Fence Construction Glossary - Common Construction Terms

Berm - Constructing the house so that it is is partially or totally underground, or covered with earth.
Easement - a right held by one property owner to make certain kinds of use of the property of another - i.e. to cut timber, mine materials, etc.
Heat tape - Tape carrying an electric current.  Wrapped around water pipes, it heats and protects them from freezing.
Joists - The main floor framing member of a house.
Lien - A legal claim of one person on the property of another person, for the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of an obligation.
Moratorium - a temporary cessation in the issuance of building permits.
pH - A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of water, given as 7 for neutral, increasing with higher alkalinity and lowering with acidity.
Water table - The level below the surface at which underground water is located.


Pole Construction - Pole construction involves vertical load-bearing poles that are embedded into the ground sometimes up to 6 or 8 feet deep.  These poles continue up and support the floor frame, the second floor and the roof of a house.The floors and the roof are attached by horizontal boards that are bolted and often notched into the vertical poles.  This type of structure is more and more common each year.