Filters:  #   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z   All

Rafter One of the supports of a roof, running from the ridge to a wallhead in a gabled roof, and from the ridges to the wallhead in a hipped roof. The principal rafters are the sloping members at the outer edges of the roof trusses. They support horizontal members known as purlins, which in turn provide support for the common rafters. The sarking or battens to which the roof-covering is applied are fastened to the common rafters.  Related Words A-frame; Batten; Gable, gabled; Hip (hipped) roof Rainwater goods A generic name for all the components of a rainwater disposal system - gutters, hoppers, swan-necks, downpipes, drainpipe shoes, and gullies, and their fittings. Related Words Down pipe; Drainpipe shoe; Gully; Gutter ; Hopper head; Internal downpipe Reconstituted stone A building block made of fragments of ground-up natural stone, held together with cement. In some cases only the outer face of the block is made in this way, the remainder being concrete.   Reinforced concrete See Concrete Related Words Concrete Render A continuous coating applied to masonry, brickwork or blockwork, either for protection, or for cosmetic reasons. The commonest types of render are smooth (sometimes marked to resemble stone), harling and drydash. All three types can be made with lime or cement as a binding material. Generally speaking lime renders are to be preferred to cement ones, as the latter can damage the underlying material. Related Words Blockwork; Brick; Cement, cementitious; Dry dash; Harl, Harling; Lime mortar, render, limewashing; Masonry Retaining wall A wall built to hold back earth, either to secure a raised site, or to prevent material falling on to a site from above.   Reveals The sides of a window or door opening   Rhone A semicircular-section gutter running along the edge of a roof, used to collect rainwater. Connected to downpipes to convey the water to ground level. Related Words Down pipe; Gutter Ridge, ridging The line at which two roof-slopes (skews) meet at the highest point. Ridging is the material used to cover a ridge, though some sloping ridges have no cover. Ridging may be made of lead, aluminium, zinc, cast-iron, terra-cotta, fireclay, or stone. Sometimes ornamental details are incorporated in ridging material.  Related Words Aluminium; Cast iron work; Fireclay; Lead; Skew, skewput; Terra cotta; Zinc Rising main Main cold-water pipe rising up through a building to a water tank   Rock-faced See bull-nosed Related Words Bullnosed Romanesque A style of architecture characterised by the use of round arches for window and doorheads, and for vaults. Early Romanesque buildings date from the 12th and early 13th centuries, and the style was revived in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Related Words Arch Roofer A building trade term for a person or firm specialising in roof repairs and construction.   Rose window A circular window with divisions radiating from the centre. In Scotland commonly a feature associated with United Presbyterian churches. See also wheel window. Related Words Wheel window Rosemary tiles Small red or pink clay tiles used for roofing. They have projections on one edge which can be hung on battens fastened to the rafters. Sometimes referred to as plain tiles. Related Words Batten; Rafter Round, in the Used of sculpture in which the subject is carved as a fully solid object, not attached at the rear to a background.   Rubble, ruble A term used to describe all masonry which is not finely-jointed and laid in regular courses (Ashlar). Commonly encountered types of rubble are coursed, random, and snecked. In coursed and snecked rubble the stones are dressed square, and in random rubble the stones are more irregular, the spaces between them being filled with small stones known as pinnings. In Caithness and Orkney the local flagstone splits easily into slabs, and walls are frequently built up from such slabs, a technique known as flagstone rubble. In drystone rubble there is no mortar in the joints. Even where a wall is faced with dressed stone, the interior face is frequently built of random rubble. Related Words Ashlar; Course, coursed; Masonry; Pinnings Rustication A term used in classical architecture to describe the emphasis of regular masonry by forming the edges of individual stones. In 18th century buildings the quoins are frequently emphasised by chamfering. The lower parts of classical buildings often have the horizontal joints channelled. There are numerous other ways of applying rustication, too complex to mention here. Related Words Chamfer; Classical; Quoins Rybat A stone forming part of the side of a window or door opening.