Cantilever - A beam or beams projecting beyond a support member.
Story - That part of a building between any floor or between the floor and roof.
Retentions - Amounts withheld from progress billings until final and satisfactory project completion.
Take off - The material necessary to complete a job.
Fire blocking - Short horizontal members sometimes nailed between studs, usually about halfway up a wall.
Fire block - Short horizontal members sometimes nailed between studs, usually about halfway up a wall. See also 'Fire stop'.
Screed - Leveling concrete, sand or other material by pulling a board pipe or other straightedge across it in a sawing motion.
Bond or bonding - An amount of money (usually $5,000 -$10,000) which must be on deposit with a governmental agency in order to secure a contractor's license. The bond may be used to pay for the unpaid bills or disputed work of the contractor. Not to be confused with a 'performance bond'. Such bonds are rarely used in residential construction, they are an insurance policy which guarantees proper completion of a project.
Butt edge - The lower edge of the shingle tabs.
CFM (cubic feet per minute) - A rating that expresses the amount of air a blower or fan can move.
Cornice - The projection from a building that crowns or finishes the edge. Horizontal projection at the top of exterior wall which finishes the eaves of a building.
Downspout - A pipe, usually of metal, for carrying rainwater down from the roof's horizontal gutters.
Joint tenancy - A form of ownership in which the tenants own a property equally. If one dies, the other automatically inherits the entire property.
King stud - The vertical "2 X's" frame lumber (left and right) of a window or door opening, and runs continuously from the bottom sole plate to the top plate.
Pilot hole - A small-diameter hole that guides a nail or screw.
Reflective insulation - Sheet material with one or both faces covered with aluminum foil.
