Decipher your home inspection report with ease using this list of terms
Home inspection reports include a lot of unfamiliar terms and jargon.
HVAC, A/C, OSB, and O.C. are all home inspection acronyms or abbreviations.
The right terminology helps you communicate questions and concerns to your inspector.
It isn’t every day that you buy a home and get a professional home inspection, so it makes sense if you’re unfamiliar with inspection jargon and lingo. You already have enough on your plate without trying to decipher your home inspection report, which is why the glossary below encompasses all the home inspection terminology that you may need to know. Use our list of home inspection words as a reference during inspections and to communicate any concerns and questions with a local pro home inspector.
From appraisal costs to amperage and asbestos, the beginning of the alphabet is a great place to start understanding your new home.
A/C: Abbreviation for air conditioning.
A/C Condenser: The outdoor fan unit of an air conditioning system that either releases or collects heat.
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene): Rigid plastic pipe used for drain lines.
Absolute Humidity: The measure of water vapor in the air, which is expressed in grams.
Access Panel: A closure door or cover for openings into ducts, walls, ceilings, or other areas that allows access to electrical, plumbing, or other building systems.
Accessibility: The level of access a building offers people with disabilities.
Acre: An area of 43,560 square feet.
Acrylic: A thermoplastic material vacuum-formed to cast and mold shapes for the surfaces of bathtubs, shower bases, and shower stalls.
Aggregate: Crushed rock, stone, or slag used for concrete or to surface built-up roofs.
Air Chamber: An air-filled vertical pipe that absorbs pressure to prevent water hammer.
Air Duct: Ducts made of sheet metal that carry cooled or heated air to interior rooms.
Air Filters: Disposable adhesive filters made from metal or other fibers and coated with adhesive liquids to which lint and dust particles adhere.
Air Infiltration: The amount of air leaking in and out of a building via cracks or openings in walls, windows, and doors.
Alarm System: Warning devices such as carbon monoxide detectors, security equipment, smoke alarms, and heat sensors.
Algae: Also described as fungus, this refers to microorganisms that grow in colonies in damp environments and can cause discoloration.
Ampacity: The maximum current, measured in amperes, that a conductor can continuously carry without exceeding its temperature rating.
Amperage: Measured in amperes, this is the strength of an electric current.
Appliance: Household devices operated by electricity or gas, such as refrigerators and laundry equipment.
Asbestos: A naturally occurring silicate mineral with tough fibers that was previously used in construction products. Due to its health hazards, asbestos requires professional removal.
Asphalt: A highly viscous and waterproof hydrocarbon produced from the byproducts of petroleum distillation and used for roofing and highways.
Attic Access: An opening placed in a ceiling to provide access to the attic.\
Attic Ventilators: Screened openings located in an attic space that provide ventilation.
Whether you’re breaking down building codes or breaker panels, get to know the terms your home inspector will likely be using.
Backflow: The movement of water of other liquids in unintended directions.
Balusters: Short and decorative vertical posts that support the top rail of a railing structure.
Balustrade: Several balusters spaced evenly and connected to support an upper rail.
Baseboard: A piece that covers the joint between the wall surface and the floor to protect it from damage and prevent pest access or for cosmetic reasons.
Bay Window: A window space projecting outward from exterior walls and forming a bay space inside.
Beam: A structural support made from either steel, concrete, or lumber that transversely supports and transfers weight.
Bearing Wall: A wall that supports additional vertical load.
Breaker Panel: The main distribution point for electrical circuits in a building.
Brick Veneer: A non-structural facing of brick masonry.
Buckling: A change in shape or form of a structural component, such as a wall, under load.
Building Code: Local or state regulations that apply to building design, construction, materials, and use for health and safety purposes.
Get the most from your home inspection cost by learning these go-to terms that start with C:
Carbon Monoxide: A poisonous and flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
Casing: Molding of various widths and thicknesses used to trim door and window openings at the jambs.
Caulk: Any waterproof material that is used to seal joints or seams between building materials to prevent leaking.
Ceiling Joist: One of the multiple parallel framing pieces that support ceiling loads, which are supported by beams, girders, and bearing walls.
