Construction Terms I Have Learnt

Ridge Beam - The one at the very very top


Header - The wide board above the doors and the windows.


Purlins - The horizontal wood pieces on the trusses.



Joist - The heavy duty wood boards that support the floor


Riser - The "up" part of the stair



Tread - The "step" part of the stair



Gypsum - Also known as sheet rock - but saying gypsum makes you sound smart.



Friese Board - The trim piece that outlines the gable


Rafter - Old school roof construction. Like they made back in pioneer times. They built the roof on our house this way cause it was so dad blamed steep.



Truss - Factory made roof parts ordered and delivered to the site. The barn roof is constructed of trusses. We designed half of the trusses in a traditional manner and half we designed to house a loft, up under that there barn roof.