Guide to Construction Jargon
Jargon is defined as special words or expressions used by a particular group that are difficult for others to understand. Just about every profession has it. Law is famous for it, as is medicine, and finance.
Jargon fulfills the function of describing situations in which one needs a specialized knowledge to fully comprehend. However, specialized vocabularies can be intimidating for the uninitiated. Have you ever backed out of buying a computer because you don’t know what a 7th-gen 2.8 gigahertz processor, a RAID equipped SSD, or DDR4 memory is? You’re not alone.
Unfortunately, the world of commercial construction is filled with its own jargon. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of things you might hear a lot and defined those words for you. Don’t feel intimidated when you talk to a commercial construction contractor about the work you need done. Knowledge is power.
The following terms make up only a small portion of those used in the industry today.
Aggregate: A mixture of sand and stone and a major component of concrete.
As-Built Drawings: Contract drawings marked up to reflect changes made during construction.
Backfilling: The replacement of excavated earth into a trench.
Demising Walls: The boundaries that separate your space from your neighbor’s and from the public corridor.
Grid: The completed assembly of main and cross tees in a suspended ceiling system.
Joist: Materials connected horizontally to beams that enable loads to be transferred.
MEP: This is just an abbreviation for a project’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
Parapet: A wall placed at the edge of a roof to prevent people from falling off.
Punch List: At the end of a construction project, a list of anything that’s incomplete is compiled by the project manager to get fixed before the contractor packs up.
Takeoff: The process of quantifying all the components required to complete a construction project.
Value Engineering: The evaluation of methods of construction (or the materials used) to determine which can help reduce costs (without hurting reliability, performance, or safety).
There is certainly no shortage of construction terms. For a good general list, Cornell University has a comprehensive construction glossary that we suggest using. If you find yourself in over your head with a construction project, don’t hesitate to rely on us.
Endres Northwest is an Oregon-based general contractor with 45 years of experience in the field. We are experts of top-quality project delivery, and we will relentlessly work with you to serve your needs.
If you have any questions, thoughts, or would like to talk to us about your construction projects in the future, let us know and we will be happy to help. We offer free estimates and the best service in the industry. Go with the best, go with Endres Northwest.