Remodeling Terminology & Definitions · L

The following is a list of industry related terminology which we at The Remod Squad® thought might be helpful to both homeowners and professionals alike. Definitions will be continually added to this list.

landing

A platform between flights of stairs or at the termination of a flight of stairs.

lap siding

Wedge-shaped boards used as horizontal siding in a lapped pattern. This siding varies in butt thickness from 1/2 to 3/4 inch and in widths of up to 12 inches. Normally used over some type of sheathing.

lath

A building material of wood, metal, gypsum, or insulating board that is fastened to the frame of a building to act as a plaster base.

lattice

A framework of crossed wood or metal strips.

leader

See Downspout.

ledger strip

A strip of lumber nailed along the bottom of the side of a girder on which joists rest.

let-in brace

Nominal 1-inch thick boards applied into notched studs diagonally.

light

Space in a window sash for a single pane of glass. Also a pane of glass.

lintel

A horizontal structural member that supports the load over an opening such as a door or window.

lookout

A short wood bracket or cantilever to support an overhang portion of a roof or the like, usually concealed from view.

louver

An opening with a series of horizontal slats so arranged as to permit ventilation but to exclude rain, sunlight, or vision. See also, Attic ventilators.

low-emittance (low-e) glass coating

Microscopically thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layers deposited on a window or skylight glazing surface primarily to reduce the U-factor by suppressing radiative heat flow. A typical type of low-e coating is transparent to the solar spectrum (visible light and short-wave infrared radiation) and reflective of long-wave infrared radiation.

lumber

Lumber is the product of the sawmill and planning mill not further manufactured other than by sawing, resawing, and passing lengthwise through a standard planning machine, crosscutting to length, and matching.