Residential New Home Construction Glossary

House Building Glossary - W

WC - An abbreviation for water closet. (toilet)

Wafer Board - A manufactured wood panel made out of 1"-2" wood chips and glue; often used as a substitute for plywood in the exterior wall and roof sheathing.

Walk-through - A final inspection of a home before the legal closing to look for and document problems that need to be corrected.

Wall Out - When a painter pray paints the interior of a home.

Wane - Bark, or other lack of wood from any cause, on an edge or corner of a piece of wood.

Warping - Any distortion in a material.

Warranty - In construction there are two general types of warranties.;
* Warranty provided by the manufacturer of a product such as roofing material or an appliance.
* Warranty for the labor (e.g., a roofing contract may include a 20-year material warranty and a 10-year labor warranty; many new home builders provide a one-year warranty).

Waste Pipe and Vent - Plumbing plastic pipe that carries waste water to the municipal sewage system.

Water Board - Water resistant drywall to be used in tub and shower locations; usually green or blue in color.

Water Closet - Another name for toilet.

Water Meter Pit (or vault) - The box /cast iron bonnet and concrete rings containing the water meter.

Water-repellent Preservative - A liquid applied to wood to give the wood water repellent properties.

Water Table - The location of the underground water, and the vertical distance from the surface of the earth to this underground water.

Water Tap - The connection point where the home water line connects to the main municipal water system.

Watt - A measure of the electrical requirement of an appliance calculated by multiplying the voltage times the amperage (e.g., a 150-watt light bulb which uses 110-volt power needs a little less than 1 amp (110 volts X 1 amp = 110 watts).

Weatherization - Work on a building exterior in order to reduce energy consumption for heating or cooling; work involving adding insulation, installing storm windows and doors, caulking cracks and putting on weather-stripping.

Weather-strip - Narrow sections of thin metal or other material installed to prevent the infiltration of air and moisture around windows and doors.

Weep Holes - Small holes in storm window frames that allow moisture to escape.

Whole House Fan - A fan designed to move air through and out of a home and normally installed in the ceiling.

Wind Bracing - Metal straps or wood blocks installed diagonally on the inside of a wall from bottom to top plate, to prevent the wall from twisting, racking, or falling over.

Window Buck - Square or rectangular box that is installed within a concrete foundation or block wall; a window will eventually be installed in this "buck" during the siding stage of construction.

Window Frame - The stationary part of a window unit; window sash fits into the window frame.

Window Sash - The operating or movable part of a window; the sash is made of window panes and their border.

Wire Nut - A plastic device used to connect bare wires together.

Wonderboard ™ - A panel made out of concrete and fiberglass usually used as a ceramic tile backing material. Commonly used on bathtub decks.

Wood Rays - Strips of cells extending radically within a tree and varying in height from a few cells in some species to four inches or more in oak; serve primarily to store and transport food horizontally in the tree.

Wrapped Drywall - Areas that get complete drywall covering, as in the doorway openings of BI-fold and bypass closet doors.