Word | Definition |
H Clip | Small metal clips formed like an "H" that fits at the joints of two plywood (or wafer board) sheets to stiffen the joint. Normally used on the roof sheeting. |
H V A C | An abbreviation for Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning |
Half-bath | Also called a powder room, a half-bath contains a toilet and a sink but no bathtub or shower stall.
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Halk | A flat wood or metal tool 10 inches to 14 inches square with a handle used by plasterers to carry plaster mortar or mud. |
Hardware | All of the "metal" fittings that go into the home when it is near completion. For example, door knobs, towel bars, handrail brackets, closet rods, house numbers, door closers, etc. The Interior Trim Carpenter installs the "hardware". |
Hatch | An opening in a deck; floor or roof. The usual purpose is to provide access from inside the building. |
Haunch | An extension, knee like protrusion of the foundation wall that a concrete porch or patio will rest upon for support. |
Hazard insurance | This provision of homeowners insurance covers damage by fire, wind or other disaster. It is required by all lenders before a loan is approved.
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Hazard insurance | This provision of homeowners insurance covers damage by fire, wind or other disaster. It is required by all lenders before a loan is approved.
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Hazard insurance | Protection against damage caused by fire, windstorms, or other common hazards. Many lenders require borrowers to carry it in an amount at least equal to the mortgage. |
Header | Crossbeams above windows and doors.
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Header | (a) A beam placed perpendicular to joists and to which joists are nailed inframing for a chimney, stairway, or other opening. (b) A wood lintel. (c) The horizontal structural member over an opening (for example over a door or window). |
Hearth | The fireproof area directly in front of a fireplace. The inner or outer floor of a fireplace, usually made of brick, tile, or stone. |
Heat meter | An electrical municipal inspection of the electric meter breaker panel box. |
Heat pump | An electric cooling and heating system.
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Heat pump | A mechanical device which uses compression and decompression of gas to heat and/or cool a house. |
Heat Rough | Work performed by the Heating Contractor after the stairs and interior walls are built. This includes installing all duct work and flue pipes. Sometimes, the furnace and fireplaces are installed at this stage of construction. |
Heat Trim | Work done by the Heating Contractor to get the home ready for the municipal Final Heat Inspection. This includes venting the hot water heater, installing all vent grills, registers, air conditioning services, turning on the furnace, installing thermostats, venting ranges and hoods, and all other heat related work. |
Heating load | The amount of heating required to keep a building at a specified temperature during the winter, usually 65° F, regardless of outside temperature. |
Hectare | The equivalent of 2.471 acres.
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Heel cut | A notch cut in the end of a rafter to permit it to fit flat on a wall and on the top, doubled, exterior wall plate. |
Hermetic Seal | Vacuum seal (between panes of a double-paned window i.e. insulated glass unit or IGU). Failure of a hermetic seal causes permanent fogging between the panels of the IGU. |
High density | The concentration of housing units in a specific area or on a specific property.
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High density | The concentration of housing units in a specific area or on a specific property.
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High-rise | Any building higher than six stories.
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High-rise | Any building higher than six stories.
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Highlights | A light spot, area, or streak on a painted surface |
Hip | A roof with four sloping sides. The external angle formed by the meeting of two sloping sides of a roof. |
Hip roof | A pitched roof with sloping sides.
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Hip roof | A roof that rises by inclined planes from all four sides of a building. |
Historic preservation | The physical rehabilitation of a historic home or building, and the movement of the same name begun in the 1960s in the U.S. to preserve and protect landmarks and urban neighborhoods.
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Historic preservation | The physical rehabilitation of a historic home or building, and the movement of the same name begun in the 1960s in the U.S. to preserve and protect landmarks and urban neighborhoods.
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Historic structure | A home or building listed in the National Register of Historic Places and certified as historic by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
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Historic structure | A home or building listed in the National Register of Historic Places and certified as historic by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
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Hoistway | A shaft-way for the travel of one or more elevators. |
Home equity conversion mortgage | Loans made to older owners who want to convert equity into money. Because borrowers are qualified on the basis of the value of their home, e, the loan is not the same as a home equity loan. Also known as reverse mortgages.
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Home equity conversion mortgage | Loans made to older owners who want to convert equity into money. Because borrowers are qualified on the basis of the value of their home, e, the loan is not the same as a home equity loan. Also known as reverse mortgages.
