Sarking Felt
Waterproof felt under roof tile battens.
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Sash
The opening part of a sash window.
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Scratch coat
The bottom layer of mortar or plaster render.
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Screed
Layer of fine concrete which provides a smooth surface for the final floor finish.
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Second Fix
Work which follows plastering - e.g. plumbing, electrical fittings, carpentry.
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Septic Tank
Tank into which sewage is drained and then decomposed by a bacteriological process. See Cesspool.
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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 light fittings.
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Services
Incoming gas, electric and water supply.
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Set
A small rectangular paving block.
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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).
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Shakes
Naturally occurring cracks that can appear in timbers but do not necessarily weaken them.
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Sheathing
The outer layer of insulation surrounding an electrical cable or flex.
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Shingles
Small rectangular slabs of wood used on roofs as an alternative to tiles or slates.
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Short Grain
When wood fibres run across the narrow section of a timber.
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Sill
The lowest horizontal part of a window frame, door frame or stud partition.
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Site
The place where construction or building is happening.
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Skim
Top layer of plaster.
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Skirting
Horizontal board at the bottom of an internal wall, at the junction with the floor.
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Sleeper wall
A low masonry wall used to support the middle of ground-floor joists.
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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.
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Soakaway
Drainage of rainwater, using graded aggregate laid below ground.
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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.
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Soffit
The under-surface of eaves, balcony, arch etc.
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Soffit board
A horizontal board attached to the under side of the rafters.
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Softwood
Timber from coniferous trees.
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Span
Horizontal distance covered by a beam or lintel etc.
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Specification
A definitive document detailing all works required.
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Spoil
Waste material which is dug out during excavation.
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Stack
Vertical pipe carrying waste from sinks and WCs.
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Stage payment
A payment, which is pre-arranged to be paid at different stages of the contract.
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Stile
A vertical side piece of a door or window sash.
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Stretcher
The side face of a brick.
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String
The sloping board which joins together the treads and risers of a staircase.
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Stud Partition
A non-load bearing wall made from a framework of timber usually finished with plasterboard and plaster.
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Subsidence
Ground movement, usually downward, often as a result of local mining or clay shrinkage in hot weather. (See also Settlement).
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Sub-soil
Soil lying immediately below the topsoil, on which foundations are typically built.
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Sulphate Attack
Damage to brick walls and concrete floors due to a chemical reaction activated by water, between tricalcium aluminate and soluble sulphates.
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Supplementary bonding
Additional earthing of electrical appliances or exposed metal pipe-work in a bathroom or kitchen.
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