Construction Terms to Avoid

If you talk about cement sidewalks and I-beams on construction sites then you need a refresher course on home materials. Although most people may know what you mean when you refer to these things, there is also nothing that will quickly mark you as an amateur as using the wrong terminology. So the next time you want to talk to your friend the structural engineer about his latest project, take a quick look at these terms to avoid and what to use in their place.

Cement sidewalks and foundations

There are no cement sidewalks, foundations, or swimming pools. These items are made with concrete. Concrete is made of two items, an aggregate and cement. Aggregate can be course or fine, nearly sand or tiny rocks. This is what makes up the bulk of a concrete mix. Cement is the glue that holds the aggregate together.

Together these two materials can be cast to make items. After adding water, the cement within the concrete mix creates a chemical reaction that hardens the concrete. Concrete cannot be cleaned up with only water. In fact, concrete cures stronger underwater than it does on land. If you really want to impress your friends, tell them that by adding sugar to a concrete mix it prevents it from hardening as quickly.

I-beams

I-beams are actually seldom seen on a construction site. They are mostly used for decorative work because they are not as structurally efficient as other beams. Instead, what is used in steal construction is called a wide flange.

A beam is composed of two parts, the flanges and the web. In a wide flange or I-beam, the horizontal part is called the flange and the web is the vertical part between the flange. The flange on a wide flange is much larger than the one on a I-beam. This makes the wide flange able to support much heavier loads than an I-beam. Most of the strength in a beam comes from the flange. The web can be cut into to run pipes or electrical perpendicular to the beams without much damage to the structural integrity of the flange.

Brick

Chances are, even if your house has brick on the exterior, it is not actually a brick home. Modern homes are not normally made with structural brick. Instead, they have cosmetic brick applied to the outside of the home, just like siding is applied. Some cosmetic brick is not even the depth of one full brick; it is cut to reduce weight and cost. Cosmetic brick can only be one inch deep.

Structural brick means that the brick on your home bears more than its own weight. If your home is older, it is possible it is actually made of structural brick. An easy way to determine how your home is built is to examine the exterior of the building. If it is structural brick, every three or four rows of bricks will have bricks with the short end exposed in the row. This bricks run perpendicular to the row and act as a locking mechanism with another row of bricks behind them. This adds strength and width to the wall.

Like any profession, construction has its own set of terms that its members use. To understand even more construction terms and techniques, consider subscribing to a magazine that caters to construction professionals.