tests that a soil engineer performs on earth to determine the feasibility of installing a leech field type sewer system on a lot. A test to determine if the soil on a proposed building lot is capable of absorbing the liquid affluent from a septic system.
Performance Bond - An amount of money (usually 10% of the total price of a job) that a contractor must put on deposit with a governmental agency as an insurance policy that guarantees the contractors' proper and timely completion of a project or job.
Pergola - Open, structural framework over an outdoor area, usually covered with climbing vines to form an arbor.
Perimeter Drain - 3" or 4" perforated plastic pipe that goes around the perimeter (either inside or outside) of a foundation wall (before backfill) and collects and diverts ground water away from the foundation. Generally, it is "daylighted" into a sump pit inside the home, and a sump pump is sometimes inserted into the pit to discharge any accumulation of water.
Permeability- A measure of the ease with which water penetrates a material.
Permit- A governmental municipal authorization to perform a building process.
Pent Roof - A small roof protruding from a facade, separating stories.
Picket Fence - Any fence in which the fencing is comprised of evenly spaced, vertical slats.
Picture Window - A window comprising of a large, single pane or double/triple glazed unit.
Pier- A column of masonry, usually rectangular in horizontal cross section, used to support other structural members. Also see Caisson.
Pigment- A powdered solid used in paint or enamel to give it a color.
Pigtails, Electrical - The electric cord that the electrician provides and installs on an appliance such as a garbage disposal, dishwasher, or range hood.
Pilot Hole - A small-diameter, pre-drilled hole that guides a nail or screw.
Pilaster- A rectangular column that usually projects about a third of its width from the wall to which it is attached.
Pilot Light - A small, continuous flame (in a hot water heater, boiler, or furnace) that ignites gas or oil burners when needed.
Pipe Dope - Slang for pipe-joint compound. Substance applied to threaded fittings to create a watertight seal.
Pitch- The incline slope of a roof or the ratio of the total rise to the total width of a house, i.e., a 6-foot rise and 24-foot width is a one-fourth pitch roof. Roof slope is expressed in the inches of rise, per foot of horizontal run.
PITI- Principal, interest, taxes and insurance (the four major components of monthly housing payments).
Plan View - Drawing of a structure with the view from overhead, looking down.
Plaster- A mixture of lime or gypsum, sand, and water, sometimes with fiber added, that hardens to a smooth solid and is used for coating walls and ceilings
Plate- Normally a 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 that lays horizontally within a framed structure.
Platform Framing - A method of framing in which each level is framed separately. The subfloor is laid for each floor before the walls above it are formed.
Plenum- A chamber forming part of an air duct system.
Plot Plan - An overhead view plan that shows the location of the home on the lot. Includes all easements, property lines, set backs, and legal descriptions of the home. Provided by the surveyor.
Plough, Plow - To cut a lengthwise groove in a board or plank. An exterior handrail normally has a ploughed groove for hand gripping purposes
Plumb- Exactly vertical and perpendicular.
Plumb Bob - A lead weight attached to a string. It is the tool used in determining plumb.
Plumber's Putty - Pliable, popular putty used to seal joints between drain pieces and fixture surfaces.
Plumbing Boots - Metal saddles used to strengthen a bearing wall/vertical stud(s) where a plumbing drain line has been cut through and installed.
Plumbing Ground - The plumbing drain and waste lines that are installed beneath a basement floor.
Plumbing Jacks - Sleeves that fit around drain and waste vent pipes at, and are nailed to, the roof sheeting.
Plumbing Rough - Work performed by the plumbing contractor after the Rough Heat is installed. This work includes installing all plastic ABS drain and waste lines, copper water lines, bath tubs, shower pans, and gas piping to furnaces and fireplaces. Lead solder should not be used on copper piping.
Plumbing Stack - A vertical pipe in a waste system that extends from the underground drain line up through the roof. The plumbing stack provides a central collection point, which carries waste to the sewer lateral.
Plumbing Trim - Work performed by the plumbing contractor to get the home ready for a final plumbing inspection. Includes installing all toilets (water closets), hot water heaters, sinks, connecting all gas pipe to appliances, disposal, dishwasher, and all plumbing items.
Plumbing Waste Line - Plastic pipe used to collect and drain sewage waste.
