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Glossary
guardrail: A railing designed to keep people
from falling over the edge of a balcony or off
the side or top of a staircase.
guideline: Very lightly drawn line for use in
hand lettering; similar to a construction line.
gusset: A piece of metal or plywood used to
fasten the members of a wood truss together,
adding strength to the truss assembly.
gutter: A trough that collects water from the
roof and directs it to a downspout.
H
habitable space: The area in a house that is
usable for living activities such as sleeping,
eating, and recreation.
half-timbering: Heavy, partly exposed wood
timbers used as framing elements in a building;
the spaces between the timbers are fi lled
with masonry.
handrail: A railing that helps people steady
themselves as they travel up and down steps
or ramps where they might slip, trip, or fall.
harassment: Tormenting, teasing, or intentionally
bothering someone, especially if the person
has asked you to stop.
hatch pattern: A graphic symbol that represents
a building material. Most CADD packages
contain several standard hatch patterns that
can be used to describe building materials.
hatching: A pattern of lines or other symbols
used to show where material has been cut
away in a section view or indicate a type of
material, such as gravel or brick.
header-and-stud framing: A method of
constructing headers for window and door
openings in which shorter studs and jack
studs are fi rmly nailed to the sole and top
plates of the opening.
headroom: The shortest clear vertical distance
in a stairway, measured between the nosing
of the treads and the ceiling.
hearth: A fi re-resistant area around a wood-
burning fi replace that protects the fl oor from
sparks.
heat loss: The amount of heat that passes
through the exposed surfaces of a house.
heat pump: A heating system that transfers
natural heat from air or water to heat or cool
a house.
G
gable end: The extension of a gable roof beyond
the end wall of the house; also called a rake.
gazebo: A roofed structure that is similar to a
porch, but is detached from the house.
geothermal energy: Energy from heat within
the Earth.
geothermal heat pump: A heat pump designed
to use geothermal energy as its heat source.
Also called ground-source heat pump.
glue-laminated members: 1× or 2× lumber that
is glued in stacks to the desired shape and
size; used for beams, columns, and arches.
grade line: The line or level of the fi nished
grade (earth) around the structure.
gray water: Water that has been used in baths,
showers, clothes washers, and bathroom sinks.
great room: A general-purpose room that
replaces the living room, family room, and
dining room in houses designed with an open
fl oor plan. The great room may also be open
to the kitchen.
green building: A building process that works
toward sustainability by striving to use
materials and processes more effi ciently,
while reducing pollution and causing as little
damage to the environment as possible.
greenwashing: The practice of making false
claims that a product is green when in fact, it
is not green and may actually be harmful to
the environment.
grid snap: An invisible grid feature that causes
the cursor to “jump” or snap to the closest
snap grid point.
grille: A basic covering for an outlet that can
be used for both supply air and return air.
gross annual income: The amount of money
earned before taxes and other deductions are
taken out.
ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI): A
safety device that continually monitors the
amount of current going to the load and
compares it to that coming back. If the amount
of current returning to the device is less than
that going to the load, the device trips (opens)
the circuit to prevent electric shock.
ground line (GL): The line that represents the
horizontal ground plane in a perspective
drawing; the plane on which the object rests.