The Construction Glossary

This is the official and legal document that proves you own a plot of land or a house. It is signed in front of a notary, who is a lawyer sworn in by the state. The notary records this transaction in public registers, thereby guaranteeing your ownership.

This is a document proving that you are in the process of acquiring land or have purchased it, while awaiting the definitive Land Title. It is often issued by the land administration or the developer (the one who subdivided the land) and serves as provisional proof of your right to the property.

This is the written document signed by you (the client) and the contractor, which precisely details everything that will be built for your house. It includes the price, deadlines, materials to be used, penalties for delays, and payment terms. It's your 'rulebook' for the construction site.

Land subdivision is the act of dividing a large plot of land into several smaller plots, called 'lots', for building houses. These plots are often prepared ('serviced') with access to roads, water, and electricity, according to a plan defined by the authorities.

Land transfer is the act of transferring ownership of land or real estate from one person to another, and officially registering it with state services. This is the step that formalizes your purchase and makes you the legal owner in everyone's eyes.

This is the official and mandatory authorization you must obtain from local authorities (the town hall or urban planning department) before starting to build your house. It ensures that your project complies with urban planning rules, such as building height, distances from neighbors, or access to public roads.

This is the crucial stage where you, as the owner, check that the contractor has completed the construction of your house in accordance with the contract and industry standards. You tour the property with them to note any defects, poor workmanship, or things to correct. It's your final validation of the work.

Agglos, or concrete blocks, are the hollow concrete blocks used to build the walls of your house. They are laid one on top of the other with mortar (a mix of cement, sand, and water) to form the walls of your dwelling.

A ring beam (or tie beam) refers to reinforced concrete belts (with steel bars) that go around the walls of your house, either at the bottom, on each floor, or at the top under the roof. Imagine them as strong "collars" holding the entire structure together.

Formwork refers to the molds, often made of wood or metal, used to give concrete its shape before it hardens. It's like the "cake pan" that will hold the concrete in place while it sets to its final consistency.

A slab is a large, flat, reinforced concrete surface that serves as a floor for a storey or a foundation for your house. It's what allows you to walk on it, place your furniture, or what separates the ground floor from the first floor.

Concrete mix design is the "recipe" for making concrete: how much cement, sand, gravel, and water are mixed to obtain resistant concrete. Each element of the house (foundation, slab, column) has its own specific "recipe."

Reinforcement, or rebar, refers to all the steel bars placed inside concrete. Concrete is very strong in compression (when squeezed) but weak in tension (when stretched). The rebars are there to make it strong in tension.

A lintel is a small horizontal reinforced concrete beam (sometimes wood or metal) placed above openings like doors and windows. Its role is to support the weight of the walls above these openings and distribute it to the sides.

A column is a vertical reinforced concrete pillar that supports the beams and slabs of your house. Imagine it as the "trunk" of a tree supporting the branches (beams) and leaves (slabs) of the upper floors.

A beam is a horizontal reinforced concrete element that rests on columns or walls and supports the weight of slabs and upper floor walls. It's like the strong "branches" connecting the "trunks" (columns) and supporting the "floor" (slab).

Wall erection is the stage where the walls of your house are built, block by block (concrete blocks or bricks), from the ground up to the roof level. This is where you really see the house taking shape and its spaces being defined.

An addendum is an official document that modifies or adds elements to your initial construction contract. If you decide to change a window size, add a room, or modify a material, an addendum must be made.

The prorata account is a shared fund among different contractors working on the same large construction site (which is rare for a single-family home). It's used to pay for common expenses: site security, cleaning, temporary water and electricity, etc.

The cost per square meter is the average price it costs to build one square meter of your house. It's a quick indicator to estimate the total budget based on the size of your future home.

Imagine a super-detailed shopping list for your house! The Bill of Quantities, or BoQ, is an essential document that lists all the quantities of materials (cement bags, iron bars, tiles) and labor needed to build your house, along with an estimated price for each.

The work progress statement is the detailed document the contractor sends you to bill you for a portion of the work. It precisely lists what has been done (e.g., 'installation of 100 m² of tiles', 'erection of ground floor walls') and the materials used, with corresponding amounts.

This is an amount of money you set aside in your budget to deal with unexpected problems or small modifications that almost always arise during a construction site (e.g., a missing material, a small technical issue, or a last-minute change).

A payment milestone is a clearly defined and pre-agreed key point in the project when a portion of the payment is due. It's like progress stages: you pay a percentage when the foundations are complete, another when the walls are up, and so on.

Retention is a small percentage (often 5% to 10%) of the total amount that you withhold and only pay to the contractor after a certain period (e.g., 6 to 12 months) following the delivery of your house.

Escrow is like entrusting your money to a neutral third party (a bank, notary, or lawyer) who keeps it safe. They will only release it to the contractor once certain conditions are met, for example, after a construction stage has been validated.

It's the action of physically marking the precise limits of your land with solid markers called "beacons" or "boundary stones". These markers clearly define what belongs to you and what belongs to your neighbors.

It's an official document issued by the urban planning services of the municipality or city. It informs you about the rules applicable to your land: what you are allowed to build (height, surface area, appearance), if the land is suitable for construction and connectable to utilities (water, electricity).

It's the creation of a very detailed and precise map of your land, carried out by a surveyor. It shows all the characteristics of the land: its relief (slopes, dips, bumps), trees, existing buildings, and water points.

