Jargon Buster

    Our Jargon Buster guide breaks down terms regularly used in surveying into simple explanations.

    Anobium Punctatum

    The Common Furniture Beetle, the most usual form of woodworm in the UK

    Architrave

    Trim fixed over joint between plaster and door frame

    Artex

    Decorative textured coating for walls and ceilings

    Asbestos

    Fibrous mineral with fire resistant qualities

    Asphalt

    A covering for flat roofs

    Back addition

    Projecting rear part usually of a Victorian house

    Back boiler

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

    Balanced flue

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

    Balustrades

    Staircase and landing handrails and spindles

    Barge board

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

    Calcium Silicate Bricks

    Subject to thermal expansion and contraction resulting in cracking

    Capillary action

    Upward movement of moisture in walls and floors

    Casement window

    A window hinged to open

    Cast-in-situ

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

    Dado

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

    Damp proof course

    An impervious layer in a wall to prevent rising dampness

    Damp proof membrane

    An impervious membrane in a concrete floor typically