Today’s article is the third post on architectural terms.  I’ve selected terms that often crop up in decorating conversations and plans.  The definitions covered today are R-Z.   Two weeks ago I presented architectural terminology for A-E and last week F-Q terms were defined.

Previous articles in this Decorating Terminology series included general decorating terms and three articles on style terminology: A-E, F-Q and R-Z.

Architecture R-Z

Raised hearth: a hearth cantilevered or built on a platform in front of a raised fireplace

Rambler: a single story home with or without a basement

Registers: grills that cover the duct opening of the HVAC system

Restoration:  aprocess to bring a building back to a specific state of its history

R0tunda: a round, domed room   

Row house: another term for townhouse

Sash windows: a window that opens by raising or lowering the top or bottom panel of a window that slides up and down in its frame

Scroll pediment: a flat bottomed pediment with two curves at the top

Shakes: wooden roof shingles

Shed ceiling: a ceiling with a single slope

Sheetrock: a rigid wall material also known as drywall, gypsum board, or plasterboard

Shingles: components used as a finish material on sloped roofs – often wood, tile, or composite

Single glazing:  a window with one layer of glass

Skylight: an opening in the roof and ceiling to admit light

Spiral staircase: a corkscrew shaped staircase

Split entry: two level home with an entry between floors so after entering you can go either up or down.

Split level home: a three or four level home with half flights from one level to the next

Straight run: a stair that makes no turn

Stock plans:  mass produced floor plans that can be purchased by anyone

Stucco: rough textured cement or plaster used to cover walls

Subfloors: the material on which the finished floor is laid

Suspended ceiling: a ceiling created from a metal grid system and acoustic panels

Thermal pane: two panels of glass that sandwich a pocket of air between them for insulation

Tile: a flat, geometrically shapped kiln-baked clay for use on floors, walls and counters

Tongue and groove: wood strips milled so they fit together and interlock with a groove and edge

Townhouse: narrow dwelling that shares walls with one or more similar houses with one roof spanning all the units

Transom: a window over a door

Tread: the part of the stair that is stepped on

Universal design: design meeting the needs of all users without drawing attention to those with disabilities

Vapor barrier: heavy-gauge plastic applied to walls or insulating window treatments to prevent moisture and air from penetrating

Veranda: a long covered porch running along the front and/or side of a building

Wainscot: wooden paneling reaching part way up a wall

Window sill: the horizontal ledge beneath the window glass

Wrought iron: iron that is welded and forged into different shapes

Zero-clearance fireplace: a fireplace unit that can be installed into combustible walls with no clearance

Zones: areas with similar functions or purposes such as work zones, private zones and public zones

Architecture A-Z

With today’s post and the Friday posts of the last two weeks, you’ve now got a glossary of key architectural terms A-Z.  Next Friday we’ll continue the terminology series with a list of furniture terms any decorator should be familiar with.

P.S.  Remember to leave a comment today using the Comment link at the end of this post and you’ll be entered in our give-way contest.  You might win a fabulous handmade item from Desmond Brown Design, chalkboard labels by Bradens Grace, or Your Decorating Hotline’s new e-book – How to Successfully Use Color in Home Decorating.