An easement is a constraint or right of use that applies to your land, usually for the benefit of a neighbor (for a right of way) or a public utility (for an electrical line, a pipeline). It's a legal obligation tied to the land, not to the person.

This is THE official document that proves you are the sole legal owner of a piece of land. Think of it as the ID card and birth certificate of your plot, an essential, state-secured paper.

Servicing refers to all the work required to connect your land to essential utility networks: drinking water, electricity, sanitation (wastewater disposal), and sometimes road access and telecommunications.

It's a scientific examination of your land to understand its composition (sand, clay, rock) and its ability to support the weight of your future house. Holes are dug to take samples and conduct tests.

It's a thin layer of concrete, not very strong, poured at the bottom of the excavations, just before placing the rebar (steel bars) of the actual foundations. It's like a clean, flat 'bed'.

These are the holes or trenches dug in the ground to install your house's foundations. It's the first step after clearing the land.

It's a layer of crushed stones or coarse gravel, well compacted, placed at the bottom of the foundations or under the ground floor concrete slab. It's like a solid 'backfill'.

It's a horizontal reinforced concrete beam that connects different foundations (pad footings or columns) together, right at ground level. It serves to stiffen the entire structure.

It's a large reinforced concrete slab that covers the entire footprint of your future house. Instead of individual foundations, it's as if the whole house rests on a single, thick concrete 'mat'.

It's a long, continuous foundation, like a 'strip' of reinforced concrete. It's placed under the load-bearing walls of your house to distribute their weight over a larger ground surface.

Unlike a strip footing, this is an individual foundation, like a 'block' of reinforced concrete, placed under each column of your house. Each column has its own 'base' to support its weight.

Tiles are ceramic or stoneware slabs laid on floors or walls. They give the final look to your interior surfaces (living room, kitchen, bathroom) and sometimes exteriors. They are glued with tile adhesive, and the gaps between them are filled with grout.

A false ceiling is a second layer of ceiling, installed below your home's "raw" ceiling. It's often made of plasterboard (BA13), PVC, or mineral fibers. It hides electrical conduits, pipes, and accommodates recessed lighting.

Painting is the layer of color applied to walls and ceilings to protect surfaces and decorate your interior. It's the final touch that sets the mood for each room. It can be matte, glossy, satin, etc.

This is the outer layer that dresses the walls of your house. It protects your structure from weather (rain, sun) and gives the final look to the exterior. It can be paint, decorative plaster, facade tiles, or even stone cladding.

"Staff" refers to the art of creating decorative plaster elements (cornices, rosettes, moldings, wall patterns). It gives an elegant and classic look to your ceilings and walls, often associated with a certain prestige.

This refers to the set of technical measures (often layers of special products) to prevent water from seeping through the walls and floor of your bathroom. It's essential to protect other rooms and the structure of your house.

It's a layer of mortar laid on the concrete slab, before installing the floor covering (tiles, parquet, etc.). Its purpose is to perfectly level the floor and conceal electrical conduits and pipes.

It's a layer of mortar (a mixture of cement, sand, and water) applied to walls, both inside and outside, to make them smooth and uniform. It's the first step before painting or tiling.

It's an underground tank that receives all the wastewater from your house (toilets, showers, kitchen) to treat it before releasing it into the ground. It's essential where there is no connection to the main sewer system.

It's the network of cables and equipment that distributes electricity throughout your house for lighting, outlets, and appliances. This is what powers your lamps, refrigerator, and television.

This term includes all elements made of wood, aluminum, or PVC that make up the doors, windows, shutters, and sometimes built-in closets in your house. This is what closes and beautifies the openings.

It's the application of a special plaster on ceilings to make them perfectly smooth, flat, and ready for painting. Plaster, plasterboard (BA13), or decorative plaster (staff) are often used.

It's the system of pipes that brings clean water into your house (kitchen, bathroom, toilets) and removes wastewater. This network ensures water flow and hygiene in your home.

Imagine the skeleton of your house, but for the roof. The roof frame is the set of beams and elements that support the entire roof covering (sheets, tiles, etc.). It's the invisible load-bearing structure that gives your roof its shape.

A gutter is like a small channel or trough installed along the edges of your roof. Its role is to collect all the rainwater that runs off the roof and direct it towards downspouts, to move it away from the house's foundations.

This is the part of your roof that extends beyond the walls of the house. Imagine the brim of a hat extending beyond your head: it protects your face. The roof overhang does the same for the walls and openings of your house.

The ridge is the highest line of your roof, where the two slopes (the sloped sides) meet. It's like the 'spine' of the roof. It's often covered by a special piece (ridge tile or folded sheet metal) to ensure finishing and waterproofing.

Purlins are horizontal beams that are part of the roof frame. They are laid parallel to each other, and it is directly onto them that the roof covering (your sheets, for example) is fixed. They transfer the weight of the roof to the main elements of the roof frame.

This is a very popular type of roof covering, especially in our countries. These are large sheets of metal (often galvanized steel) that are corrugated or profiled into a 'trough' shape to make them more resistant and facilitate water drainage. They directly protect your house from the elements.

When your roof is flat (an accessible or non-accessible concrete 'slab'), waterproofing is the special layer applied to it to prevent any drop of water from seeping in. It's like a protective membrane that makes the roof completely impermeable to rain.