Definition of Ventilation

Ventilation

Creates a positive flow of air that allows the house to "breathe" and helps prevent moisture build-up year-round.

Attic Ventilators

Screened openings in houses to allow for ventilation of an attic space.

Baffles

Device to help achieve a ventilation space between insulation and roof sheathing. It helps assure air flow from the eave vents in attics and cathedral ceilings.

HVAC

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Attic Access

An opening that is placed in the drywalled ceiling of a home providing access to the attic. Sometimes found in halls, closets or garages.

Creditor Proof Protection

The creditor proof status of such things as life insurance, non-registered life insurance investments, life insurance RRSPs and life insurance RRIFs make these attractive products for high net worth individuals, professionals and business owners who may have creditor concerns. Under most circumstances the creditor proof rules of the different provincial insurance acts take priority over the federal bankruptcy rules.
The provincial insurance acts protect life insurance products which have a family class beneficiary. Family class beneficiaries include the spouse, parent, child or grandchild of the life insured, except in Quebec, where creditor protection rules apply to spouse, ascendants and descendants of the insured. Investments sold by other financial institutions do not offer the same security should the holder go bankrupt. There are also circumstances under which the creditor proof protections do not hold for life insurance products. Federal bankruptcy law disallows the protection for any transfers made within one year of bankruptcy. In addition, should it be found that a person shifted money to an insurance company fund in bad faith for the specific purpose of avoiding creditors, these funds will not be creditor proof.

Group Life Insurance

This is a very common form of life insurance which is found in employee benefit plans and bank mortgage insurance. In employee benefit plans the form of this insurance is usually one year renewable term insurance. The cost of this coverage is based on the average age of everyone in the group. Therefore a group of young people would have inexpensive rates and an older group would have more expensive rates.
Some people rely on this kind of insurance as their primary coverage forgetting that group life insurance is a condition of employment with their employer. The coverage is not portable and cannot be taken with you if you change jobs. If you have a change in health, you may not qualify for new coverage at your new place of employment.
Bank mortgage insurance is also usually group insurance and you can tell this by virtue of the fact that you only receive a certificate of insurance, and not a complete policy. The only form in which bank mortgage insurance is sold is reducing term insurance, matching the declining mortgage balance. The only beneficiary that can be chosen for this kind of insurance is the bank. In both cases, employee benefit plan group insurance and bank mortgage insurance, the coverage is not guaranteed. This means that coverage can be cancelled by the insurance company underwriting that particular plan, if they are experiencing excessive claims.

Yearly Renewable Term Insurance

Sometimes, simply called YRT, this is a form of term life insurance that may be renewed annually without evidence of insurability to a stated age.

Paid-Up Additions

A type of insurance policy or annuity in which the owner receives dividends, typically increases the death.

Policy Year

Period between two policy anniversaries.

Gross Household Income

Gross household income is the total salary, wages, commissions and other assured income, before deductions, by all household members who are co-applicants for the mortgage.

Townhouse

One of a row of houses connected with common side walls.

Air Space

The area between insulation facing and interior of exterior wall coverings. Normally a 1" air gap.

Allowance

A sum of money set aside in the construction contract for items which have not been selected and specified in the construction contract. For example, selection of tile as a flooring may require an allowance for an underlayment material, or an electrical allowance which sets aside an amount of money to be spent on electrical fixtures.

Builder's Risk Insurance

Insurance coverage on a construction project during construction, including extended coverage that may be added for the contract for the customer's protections.

Building Code

A comprehensive set of laws that controls the construction or remodeling of a home or other structure.

Built-Up Roof

A roofing composed of three to five layers of asphalt felt laminated with coal tar, pitch, or asphalt. The top is finished with crushed slag or gravel. Generally used on flat or low-pitched roofs.

Central Air Conditioning

A system which uses ducts to distribute cooling and/or dehumidified air to more than one room or uses pipes to distribute chilled water to heat exchangers in more than one room, and which is not plugged into an electrical convenience outlet.

Crawlspace Foundation

The space between the ground and the first floor of a home, usually no higher than four feet.

Crawlspace Vent

An opening to allow the passage of air through the unexcavated area under a first floor. Ideally there should be at least two vents per crawlspace.

Eave Vent

Vent opening located in the soffit under the eaves of a house to allow the passage of air through the attic and out the roof vents.

Eaves

The projecting overhang at the lower edge of a roof.

Faced Insulation

insulation with an attached vapor retarder (kraft paper or foil-backed paper).

Fiber Glass Insulation

An energy-efficient glass fiber product manufactured by Owens Corning to ensure the best thermal and noise control performance available.

Forced Air Heating

A common form of heating with natural gas, propane, oil or electricity as a fuel. air is heated in the furnace and distributed through a set of metal ducts to various areas of the house.

Gable Roof

A roof that consists of two sloping planes that meet at the ridge or peak. The planes are supported at their ends by triangular, upward extensions of walls known as gables.

GFI -See Ground Fault Current Interrupter

Ground Fault Current Interrupter

An electrical Device used to prevent injury from contact with faulty electrical appliances and faulty wiring
electrical shocks. GFIs should not be confused with AFIs, the later are designed to prevent electrical fires. GFIs are required in new home bathrooms, kitchen, garage, out of doors and in other locations where one might be in contact with a grounded surface or body of water and an electrical appliance. Most GFI's are located in the receptacle itself or a curcuit breaker and can be identified by the presence of a 'test' and a 'reset' button.

Hip Roof

A pitched roof with sloping sides.

Insulation Density

Denser insulation products have more fibers per square inch and, therefore, give you greater insulating power through higher R-values.

aterial used to cover the interior framed areas of walls and ceilings

Metal Insulation Support

16" or 24" wire rod or crisscrossed wire to hold floor insulation in place.

Quarter Round

A small trim molding that has the cross section of a quarter circle.

Reflective Insulation System

Reflective insulation System is formed by a combination of low emittance surfaces and air spaces that provide reflective cavities, which have low levels of radiant energy transmission.

Roof Valley

The "V" created where two sloping roofs meet.

Roof Vent

A louver or small dome mounted near the ridge of the roof to allow the passage of air through the attic.

Shed Roof

A roof that pitches up further on one side than the other. Shed roofs are also used over some porches.

Un-faced Insulation

insulation with no attached vapor retarder.

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