Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base is designed to help you understand the terminology used within home information pack documents, by people producing them and that you may come across during the sale or rental of properties.
You can filter the knowledge base articles by "Topic" or by the first letter of the term. Additionally you can search the knowledge base for the word(s) you are looking for.
Shown below are a few examples of topics covered within the knowledgebase.
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In earthworks, a device or process for anchoring the end of rods or cables used for ground anchors.
See also Platform floor, Raised floor.
A system that can deliver heating, ventilation, electrical power, voice and data cabling, and other utility services underneath an accessible, flexible modular floor.
A hinge that is surface fixed rather than edge fixed.
Issued by the British Board of Agrément, these certificates provide evidence of the suitability of materials, components, or processes for use in construction. See also British Standards.
The top course of masonry in a wall or parapet, usually sloping or weathered.
A person assigned to work particularly with mechanical equipment, to ensure the safety of persons on or near the machinery, and to advise the machine operator of aspects of the work.
A roof consisting of two or more curved shells in parallel.
A flue used with a gas boiler that incorporates the air intake with the exhaust.
Usually a timber member that assists in carrying a load. In shutters, bearers are used to support the sheet material in contact with the concrete.
Shells of edible sea mollusc used as cheap way of producing lime by burning.
An ornamental moulding round the wall of a room just below the ceiling, or a horizontal moulded projection crowning a building or structure, especially the uppermost member of the entablature of an order, surmounting the frieze.
An aggregate that contains particles of several sizes.
The combination of handrail and balusters protecting the side of a staircase.
The highest point of a structure.
A material or device used to interrupt and reduce sound levels.
The fireclay or metal terminal on top of chimneystack at end of a flue.
A projection of stone, timber, etc, jutting out from a wall to support a load.
A rainwater gutter of rectangular cross section.
Three-dimensional (bird’s-eye view) of buildings, interiors and general layouts, the top view being a true plan with 45º × 45º or 30º × 60º projected lines.
Decorative trim fixed internally around doors and window openings masking the joint to conceal differential movement of materials and components.
See Tarmacadam.
A floor construction which uses more than one structural material.
A potential construction site that has been developed or used at an earlier time.
Structure of bricks roughly cut to form the voussoirs of an arch.
Vertical rods, often moulded or decorated, forming the barrier at the side of a staircase.