Ply - A term to denote the number of layers of roofing felt, veneer in plywood, or layers in built-up materials, in any finished piece of such material.
Plywood- A piece of wood made of three or more layers of veneer joined with glue, and usually laid with the grain of adjoining plies at right angles. Almost always an odd number of plies are used to provide balanced construction.
Pocket Door - A door which slides open into cavities within walls, seeming to disappear when open.
Pointing (Brick Work) - The finishing of mortar joints of bricks with coloured grout.
Pointing (Roof Tiling) - The completion of joints between ridge tiles with mortar and matching colour.
Point Load - A point where a bearing/structural weight is concentrated and transferred to the foundation.
Polygonal Roof - A roof which in plain forms a figure bounded by more than four straight lines.
Pop-Up Drain - Type of drain assembly for lavatory and bath. When a lavatory lift rod or bath overflow plate lever is lifted, the pop-up drain closes so the lavatory or tub retains water.
Porcelain Tile - Ceramic tile that is made from dry-pressed porcelain clay resulting in a tile that is dense, impervious, fine-grained, and smooth with sharply formed face.
Porch- A covered area attached to a house at an entrance.
Portland Cement - Cement made by heating clay and crushed limestone into a brick and then grinding to a pulverized powder state.
Positive Pressure - Condition that exists when more air is supplied to a space than is exhausted, so the air pressure within that space is greater than that in surrounding areas. Under this condition, if an opening exists, air will flow from the positively pressurized space into surrounding areas.
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.
Post-and-Beam - A basic building method that uses just a few hefty posts and beams to support an entire structure. Contrasts with stud framing.
Post-Formed Countertop - Type of plastic laminate countertop that includes an integral rolled backsplash and a rolled front edge.
Post Saddle - A formed metal plate, which is embedded into concrete, used to hold the bottom of a post secure.
Powder Room - A term referring to a room containing a toilet and a lavatory, without a bathtub or shower.
Power Vent - A vent that includes a fan to speed up air flow. Often installed on roofs.
Prehung Door - A door that is purchased as an assembled unit, already installed with hinges in a frame and pre-bored to receive the lockset.
Premium - Amount payable on a loan.
Preservative-. Any pesticide substance that, for a reasonable length of time, will prevent the action of wood-destroying fungi, insect borers, and similar destructive agents when the wood has been properly coated or impregnated with it. Normally an arsenic derivative. Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) is an example.
Pressure Balance Valve - Shower mixing valve that automatically maintains balance between incoming hot and cold water supplies by immediately regulating fluctuations in pressure. As a result, temperature remains constant, though the outlet pressure may drop. Also known as an anti-scald valve.
Pressure Relief Valve (PRV) - A device mounted on a hot water heater or boiler which is designed to release any high steam pressure in the tank to prevent tank explosions.
Pressure-Treated Wood - Lumber that has been saturated with a preservative.
Primer - The first, base coat of paint when a paint job consists of two or more coats. A first coating formulated to seal raw surfaces and holding succeeding finish coats.
Principal- The original amount of the loan, the capital.
Privacy Fence - A fence with close fitting vertical pickets that block views into a yard or area.
Property Survey - A survey to determine the boundaries of your property. The cost depends on the complexity of the survey.
P-Trap- A plumbing trap--shaped like the letter P--that holds water inside which traps sewer gases in the line and prevents them from entering the structure
Public Way - A sidewalk, street, highway, square or other open space to which the public has access, as of right or by invitation, expressed or implied.
Pull Bar - Tool used to tighten up tongue and groove joints used during the installation of laminate flooring.
Pulls- A knob or other form attached to the front of a drawer by which the drawer can be opened.
Pump Mix - Special concrete that will be used in a concrete pump. Generally, the mix has smaller rock aggregate than regular mix.
Purlin - A horizontal secondary structural member that transfers loads from the primary structural framing.
Putty- A type of dough used in sealing glass in the sash, filling small holes and crevices in wood, and for similar purposes.
PVC or CPVC - Poly Vinyl Chloride-A type of white or light gray plastic pipe sometimes used for water supply lines and waste pipe.
Pyramid Roof - A hip roof, which has four sloping surfaces, usually of equal pitch, that meets at a peak.