Terms & Descriptions

Aluminium core damp courses provide a very effective membrane. They consist of metal centres coated with bitumen.

Brick Veneer consists of a timber or steel frame structure having an outer leaf of brickwork as the external cladding. A cavity is formed, usually 40mm wide between the frame and the brickwork, which is fastened to the studs with metal or plastic ties. This type of construction gives an external appearance of an all brick construction.

A concrete slab footing is one that covers a whole area on which a building is constructed. The slab is concrete re-enforced with steel sitting directly on the foundation material.

Concrete tiles, unlike terracotta tiles, will not fret but will tend to loose their colour and will support fungal growths. Fungal growths may change the colour of the concrete tiles but do not cause any weakness or damage to the tiles.

By using corrugated steel sheeting as the roofing material, decking profiles can have quite a low pitch profile. Corrugated steel is highly water resistant when well maintained.

A timber cut and pitched roof is the traditional way of roof construction. All framework is cut and erected on site.

Fibre cement sheeting has a number of excellent qualities that make it a good choice: it is long lasting, not effected by water, is easily painted and readily available and it will not rot or be eaten. Over time the material may become slightly brittle and heavy impact will break the sheets.

Asbestos fibres have been used for many years as reinforcement for roof and wall sheeting. Its main defects are brittleness with age, a tendency to explode in fires and low insulation values for heat and acoustics. The asbestos cement sheeting may become brittle with age and crack.

Asbestos cement has been phased out in Australia because of the great danger of raw asbestos. Existing asbestos cement sheeting presents no known danger to health as the fibres are bound into the material. If cutting or removing asbestos cement sheeting care should be taken to minimise exposure to airborne asbestos fibres. When working with this sheeting you must comply with the Worksafe Australia requirements. Removal of asbestos cement sheeting entails a rigorous safety procedure.

Gypsum plasters are widely used as the core of sheets that are heavily paper covered on both faces and have a very smooth surface. these sheets can be glued or nail fixed to timber or metal framing and can be used to build a fire resistance rating in partitions and walls.

Metal decking should always be well maintained with a painted surface to avoid rust damage. Paint is not essential to prevent rust but the decking itself is only minimally rust resistant. Metal decking comes in a variety of profiles. The strength of the decking is reliant on the thickness and profile, therefore some of the decking can be walked on but some may buckle under such pressure.

The mortar, which holds the ridge capping in place, may crack due to movement in the roof, the usual expansion and contraction, or by branches falling on the roof. It is important that the ridge capping be secured with mortar to avoid possible leaks into the roof space.

Pier and strip footing construction consists of brick, concrete or stone piers and walls on re-enforced concrete strip and blob footings. The whole structure is supported on these footings, which transfer the load into the foundation.

A pitched roof has two or more slopes all meeting at the top ridge point.

Polythene damp courses are made of virgin polymer with some having a metal centre. It is one of the most effective damp course materials

A skillion roof is a single pitched roof.

A major problem with lintels is that they are exposed on the exterior of a house and, when made of steel, are prone to rust. If this is treated early - by cleaning, priming and painting - you will have few problems. If rust is advanced, the lintel will swell, causing the brickwork to crack and eventually causing considerable damage.

Galvanised steel lintels will outlast the primed mild-steel variety. Galvanised steel lintels may last up to 100 years without requiring any maintenance against rust.

Terracotta tiles, although brittle, are very permanent in resisting most temperate to hot weather conditions, however they may not be immune to damage from salt spray in coastal areas.

Because of the brittleness of these tiles, walking on them should be done with care or avoided completely if possible.

A timber frame house is clad internally and externally. The timber frame does all the structural load bearing work, supporting the roof, ceiling and wall cladding.

Trusses are engineered complete roof frames that are commonly used in modern buildings. They are very accurate, designed to stress requirements and are supported only on the outside frames of a house.

Trusses give few problems, but in aggressive environments it is worth checking the nail plates for rust. If rust is found, treat it with anti-rust paint.

If any of the cords (timber lengths) of a truss breaks or is damaged, the truss will not operate properly and the joint will have to be repaired.

Vinyl siding comes in two types: very thin sheets which perform best if attached to an existing backing such as sheet cladding or weatherboards, or thick PVC boards which are a cladding in their own right. Vinyls are colourfast and do not need repainting, but must be securely fixed. The thicker boards can simply be nailed up in the same way as ordinary weatherboards.

Wet rot or decay is caused by excessive and continuous periods of dampness that results in decomposition of the fibres. One of the most common areas of the home to suffer from wet rot is the timber structure under the shower or bath recess. This will occur if the water proofing of the bathroom is penetrated. To remedy this, the damaged timbers may need to be replaced and the leaking area will need to be repaired.

To prevent wet rot in all areas of the property, sub-floor timbers should be kept dry and external timbers should have paint maintained and the surrounding area of the ground level timbers should be well drained.