Certificate of Occupancy: Issued by the building authority, the Certificate of Occupancy states that a building is approved for people to be in the space.
Component: A permanently installed or attached fixture, element, or part of a system.
Crawl Space: An open area between the foundation and the lowest story of the building.
Curb: A short masonry wall built about the roof to provide a means of flashing deck equipment.
You don’t need to be an engineering expert to understand the terms related to building materials and structural parts.
Decay: Molding causing disintegration or rot of wood or other materials.
Deck: An elevated platform installed outside of a home.
Downspout: Also called a leader, this refers to the pipe that carries water from the gutter.
Drywall: Used to build walls and ceilings, drywall is made with gypsum and other materials.
Eave: The portion of the roof extending beyond the side wall.
Elbow: An angled fitting that alters the direction of the water line.
Engineering Service: Professional service or creative work requiring engineering education, training, and experience.
Expansion Joint: A device used to allow a structure to expand or contract without breakage.
From the foundation to your HVAC system, learn the key words covered in both old and new home inspections.
Facade: A front of a building, typically with a decorative design.
Fascia: Flat and horizontal boards enclosing the overhang under the eave of a roof.
Fasteners: Broad term referring to a variety of screws, nails, and other fastening hardware.
Flat Seam: Seams found at the junction of low-angle or flat sheet metal roof components.
Footings: Wide pours of rebar-reinforced cement meant to support foundation walls, pillars, and posts.
Foundation: Typically made from concrete, masonry, or stone, the foundation is the lowest load-bearing part on which a building rests.
Framing: The structural wood or metal pieces, including rafters, posts, and beams, that form the skeleton of a building.
Furnace: A heating system that uses thermal convection and ducts to warm air and distribute it throughout the home.
Gable: The end of a building as perceived from the front or back. It also refers to a portion of the roof above the eave line of a double-sloped roof.
Grade: The level at which the foundation meets the ground surface. It also refers to the incline degree of a slope, road, or other surface.
Grout: A dense fluid used to fill cracks, fissures, and voids in materials, such as between tiles.
Gusset: A bracket or plate used to connect beams and girders to columns.
Header: Framing pieces located over windows, doors, and other openings.
Hearth: Usually made from brick, tile, or stone, a hearth is the inner and outer floor of a fireplace.
Heat Pump: A device that uses a compression system to heat and cool a building.
Hose Bib: An outdoor faucet with hose threads meant for attaching a garden hose, sprinklers, and other accessories.
Hot Wire: Black wire carrying electrical energy to a receptacle or other device.
HVAC: Acronym for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
Get to know the home inspection terms from I and K, such as knob and tube wiring and I beams.
I Beam: A steel beam with a cross-section that looks like the letter I used for long spans where wall and roof loads are bearing on an opening, such as double garage doors.
Interlocking Shingles: Individual shingles that fasten together to improve wind resistance.
Jack Post: A metal structure raised or lowered with pins and screws and used to replace a defective support member.
Joint: The space between adjacent surfaces of two components joined together with nails, cement, glue, or other materials.
Kilowatt (KW): The base unit used in measuring electrical consumption that is equal to 1,000 watts.
Knob and Tube Wiring: A form of electrical wiring used before World War II and suitable for low amperage fixtures when in good condition. This is usually a major red flag or failure for home inspections.
Lead-based paint, masonry, and neutral wires are all things you might see on your home inspection report.
Lath: Building materials such as wood, metal, or gypsum fastened to a building’s frame as a plaster base.
Lattice: Refers to a framework of crossed wood or metal strips.
Lead-Based Paint: A common form of paint before 1950, lead-based paint is a toxic substance that can cause a variety of health issues.
Load Bearing Wall: A wall that supports the weight of the above floor or roof structure.
Louver: Window blinds or shutters with horizontal slats meant to admit light and air.
Masonry: Brick, stone, concrete, gypsum blocks, and similar materials used to form structures such as walls and buttresses.
Modified Bitumen Roof: A roof covering usually composed of a composite sheet made from copolymer-modified bitumen and reinforced with polyester or fiberglass to create a waterproof roofing membrane.
Mullion: A vertical element that divides the units of a window, screen, or double doors.
Neutral Wire: Opposite of a hot wire, a neutral wire takes electricity from a unit and returns it to the power supply.
