Insider Tips to Construction Lingo

When you hire a designer you not only hire a teammate to help you navigate through all the construction stressors, but you get a translator who’s fluent in this ‘foreign’ language!!

Just recently, I was on a job site working with a contractor and homeowner discussing a selection for the soffit and fascia board.

The homeowner’s eyes glazed over, and they looked at me like we suddenly began speaking French.

Here’s a handy guide to get you started with studying your new foreign language: Construction Speak.

These terms are all super helpful as you may be asked to make selections for each of the below.

Fascia Board: The trim piece at the top of your house, where the roof stops and trim hangs down. What color will this be? Trim color or another color? Will it be smooth or rough? These could be some of the questions coming your way.

Soffit: The underneath of your overhang on your eaves. What you can see looking up. Often your contractor will propose a couple different materials for this area and want to know if it will be stained wood, painted the body color of the house or the trim color? Decisions…decisions.

Gable Ends: A gable is typically the triangular portion of a wall between the edges of the intersecting roof pitches. The gables are highlighted below in yellow. This is a place somewhere depending on the style of home you’re building, the siding changes textures or colors or both.

Single & Double Gang Outlets: Standard outlet with two plugins vs. four outlets together. You can also get outlets with USB ports. This is great to know when you do a walkthrough with your contractor and electrician. These are things to consider.

These are just a few examples of some of the construction lingo you might run into on your construction project. Save yourself from stressing over trying to learn all the construction lingo and hire a professional designer/translator from the get-go.