ARCH—the curved or pointed top on a door or open entryway.
ATRIUM—an inner courtyard of a house or building that is open to the sky or covered by a skylight.
BALCONY—platform projecting from a wall, enclosed by a railing or balustrade, supported on brackets or cantilevered outward.
BALUSTER—short post or pillar in a series that supports a rail, thus forming a balustrade. May be curved or straight.
BAY and BOW WINDOWS—windows that project out from the front or side of a house.
BEAD MOLDING—small, cylindrical molding enriched with ornaments resembling a string of beads.
BONUS ROOM—returns house plans with any space that can be finished after construction of a house is completed. Most often located over a garage or in an unfinished daylight basement, and consequently, not included in the total square footage listed on the house plan.
BRACKET—small supporting piece of wood or stone, designed to bear a projected weight, such as a window. Often in the shape of scrolls or other decorative forms.
BREEZEWAY—returns house plans with a covered portion of open space that connects a detached garage to the main house.
BUTLER'S PANTRY—returns house plans with a space that is located between the kitchen and dining room.
CANTILEVER—horizontal projection from a building, such as a step, balcony, beam, or canopy, that is without external bracing and appears to be self-supporting.
CASEMENT WINDOW—metal or wooden window that opens outward or inward.
CERAMIC TILE—any of a wide range of sturdy floor and wall tiles made from fired clay and set with grout.
CHAIR-RAIL MOLDING—wooden molding placed along the lower part of the wall to prevent chairs, when pushed back, from damaging the wall.
CLAPBOARD—overlapping horizontal boards that cover the timber-framed wall of a house.
COVERED FRONT PORCH—returns house plans with porches big enough to accommodate two or more chairs.
COVE MOLDING—large concave molding produced by the sloped or arched junction of a wall and ceiling. Popular accent for dramatic living rooms.
DAYLIGHT BASEMENT—returns house plans with a full or partial basement well-suited for sloping lots.
DORMER WINDOW—window placed vertically in a sloping roof that has a tiny roof of its own.
EAVES—under part of a sloping roof that hangs over a wall.
EXERCISE ROOM—returns house plans with a space for exercise equipment.
FAMILY ROOM—returns house plans with a casual living space, usually adjacent to the kitchen and nook where most family activities take place.
FASCIA—horizontal piece (such as a board) covering the joint between the top of a wall and the projecting eaves; also called fascia board.
FOYER—entrance hall of a home.
FRENCH DOOR—tall casement window that reaches to the floor and opens like a door. A popular accent that brings more light into a house.
GABLE—triangular upper portion of a wall at the end of a pitched roof. Typically has straight sides, but there are many variations.
GAMBREL ROOF—roof with one low, steep slope and an upper, less-steep one on each of its two sides, giving the look of a traditional American hay barn.
GREAT ROOM—returns house plans with a large room in an average-size home that accommodates a wide variety of functions. Typically handles the functions of the living and/or family room with casual dining spaces and entertainment centers, providing visibility to the kitchen areas.
HIPPED ROOF—roof with sloped, instead of vertical, ends.
MEDIA ROOM—returns house plans with a space for all high-tech gadgets, big-screen TV, home theater, and video games. Space can be acoustically designed to accommodate a movie theater-like sound system.
NOOK/BREAKFAST—returns house plans with a space adjacent to the kitchen for casual dining and identified only when it is in addition to a formal dining room.
SKYLIGHT—a window set into a roof and ceiling to provide extra lighting. Sizes, shapes, and placement vary widely.
SOFFIT—the underside of any architectural element (for example, a building overhang or staircase). In modern homes, the wood or metal screening used to cover such areas.
STUDS—smaller upright beams in a house, to which drywall panels, or laths for plaster, are attached.
TRIM—the framing or edging of openings and other features on the facade of a building or indoors. Trim is usually a different color or material than the adjacent wall.
TRUSS—a number of wood planks framed together to bridge a space, such as a roof truss.
WALK-IN CLOSET—returns house plans with a bedroom closet that you can walk into.
WALK-IN PANTRY—returns house plans with a generous storage area either in, or adjacent to, the kitchen. Unlike a cabinet attached to the others in the kitchen, a walk-in pantry can also include a baking area and provide an abundance of storage space.