With mortgage interest rates being what they are right now (starting to trend back down, though!), many home buyers are starting to consider new construction since builders are able to offer incentives like lower rates, price discounts and free upgrades. (By the way, if this is you, please reach out so we can walk through your options together!)

Since I’ve helped many clients through the process of building, I’m well versed in builder-speak so I’ll try to list some helpful terms here!

Aggregate

The gravel, sand, stone and other materials combined with cement and water used to form concrete. The admixture of aggregates changes depending on the intended purpose of the resulting concrete.

Backing

The frame lumber used between structural studs of the home. This backing lumber adds extra support for hanging drywall and can be used for sturdier hardware installation.

Board foot

The basic unit of measurement for lumber. One board foot is 1’ thick, 12” wide and 12” long. A 3-foot-long piece of 2×6 lumber would be 3 board feet.

Dimension lumber

The sturdy wood planks used to finish and shape a home’s frame. 2-inch by 4-inch lumber is the most common type. Advanced framing techniques typically use 2-inch by 6-inch dimension lumber.

Easement

A portion of a private property that other parties are legally allowed to access for various purposes. A common type of easement allows utility service workers to access parts of properties to work on electrical and telecom lines.

Eaves

Horizontal portions of the roof that extend out beyond the outer wall of the house. Eaves direct water away from the foundation, extends the lifespan of the home’s siding and helps prevent water intrusion.

Façade

The front, public-facing exterior of a home. Façade is a term more commonly used in non-residential buildings. In home building, the front exterior is often referred to as the elevation.

Flashing

The weather-proofing sheet metal applied to a variety of seams and joints to help prevent water from seeping into the structure of a house. There are several applications of flashing you may hear referenced, such as base flashing, cap flashing, counter flashing, drip caps, pitch flashing, step flashing, valley flashing, J flashing, l flashing and z-bar flashing.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)

Electric outlets that are purposefully designed to be extra-sensitive to power surges and to shut off at the hint of one. They include reset buttons on the front of the outlet to easily return to operation after the shut-off mechanism has been tripped. You’ll often find these installed near water, in kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor outlets.

Hose bib

A water faucet located on the exterior of a home, more commonly called spigots. They may also be called sillcocks, though a sillcock is technically a different type of spigot than a hose bib.

Joist

The oversized pieces of lumber laid horizontally as part of the structure of ceilings and some floors. Joists transfer the weight of the structure above to load-bearing vertical beams.

Keeper

The metal plate attached to the door frame which holds the doorknob plunger when the door is closed.

King stud

Vertical support of the top plate on either side of openings, including windows and doors, where the regular interval of wall studs may be interrupted.

Knee wall

A short, vertical wall that supports the rafters and closes off the small, unusable portions of an attic, typically between 2 and 3 feet in height.

Lap siding

Overlapping wedge-shaped siding installed horizontally. The overlapping slats, when installed correctly, direct water away from the home.

Mastic

An adhesive substance used in bonding a variety of building materials, including its use as a sealant to connect HVAC ducts. It is very similar to the type of plaster you might think of as being used by hospitals to make casts.

Newel

The structural post at the top and bottom of a staircase’s handrail. There may be additional newel posts at landings or where a stairwell turns.

Plat

A plat map shows the layout of a new community in development. More specifically, it shows the location and boundaries of the individual homesites (or “lots”) throughout the community. A Plat Map is usually most important to Homebuyers when purchasing a to-be-built home and taking homesite selection into account.

Plumbing rough-in

When a home builder talks about plumbing rough-in, they’re describing the installation of the pipes and water lines that will connect the home to water utilities. Later in the process, this rough-in plumbing will be finished with fixtures to become functional. In some instances, such as an unfinished basement, the rough-in plumbing is left unfinished and ready for future living space expansion.

R-value

The R-value of a building material is the measurement of its ability to resist heat escaping or intruding through it. The higher the R-value, the better the material acts as insulation. For example, steel has a very low R-value because it allows a lot of heat to transfer through it (which is why steel makes good cooking pans). Lumber and drywall have higher R-values than steel, but even these values are much lower compared to purpose-made insulation, such as fiberglass or polystyrene.

Rake

The angled overhang of a roof. Essentially, they’re the non-horizontal eaves of a gabled portion of the roof. They typically extend from an eave at the bottom to the roof ridge at the top. The rake siding and rake fascia refer to pieces of the rake that redirect water down and away from the home, helping protect against water intrusion and deterioration of the home’s siding.

Riser

The vertical portion of a stair step underneath the tread. When discussing the “rise and run” of a staircase, the “rise” refers to the height of the risers, which determines the vertical distance between one tread and the next.

Setback

Dictates how far in from the property lines a home or related structure can be built. Setbacks vary by local restrictions, HOA rules, and developer preferences.

Slab foundation

Involves pouring concrete onto a space prepared for the home. This will typically include a sand drainage pad, steel reinforcement and a wooden frame. Once the concrete is dry, the home can be built on top of it. Homes built on a slab foundation do not have a crawl space.

Soffit

The protective material covering the underside of an eave that finishes the enclosure of the attic. Soffits are sometimes part of the attic’s ventilation system. The type of soffit used to finish an attic depends on the length of the eave, as well as the ventilation needs of the particular attic.

Transom window

Smaller windows situated above doors and other windows to add decorative interest and allow more natural light into the home. Half-moon transom windows are sometimes referred to as fanlights.

Weep hole

Small gaps in the mortar of a brick wall that allows water from within to evaporate and exit the structure.

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If you’re considering building, it won’t cost you any extra to have an experienced Realtor® to advocate on your behalf. Just make sure you either bring your agent with you to your first meeting with the builder or mention your agent in your first meeting.