Newel: A post to which the end of a stair railing or balustrade is fastened.
Whether you’re looking at a seller’s pre-listing inspection or requesting a pre-sale home inspection, learn these essential terms:
On Center (O.C.): A measurement referring to a distance between materials, such as rafters and joists.
Open Valley: A method of construction where shingles on both sides of a valley are trimmed along a chalk line and don’t extend across the valley flashing.
OSB (Oriented Strand Board, Chip Board, Wafer Board): A manufactured wood panel made of wood chips and glue and used as a substitute for plywood in exterior walls and roof sheathing.
P Trap: A drain pipe section shaped like a P to prevent sewage odors from escaping into your home.
Parapet Wall: A low wall around the perimeter of a roof deck.
Partition: A subdividing wall.
Pilot Light: A small and continuous flame that ignites gas or oil burners as needed, such as for a water heater, furnace, or boiler.
Pitch: The incline slope of a roof expressed in the inches of rise per foot of run.
Plenum (Or Plenum Chamber): A chamber or container for moving under a slight positive pressure.
Plumbing Ground: Plumbing drain and waste lines installed beneath a basement floor.
Plumbing Stack: A long vertical pipe extending out of your roof to control air pressure in your plumbing system.
Ply: Denotes the thickness or layers of built-up materials, such as roofing felt or plywood.
Point Load: Denotes where bearing or structural weight is concentrated and transferred to the foundation.
Post-And-Beam: A common type of wall framing using posts that carry horizontal beams on which joists are supported.
Potable: Safe drinking water.
Quarry Tile: Man-made clay tile used to finish a floor or wall.
From hazards such as radon and termites or general roof or sewage structures, these terms are key to understanding the condition of your home:
Radon: A naturally occurring radioactive gas that is odorless, tasteless, and linked to cancer.
Rake: A trim piece running parallel to the roof slope to form the finish between a wall and gable roof extension.
Rebar: Reinforcing bar used to increase the strength of concrete.
Refrigerant: Found in either a fluid or gas state depending on temperature, the refrigerant absorbs heat and leaves cool air behind.
Reglaze: To replace a broken window.
Retaining Wall: Rigid walls designed to support and restrain soil to a slope.
Roof System: A broad term encompassing the waterproof covering, insulation, and vapor barrier.
Sanitary Sewer: Sewer system designed to collect wastewater from household facilities.
Saturated Felt: Felt saturated with asphalt or other materials for the use of roof underlayment.
Sealer: Clear or tinted finishing material applied over uncoated wood.
Siding: Protective material attached to the outside of a building, typically made from vinyl, engineered wood, or fiber cement.
Storm Window: An extra window placed outside of an existing one to provide extra protection and insulation against cold weather.
Story: The part of a building between any floor and either the floor or roof directly above.
Stucco: Exterior finish plaster made with Portland cement.
Stud Framing: Building method that distributes structural loads to a series of studs.
Sump: A pit or barrel inside the home that collects groundwater from a perimeter drain system.
Thermal Insulation: Any material used in the walls, ceiling, or floors to reduce the rate of heat flow.
Threshold: A strip of wood or metal with beveled edges used over the finish floor and sill.
Treated Lumber: A wood product infused with chemicals to reduce damage from wood rot or insects.
Trim: Finishing materials such as moldings, baseboards, and cornices.
From vapor barriers to weatherization, see how your property stacks up.
Ultraviolet Degradation: Damage from UV rays that can break down and fade the color of materials such as rubber, neoprene, and PVC.
Valve: A piece that tops, starts, and regulates the flow of liquid or gas from a pipe.
Vapor Barrier: A membrane between the insulation and roof deck to limit water vapor from entering the building.
Vent Stack: A vertical vent pipe that provides air circulation to and from a drainage system.
Warping: Distortion damage in materials.
Weatherization: Work such as insulation, storm windows, or caulking that reduces energy consumption for heating or cooling.
Weep Hole: A hole that allows for drainage of entrapped water from glazing structures.
Zone Valve: A device near the heater or cooler that controls the flow of water or steam throughout the building.
Zoning: Governmental specification that determines and limits the use of the property.
