Projecting rear part usually of a Victorian house

A boiler fitted at the back of the hearth of an open fire or behind a gas fire

A metal flue terminal for the inlet of air and outlet of fumes through a wall from gas boiler or heater

Staircase and landing handrails and spindles

A sloping board along a gable covering the ends of roof timbers

A strip of timber, as used for the fixing of coverings to a pitched roof

A window formed in a projection of a wall beyond its continuous line

A horizontal timber used to spread loads

Concrete finish provided at the bottom of a manhole

Tar like material used in sealants, mineral felts and damp proof course

Material often used for damp proof courses

Masonry or precast concrete blocks

Defective render of plaster

Timber frame construction wall membrane allows moisture to escape

Building blocks often made of cinders and cement

A lintel, usually timber

National regulations specifying minimum standards of construction for new buildings, extensions and alterations enforced by the local authority

Structural Survey

Two or more layers of felt laid in bitumen, used on flat roofs. Normally has a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years

Subject to thermal expansion and contraction resulting in cracking

Upward movement of moisture in walls and floors

A window hinged to open

Concrete or other material cost on site within timber or other formwork

Sealing to edges around baths and showers

A damp proof course across a cavity wall, sloping downwards from the inner skin to the outer skin to prevent dampness crossing the cavity

A wall, normally constructed of a brick outer skin and a block work inner skin, separated by a continuous gap, normally 2″ wide. In modern buildings the cavity is often filled with insulating material

A pit in which sewage collects and which has to be emptied regularly

The side of a dormer

Covering to the walls of a building, often of slate, tiling or timber

RICS recommended rules for calculating floor areas etc

A horizontal tie beam joining rafters, half way up

An upright post, generally of concrete, stone, brick, steel or timber supporting load from above

A boiler in a central heating system which has a built-in cistern and may not require a separate hot water cylinder

Woodworm commonly encountered in older UK buildings

Other properties sold or values to which reference is made when valuations are prepared

Water condenses on surface when it is colder than the dew point of the surrounding air

Fuse or circuit breaker box controlling electricity supply

Boiler takes oxygen from air in room in which it is located with combustion gas discharged via flue or chimney

Property now used differently, e.g. flat within former house

A brick, stone or concrete protection to the top of a wall

A brick or masonry projection from the face of a wall

A moulding at the top of an outside wall or where an inside wall abuts the ceiling

A concave moulding at the abutment of an inside wall with the ceiling

A tile or metal cover, often fixed over a chimney

One or two courses of plain tiles laid under brick copings, projecting slightly from the face or the wall to prevent moisture running down

Spreading and folding of lead or asphalt

Lightweight thin outer panel wall 

Enclosed area belonging to dwelling

A border or panelling over the lower half of the walls in a room

An impervious layer in a wall to prevent rising dampness

An impervious membrane in a concrete floor typically

Large wood boring beetle found in hardwoods

A vertical (window) through a pitched roof

A lining to the inside of a wall, usually plaster board fixed to battens or dabs

A form of decay in timber

A legal term referring to the right a person has over another persons land

The lowest overhanging part of a sloping roof or the area under it

Salt deposits where dampness evaporates

Front of a building

A vertical board fixed under the eaves of a roof to which gutters are often fixed

Soft porous building board

A narrow strip fixed at the angle between two surfaces

Proprietary name for interlocking concrete gutters

A timber strip laid along a joist to provide a gradual slope

A strip of impervious material such as lead or zinc which seals the junction of a roof with a wall, chimney stack or other projection

Cement mortar bedding around a chimney pot

A duct in a chimney or leading to it for the discharge of fumes from a boiler or fire

In England and Wales the ownership of airspace over another freehold

The below ground construction supporting the walls

The triangular part of the end wall of a building 

Filling of joints in paving and tiling

Exterior drains into which water discharges

Brick laid with end showing

Lifting of foundations due to clay swell or other expansion of support below

Formed at the junction of two roof slopes near ends of roofs which do not end with a gable

Metal bracket holding bottom hip tiles

A cylinder for the storage of hot water, often fitted with an electric immersion heater

Bottom of manhole or drain

Vertical side face to window or door opening

A timber or steel beam

A steel semi box which supports the end of a joist

Thin timber strips with wet plaster covering

A small beam over a door or window opening, supporting the wall above

A post in a flight of stairs supporting the ends of a balustrade

Aggregate without fines or other small particles

Undulating shaped interlocking tiles

A low wall around the edge of a roof or balcony

On boundary between properties in separate ownership

Concrete columns driven or cast in subsoil as foundations

Horizontal timber on wall to spread load of joist and rafter ends

Water lying on flat roofs

A horizontal beam in a roof supporting the rafters

A sloping timber in a roof extending from the ridge to the eaves

A coat of sand and cement applied to a wall

Holds back land behind and may support structures

The visible part of a jamb in a door or window opening, not covered by the frame

Top of pitched roof

The upright face of a step

Bituminous felt laid under slates or tiles on a roof

A window in which two opening lights slide up and down in a cased frame

A layer of mortar laid over a concrete floor to provide a smooth finish

A sewage purification system consisting of a number of chambers from which water can be allowed to soak into the ground, where no main sewer is available

Thin timber tiles used for roofs and wall cladding

Overlapping boarding as cladding to external face of wall

A low brick wall supporting the floor joists of a suspended timber ground floor

Land drains and sumps allowing water to drain into soil

A small piece of metal placed at the edge of roof slates or tiles beneath flashing to prevent rainwater entering the junction of a roof and wall

The undersurface of eaves

Above ground pipework taking waste water

Bricks laid on end as a lintel

Sloping board at either side of the treads on a staircase, supporting the treads and risers

Angled timbers supporting purlins and rafters

Downward shift of building due to movement in ground beneath

Material below topsoil which supports foundations

Horizontal and vertical water proof membrane beneath the floor and up the walls typically in a basement

A strip of flexible metal used to hold a replacement slate in position on a roof

The horizontal part of a step

A short timber which encloses one side of a rectangular hole in a floor or ceiling, such as that found around a loft hatch or stairway

A steel or timber frame usually with metal plate fasteners

A course of tiles supporting the verge of a gable roof

Insertion of new foundation beneath existing foundation

The intersection between two sloping surfaces of a roof

The edge of a sloping roof which overhangs a gable

Metal fixing in cavity wall connecting two skins

Overlapping boarding used as external wall cladding

Holes installed to allow drainage from wall cavity or from behind a retaining wall

Decay of timber in alternate wet and dry conditions caused by fungi. Less difficult to eradicate than dry rot

Furniture beetle and other wood boring insects