Bluffers' Guide To Self-building and Renovating #2

Test your knowledge of building terms and hold your own on a site or in the builder's merchant - you'll never be blinded by jargon again! Some phrases are common, others are more obscure, but they all appear in our Bluffer's Guide. From the list, choose the option you believe is nearest in meaning to the key word, then check the answers below.

Question 1:

What is a Bullnose?

A) A small circular window
B) A variety of hanging tile
C) A sculpted ornament in the shape of an ox scull
D) Another name for rowlock

Question 2:

What is a Cornish Hedge?

A) A wall constructed of sand based cement
B) A stone wall
C) A cob wall
D) A variety of thick prickly plants used for hedging

Question 3:

What is a Hornbeam?

A) An exterior paving material
B) A building element that carries a load over a span
C) A horizontal band used for mounting coat hooks
D) A variety of hard white wood

Question 4:

What is a Capital?

A) The top of a column
B) The head of a chimney
C) An inclined surface
D) A drop bolt 

Question 5:

What is Fenestration?

A) A low brass or iron hearth railing to catch burning coals
B) A crack in a piece of of marble or other stone
C) The arrangements of windows in a building facade
D) Plaster mixed with wood fibres

Question 6:

What is Entablature?

A) The arrangement of a series of doors
B) Decoration added to a surface
C) An interior passageway
D) The elements above classical column capitals

Question 7:

What is an Apron?

A)  A paved area that serves as a transition element
B)  A large recessed space within a building
C) The stone at the top of a gable end
D) A 'v' shaped groove

Question 8:

What are Beaver Tails?

A) The horizontal joints between courses of masonry
B) Decorative plaster mouldings
C) Shaped hanging tiles
D) Plumbing joints; an early form of compression joint

Question 9:

What is a Burr?

A) The back of a building
B) A linear enclosure
C) A decorative veneer
D) Roofs which meet in a valley

Question 10:

What is a Pilaster?

A) A column attached to the wall behind it
B) An arch supported by piers
C) A smooth masonry render
D) The underside of a cornice

Answers:
Q1: B, Q2: B, Q3: D, Q4: A, Q5: C, Q6: D, Q7: A, Q8: C, Q9: C, Q10: A.