Report glossary

The words in your inspection report, explained

A word in your report you do not understand? One page per word: what it is, whether it is serious, what it costs in Quebec and what to ask the inspector. Each page also gives the French word used in Quebec reports. Updated .

A

  • Air exchanger

    An appliance that exhausts stale, humid air from the house and brings in fresh air, recovering part of the heat from the outgoing air along the way.

  • Asphalt shingles

    The most common roof covering in Quebec: sheets of asphalt topped with mineral granules, laid in overlapping rows on a sloped roof.

  • Attic

    The space between the top-floor ceiling and the roof, which holds the insulation, the ventilation and the framing that carries the roof.

B

  • Backwater valve

    A valve on the home’s sewer line that lets wastewater out but closes when the street sewer backs up, to keep the basement from flooding.

C

  • Carbon monoxide alarm

    A device that sounds when it detects carbon monoxide, an odourless, colourless gas produced by fuel-burning appliances and by engines.

  • Caulking

    A flexible sealant joint (silicone, polyurethane) between two materials, around windows, doors, vent outlets or the shower, that keeps water and air out.

  • Chimney liner

    A pipe, often stainless steel, set inside a masonry chimney to carry smoke or exhaust gases to the top and protect the brick.

  • Concrete slab

    A concrete floor poured on the ground, in the basement or the garage, inside the foundation walls.

D

  • Downspout

    The vertical pipe that carries water from the roof gutters down to the ground, where it should be discharged away from the foundation.

E

  • Efflorescence

    A white, powdery deposit of mineral salts on concrete, brick or mortar, left behind by water that moved through the material and evaporated.

  • Elastomeric roof membrane

    The waterproof covering of a flat roof, made of modified bitumen laid in two layers, common on plexes and townhouses in Quebec.

F

  • Failed window seal

    A double or triple-glazed window whose airtight seal has failed: humid air gets between the panes and leaves a haze that cannot be wiped off.

  • Flashing

    A strip of metal or membrane installed where parts of a building meet (chimney, roof and wall, tops of windows) to shed water outward.

  • Floor joist

    A wooden member set on edge, in a row with others, that carries a floor and passes its weight to the walls and beams.

  • Foundation crack

    An opening in the concrete foundation wall. Often thin and vertical, from the concrete shrinking as it cures; sometimes the sign of the building moving.

G

  • GFCI outlet

    An outlet with TEST and RESET buttons that cuts the power in a fraction of a second when it detects current leaking, to prevent electrocution near water.

  • Grounding

    The link between the home’s electrical system and the earth, which gives fault current a safe path and lets the breaker trip.

  • Guardrail

    A barrier along a balcony, mezzanine, landing or open stair that keeps people from falling over the edge.

I

  • Ice dam

    A ridge of ice that forms along the edge of a roof in winter and holds back meltwater, which can then back up under the shingles and get into the house.

J

  • Junction box

    A metal or plastic box, closed by a cover, that encloses the splices between electrical wires to contain a spark or overheating.

L

  • Lintel

    A horizontal piece, often a steel angle, that carries the brick above a window or a door.

M

  • Mortar joints

    The mortar between the bricks or stones of a wall. It wears out before the brick and is redone by repointing: the old mortar is removed near the surface and replaced.

N

  • Negative grading

    Ground that slopes toward the house instead of away from it, so rain and snowmelt run toward the foundation instead of draining away.

P

  • Parging

    A thin coat of cement mortar applied to the above-ground part of a concrete foundation, to protect it and give it an even finish.

  • Plumbing vent

    A pipe tied to the home’s drains that exits through the roof: it lets air into the piping so water drains well, and sends sewer gas outside.

R

  • Rim joist

    The wooden member that closes off the ends of the floor joists all around the house, sitting on top of the foundation. In the basement, you see it just above the concrete wall.

S

  • Service mast

    A metal pipe fastened to the wall or running through the roof that receives the wires from the pole and carries them to the meter, then to the electrical panel.

V

  • Vapour barrier

    A membrane, usually a polyethylene sheet, installed on the warm side of the insulation to keep household moisture out of the walls and attic, where it would condense in winter.

W

  • Weep holes

    Small openings at the bottom of a brick wall, and above windows and doors, that let water that got behind the brick drain out.

  • Window well

    A metal or plastic enclosure around a basement window set below ground level, which holds back the soil and lets light in.