Glossary
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Pallets: Wooden platforms used for
storing and shipping bundles of shingles.
Parapet: A wall placed at the edge of a roof, especially a flat roof,
to prevent people from falling off.
Payment Schedule: A pre agreed upon schedule of payments to a
contractor usually based upon the amount of work completed. Such a schedule may include a
deposit prior to the start of work. Payments are often scheduled for the beginning of the
month and allow the contractor to subcontractors and suppliers by the 10th of the month.
There may also be a temporary 'holdout' at the end of the contract for any small items
which have not been completed.
Permit: A governmental authorization to perform a building process as
in:
- Zoning\Use permit: Authorization to use a property for a specific use e.g. a factory, a
single family residence etc.
- Grading permit: Authorization to change the contour of the land.
- Septic permit: A health dept. authorization to build or modify a septic system.
- Building permit: Authorization to build or modify a structure.
- Electrical permit: A separate permit required for most electrical work.
- Plumbing permit: A separate permit required for new plumbing and larger modifications
of existing plumbing systems.
Pier: Any column of masonry that is used
to support other structural members such as beams or girders.
Pitch: The degree of roof incline expressed as the ratio of the rise,
in feet, to the span, in feet. See also slope. Also, a thick, oily substance commonly
obtained from tar, used to seal out water at joints and seams. Pitch is produced from
distilling coal tar, wood tar, or petroleum.
Pitch pan or Pitch pocket: A container, usually formed of sheet
metal, around supporting connections with roof-mounted machinery. Filling the container
with pitch, or better yet, plastic roof cement, helps seal out water even when vibration
is present.
Plastic Roof Cement: Ultimate protection for those tough jobs is
found in this specially formulated heavy-bodied material. Used as a waterproofing medium
in new construction and as a general-purpose exterior repair and maintenance material.
Stops roof and other leaks fast. Available in both summer and winter grades.
Ply: The number of layers of roofing; i.e. one-ply, two-ply.
Ply sheet: A layer in built-up roofing.
Plywood: Any sheet of wood made of 3 or
more thin layers of wood that has been bonded together with glue.
Post: A vertical framing member usually designed to carry a beam.
Often a 4" x 4", a 6" x 6", or a metal pipe with a flat plate on top
and bottom (see diagram).
Pressure Relief Valve: A device mounted on a hot water heater or
boiler which is designed to release any high steam pressure in the tank and thus prevent
tank explosions.
Pressure treated lumber: Any wood that
has been treated under pressure with some chemical preservative that protects
the lumber from moisture and insects.
P-trap: A piece of pipe shaped like the
letter P, used in drains. Its shape prevents fumes or sewage gases from going
against the flow of draining water and entering the interior of a home
PVC or CPVC: A type of white plastic pipe sometimes used for water
supply lines.
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