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Facade:
The principal, exterior face of a structure; usually the front face or front elevation of a building.
Face:
The most important side of a structure; the front or facade. The exposed surface of an object, such as the earth, structure, wall, panel.
Face Brick:
A better grade of brick used for an exterior wall of a building, often only on the face.
Face Nail:
To nail into the face of a piece of wood or other building material.
Face Plate:
The exterior surface around an opening, corner or edging.
Face Wall:
A wall, usually of masonry, that has an exterior face of a different material; the two materials are bonded so that they serve as a single load-bearing unit.
Family Room:
An informal living room, usually the center of family activities.
Fan Window:
See circlehead window.
Fascia (or Facia):
A horizontal board that is nailed vertically to the ends of roof rafters: sometimes supports a gutter.
FBT:
(Flexible Black Tubing Feathering) The tapering of one surface into another.
Feathering Strips:
Tapered wood filler strips placed along the butts of old wood shingles to create a level surface when re-roofing over existing wood shingle roofs. Also called horse feathers.
Felt:
Fibrous material saturated with asphalt and used as an underlayment or sheathing paper.
Fiberboard:
A prefabricated building material made of wood or other plant fibers compressed and bonded into a sheet.
Fiberglass:
Fine spun filaments of glass that are made into yarn and used in batts as insulation; added to gypsum concrete products to increase tensile strength.
Fiberglass Mat:
An asphalt roofing base material manufactured from glass fibers.
Field Tile:
Porous tile placed around a building's foundation to drain off excess water and prevent seepage into the foundation.
Filtch Beam:
A beam composed of two timber beams between which has been placed an iron plate and all three secure bolted together.
Filter: A device for separating liquids from solids or straining impurities from liquids; any porous material such as filter paper, charcoal, etc,; a device for removing paper from the air.
Finish Floor:
The top flooring of hardwoods, linoleum, terrazzo or tile, laid over the subfloor.
Firebrick:
A brick made of fireclay that is capable of resisting high temperatures and used to line heating chambers at fireplaces.
Fire Doors and Walls:
Doors and walls constructed of fire resistive materials designed to prevent the spread of fire.
Fireplace Insert:
Wood-burning stove designed to be installed in a fireplace. Its purpose is to make the fireplace more efficient.
Fireproofing:
The use of incombustible materials to protect the structural components of a building so that a complete burnout of its contents will not impair its structural integrity.
Fire Retarding Material:
Material that tends to inhibit combustion.
Fixed Window:
A window that does not open; e.g., fixed bay window, fixed bow window, picture window.
Fixture:
Any non-portable lighting device which is more or less permanently built in or attached securely to the walls and/or ceiling. The permanent parts of a plumbing system such as toilets, bathtubs, etc.
Flagstone:
A flat, irregular slab of stone usually sandstone or shale, used for paving walks, patios, terraces and planter boxes.
Flange:
Projecting rim or collar, such as on a skylight, that aids attachment or increases stiffness.
Flank:
The side of a building or of an arch.
Flashing:
Sheet metal or other thick, impervious material used around roof and wall junctions to protect the joints from water penetration.
Flashing Cement:
See Asphalt Plastic Cement
Flat Roof:
A roof with just enough slope to provide for proper drainage; one with a pitch that does not exceed 20 degrees.
Flood Plain:
The land adjoining an ocean, river, stream, bay or lake which is likely to be flooded.
Floodprone Area:
Any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwater from any source.
Floor:
The total horizontal surface of a room or building.
Floor Furnace:
A metal, box-like warm-air furnace installed directly under the floor so that its grilled upper surface is flush with the finished floor of the room above.
Floor Joists:
Horizontal framing member to which flooring is attached.
Flue:
A passageway in a chimney for conveying smoke, gases or fumes to the outside air.
Flue Lining:
The tile or pipe inside a chimney.
Fluorescent Lighting:
Lighting fixtures consisting of glass tubes with an inside coating of fluorescent material that produces light when subjected to a stream of electrons from the cathode.
Footing:
A masonry section, usually concrete, in a rectangular form wider than the bottom of the foundation wall or pier supports.
Formica:
A trade name for a plastic material used primarily on counter tops, but also on wallcovering, plywood panels and wallboard, where a fire-resistive material is desirable; similar materials are produced under other trade names.
Foundation:
That upon which anything is built; that part of a structure upon which the building is erected; usually that part of a building which is below the surface of the ground and on which the superstructure rests.
Foyer:
An entrance hall in a house.
Frame:
The load-bearing skeleton of a building.
Framing Anchor:
A corrosion-resistant (galvanized) pre-engineered metal piece designed to fasten wooden members together or to masonry. They prevent lateral motion and/or uplift. Also called hurricane clips.
Free-Tab Shingles:
Shingles that do not contain factory-applied strips or spots of self-sealing adhesive.
French Drain:
An underground drain tile surrounding a foundation for the purpose of routing water either to daylight or a sump pump.
French Doors or Windows:
A pair of glazed doors that are hinged at the jamb and function as both doors and windows.
Freon:
A trade name for a group of nontoxic, nonflammable refrigerants used in air-conditioning systems.
Frieze:
A horizontal trim piece immediately below the cornice soffit.
Front:
The primary face of a structure, particularly that which contains the principal entrance.
Frost Line:
The depth of frost penetration in soil. This depth varies in different parts of the country.
Full House Fan:
A large fan normally located in the ceiling between the top floor and the attic. It is used to pull air through a building to cool it.
Functional Drainage:
A drain is functional when it empties in a reasonable amount of time and does not overflow when another fixture is drained simultaneously.
Functional Flow:
A reasonable flow at the highest fixture in a dwelling when another fixture is operated simultaneously. See water flow-minimum rate 3 GPM per average living unit.
Furring:
Strips of wood or metal applied to a wall or other surface to even it and normally to serve as a fastening base for finish material.
Fuse:
Safety device in an electric circuit designed to blow or open and stop flow of electricity when current exceeds a predetermined safe amount.
Fuse Box:
The container housing the fuses that control the electrical circuits of a structure.
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