Glossary - (B)

A device added to plumbing fixtures which prevents reversal of the normal direction of the flow of water caused by back pressure and siphonage.

A railing or barrier to prevent someone from falling. Often installed when the height is 1M or more. Common balustrades are around stairs and landings, or around decks and pools.

A timber or metal board fixed to the front edge of a gabled roof.

A receding slope of a wall, structure, or earthwork.

Load bearing cross members, usually timber or steel, that support the upper structure of a building - additional floors and roofs.

A bi-fold door is a set of two or more hinged panels that fold (in a concertina-like fashion).

The lowest horizontal piece of timber framing. This only applies to the wall, not any sub-floor members.

A concealed roof gutter used behind parapets. Also known as a ‘hidden gutter’.

A non-loadbearing facing of brickwork laid outside, and tied to, a loadbearing timber or metal framed structure

The national, mandatory standards for building work. All building work in New Zealand must comply with the Building Code.

Consent issued by a building consent authority for building work to begin in accordance with the approved plans and specifications.

The entire exterior surface of the building, including foundations, walls, doors and windows, which encloses or envelopes the space within.

The distances from the ends and/or sides of the allotment beyond which construction may not extend. It may be established by restrictive covenants on the certificate of title, or by local council requirements. Also known as the setback line.

Paper or wrap used to cover timber framing and forms part of the backing component to external cladding.

A lowered ceiling formed when a room is pushed out under an eave.

Curved edging, such as the front edge of a kitchen benchtop or the leading edge of a stair tread.