Jargon Buster - Letter S

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Sarking Felt
Waterproof felt under roof tile battens.

Sash
The opening part of a sash window.

Score
To scratch a line with the sharp point of a tool.

Scratchcoat
The bottom layer of mortar or plaster render.

Screed
Layer of fine concrete which provides a smooth surface for the final floor finish.

Screed Batten
A thin strip of wood fixed to a surface which shows the thickness of plaster or render that should be applied.

Scribe
To mark a line with a pointed tool.

Second Fix
Work which follows plastering - e.g. plumbing, electrical fittings, carpentry.

Septic Tank
Tank into which sewage is drained and then decomposed by a bacteriological process. See Cesspool.

Sequence of Trades
The order in which trades carry out their work within a building project. E.g. a plasterer will finish walls and ceiling before an electrician fits sockets and lightfittings.

Services
Incoming gas, electric and water supply.

Set
A small rectangular paving block.

Settlement
Disturbance in a structure which can show up as e.g. cracks in walls etc. It is often of little significance, but sometimes can be a sign of major structural failure. (See also Subsidence).

Shakes
Naturally occurring cracks that can appear in timbers but do not necessarily weaken them.

Sheathing
The outer layer of insulation surrounding an electrical cable or flex.

Shingles
Small rectangular slabs of wood used on roofs as an alternative to tiles or slates.

Short Circuit
The accidental re-routing of electricity to earth that increases the flow of current and blows a fuse.

Short Grain
When wood fibres run across the narrow section of a timber.

Sill
The lowest horizontal part of a window frame, door frame or stud partition.

Site
The place where construction or building is happening.

Skim
Top layer of plaster.

Skirting
Horizontal board at the bottom of an internal wall, at the junction with the floor.

Sleeper wall
A low masonry wall used to support the middle of ground-floor joists.

Snagging
Usually done when a builder has finished a job. A list of defects is given to the builder to make good before full and final payment.

Soakaway
Drainage of rainwater, using graded aggregate laid below ground.

Soaker
Sheet metal (usually lead, copper or zinc) junction used when a roof meets a vertical surface e.g. a chimneystack or adjoining wall. Associated with flashings which should overlay soakers.

Soffit
The under-surface of eaves, balcony, arch etc.

Soffit board
A horizontal board attached to the under side of the rafters.

Softwood
Timber from coniferous trees.

Spalling
Flaking or breaking of the outer face of masonry caused by expanding moisture in freezing conditions.

Span
Horizontal distance covered by a beam or lintel etc.

Spandrel
Space above and to the sides of an arch; the space below a staircase.

Specification
A definitive document detailing all works required.

Spoil
Any waste material which is dug out during excavation.

Stack
Vertical pipe carrying waste from sinks and WCs.

Staff bead
The innermost strip of wood that holds a sliding sash in place in a window frame.

Stage payment
A payment, which is pre-arranged to be paid at different stages of the contract.

Stile
A vertical side piece of a door or window sash.

Stocks
Bricks made in a mould, either by hand or machine.

Stopper
Wood filler that matches the colour of the timber which it is being used to repair.

Stretcher
The side face of a brick.

String
The sloping board which joins together the treads and risers of a staircase.

Stud Partition
A non-load bearing wall made from a framework of timber usually finished with plasterboard and plaster.

Sub-soil
Soil lying immediately below the topsoil, on which foundations are typically built .

Subsidence
Ground movement, usually downward, often as a result of local mining or clay shrinkage in hot weather. (See also Settlement).

Sulphate Attack
Damage to brick walls and concrete floors due to a chemical reaction activated by water, between tricalcium aluminate and soluble sulphates.

Supplementary bonding
Additional earthing of electrical appliances or exposed metal pipe-work in a bathroom or kitchen.