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Home equity loan | A loan that allows owners to borrow against the equity in their homes.
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Home equity loan | A loan that allows owners to borrow against the equity in their homes.
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Home inspection | An examination of a home's construction, condition and internal systems by an inspector or contractor prior to purchase.
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Home inspection | An examination of a home's construction, condition and internal systems by an inspector or contractor prior to purchase.
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Home Protection Policy | A service policy that provides limited protection against failure of the basic systems of plumbing, heating, electrical and other components on a home. Available in a variety of coverages and costs.
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Home Protection Policy | A service policy that provides limited protection against failure of the basic systems of plumbing, heating, electrical and other components on a home. Available in a variety of coverages and costs.
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Home rule | The power of a local government to adopt its own land-use regulations.
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Home rule | The power of a local government to adopt its own land-use regulations.
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Home run (electrical) | The electrical cable that carries power from the main circuit breaker panel to the first electrical box, plug, or switch in the circuit. |
Home warranty | A type of insurance that covers repairs to certain parts of a house and some fixtures.
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Home warranty | A type of insurance that covers repairs to certain parts of a house and some fixtures.
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Homeowners' association | A group that governs a modern subdivision or planned community. An association collects monthly fees from all owners to pay for maintenance of common areas, handle legal and safety issues, and enforce the covenants, conditions and restrictions set by the developer.
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Homeowners' association | A group that governs a modern subdivision or planned community. An association collects monthly fees from all owners to pay for maintenance of common areas, handle legal and safety issues, and enforce the covenants, conditions and restrictions set by the developer.
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Homeowners' insurance | This insurance includes hazard coverage for any damages that may affect the value of a house, in addition to personal liability and theft coverage.
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Homeowners' insurance | This insurance includes hazard coverage for any damages that may affect the value of a house, in addition to personal liability and theft coverage.
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Homeowners' warranty | Special insurance policies that cover certain home repairs for a specified amount of time.
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Homeowners' warranty | Special insurance policies that cover certain home repairs for a specified amount of time.
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Homestead | A dwelling in which an owner or head of household resides which can be protected to a limited extent from forced sale by a recorded "Declaration of Homestead”
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Homestead | A dwelling in which an owner or head of household resides which can be protected to a limited extent from forced sale by a recorded "Declaration of Homestead”
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Homesteading | A document that to protects some of a home's equity from lawsuits.
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Homesteading | A document that to protects some of a home's equity from lawsuits.
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Honey combs | The appearance concrete makes when rocks in the concrete are visible and where there are void areas in the foundation wall, especially around concrete foundation windows. |
Hopper window | A window that contains a single sash that tilts inward.
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Hose bib | An exterior water faucet (sill cock). |
Hose bibb | A threaded faucet connection for devices such as a washing machine.
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Hot wire | The wire that carries electrical energy to a receptacle or other device—in contrast to a neutral, which carries electricity away again. Normally the black wire. Also see ground. |
House wrap | A polyethylene barrier wrapped around a house to save energy.
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Housing discrimination | The illegal practice of denying an individual or group the right to buy or rent a home based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or family status.
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Housing discrimination | The illegal practice of denying an individual or group the right to buy or rent a home based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or family status.
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Housing expense ratio | The percentage of gross monthly income devoted to housing costs.
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Housing expense ratio | The percentage of gross monthly income devoted to housing costs.
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Hub | In plumbing, the enlarged end of a pipe which is made to provide a connection into which the end of the joining pipe will fit. |
HUD-1 Uniform Settlement Statement | A closing statement or settlement sheet that outlines all closing costs on a real estate transaction or refinancing.
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HUD-1 Uniform Settlement Statement | A closing statement or settlement sheet that outlines all closing costs on a real estate transaction or refinancing.
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Humidifier | An appliance normally attached to the furnace, or portable unit device designed to increase the humidity within a room or a house by means of the discharge of water vapor. |
Hurricane clip | Metal straps that are nailed and secure the roof rafters and trusses to the top horizontal wall plate. Sometimes called a Teco clip. |
Hydroelectric Elevator | An elevator where liquid is pumped under pressure directly into the cylinder by a pump driven by an electric motor without an accumulator between the pump and cylinder. |
