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M
Main Vent
(or Stack): Principal vent to which branch vents
may be connected. See Stack.
Male IPS:
Pipe connection where the threads are on the outside
of the fitting. See MIP.
Male Threads:
See MIP.
Mansard
Roof: A roof which rises by inclined planes from
all four sides of a building. The sloping roofs on all four
sides have two
pitches, the lower
pitch usually very steep and the upper pitch less steep.
Mantel:
The shelf above a fireplace. Also used in referring
to the decorative trim around a fireplace opening.
Manufactured
Wood: A wood product such as a truss, beam, Glue
Lam or joist which is manufactured out of smaller wood
pieces and glued
or mechanically fastened to form a larger piece. Often used
to create a stronger member which may use less
wood. See Oriented
Strand Board.
Manufacturers
Specifications: The written installation and/or
maintenance instructions which are developed by the manufacturer
of a product and
which may have to be followed in order to maintain the product
warrantee.
Mason's
Hammer (Bricklayer's Hammer): Tool shaped like
a chisel to trim brick or stone.
Masonry:
Stone, brick, concrete, hollow-tile, concrete
block, gypsum block, or other similar building units or
materials or a
combination of
the same, bonded together with mortar to form a wall, pier,
buttress, or similar mass.
Masonry
Primer: An asphalt-based primer used to prepare
masonry surfaces for bonding with other asphalt products.
Mastic:
Heavy-consistency compound that may remain adhesive
and pliable with age. Is typically a waterproof compound
applied
to exterior walls
and roof surfaces.
Matched
Lumber: Lumber that is dressed and shaped on one
edge in a grooved pattern and on the other in a tongued
pattern.
Maximum
Occupancy Load: The maximum number of people permitted
in a room. It is measured per foot for each width of exit
door. The maximum
is 50 per foot of exit.
Mechanics
Lien: A lien on real property, created by statue
in many years, in favor of persons supplying labor or materials
for a
building or structure
for the value of labor or materials supplied by them. In
some jurisdictions, a mechanics lien also exists for
the value of professional
services. Clear title to the property cannot be obtained
until the claim for the labor, materials, or
professional services
is settled. Timely filing is essential to support the encumbrance,
and prescribed filing dates vary by
jurisdiction.
Melt Point:
The temperature at which solid asphalt becomes
a liquid.
Membrane:
A generic term relating to a variety of sheet
goods used for certain built-up roofing repairs and application.
Metal Edge:
Brake metal or metal extrusions which are secured
at the perimeter of the roof to form a weather-tight seal.
Metal Lath:
Sheets of metal that are slit and drawn out to
form openings. Used as a plaster base for walls and ceilings
and as
reinforcing over
other forms of plaster base.
Microlam:
A manufactured structural wood beam. It is constructed
of pressure and adhesive bonded wood strands of wood. They
have a higher strength
rating than solid saw lumber. Normally comes in l ½"
thickness' and 9 ½", 11 ½" and 14" widths.
Migration:
Spreading or creeping of a constituent of a compound
onto/into adjacent surfaces. See bleeding.
Mil Thickness:
Measurement used to determine thickness of a coating.
1 mil = .001 inch (1/1000).
Milar (Mylar):
Plastic, transparent copies of a blueprint.
Millwork:
Generally all building materials made of finished
wood and manufactured in millwork plants and planing mills
are
included under
the term "millwork." It includes such items as
inside and outside doors, window and doorframes, blinds,
porchwork, mantels,
panelwork, stairways, moldings, and interior trim. It normally
does not include flooring, ceiling, or siding.
Mineral
Spirits: A by-product of petroleum, clear in color,
used as a solvent for asphalt coatings.
Mineral
Stabilizers: Finely ground limestone, slate, traprock
or other inert materials added to asphalt coatings for durability
and
increased resistance
to fire and weathering.
Mineral-Surfaced
Roofing: Asphalt shingles and roll roofing that
are covered with granules.
Minispread:
A smaller variation of a widespread faucet with
separate spout and handles designed small enough to fit
4" center-
to-center faucet
holes.
MIP (Male
Iron Pipe): Standard threads that are on the outside
of a pipe or fitting.
Miter Joint:
The joint of two pieces at an angle that bisects
the joining angle. For example, the miter joint at the side
and head
casing at a door
opening is made at a 45° angle.
Mixing
Valve: A valve that mixes hot and cold water in
the valve to obtain a set temperature prior to delivery.
Mobile
Home Aluminum Roof Coating: Durable one-coat application
prolongs the life of mobile home roofs while reflecting
sun's
rays and providing
a decorative surface. Reduces energy costs.
Mock-Up
Testing: Controlled air, water and structural
performance testing of existing or new glazing systems.
Modified
Bitumen Roof: A roof covering that is typically
composed of a factory-fabricated composite sheet consisting
of a
copolymer-modified
bitumen, often reinforced with polyester and/or fiberglass,
and installed in one or more plies. The membrane
is commonly surfaced
with field-applied coatings, factory-applied granules or
metal foil. The roofing system may incorporate rigid
insulation.
Modulus:
Stress at a given strain. Also tensile strength
at a given elongation.
Moisture
Content of Wood: Weight of the water contained
in the wood, usually expressed as a percentage of the weight
of the
oven-dry wood.
Molding:
A wood strip having a coned or projecting surface
used for decorative purposes, e.g., door and window trim.
Monitor:
A large structure rising above the surrounding
roof planes, designed to give light and/or ventilation to
the building interior.
Monopost:
Adjustable metal column used to support a beam
or bearing point. Normally 11 gauge or Schedule 40 metal,
and
determined by the
structural engineer.
Mopping:
In roofing, a layer of hot bitumen mopped between
plies of roofing felt. Full mopping is the application of
bitumen by
mopping in such
a manner that the surface being mopped is entirely coated
with a reasonably uniform coating. Spot Mopping is
the procedure of
applying hot bitumen in a random fashion of small daubs,
as compared to full mopping. Sprinkle mopping is a
special application
of installing insulation to the decks. It is done by dipping
a roof mop into hot bitumen and sprinkling the
material onto the
deck. Strip Mopping is the application of bitumen in parallel
bands.
Mortar
Types: Type M is suitable for general use and
is recommended specifically for masonry below grade and
in contact with
earth, such as
foundations, retaining walls and walks. Type M is the strongest
type. Type S is suitable for general use and is
recommended where
high resistance to lateral forces is required. Type N is
suitable for general use in exposed masonry above
grade and is recommended
specifically for exterior walls subject to severe exposures.
Type O is recommended for load-bearing
walls of solid
units where the compressive stresses do not exceed 100 lbs.
per square inch and the masonry wall not be
subjected to freezing
and thawing in the presence of excessive moisture.
Mortgage:
Loan secured by land.
Mortgage
Broker: A broker who represents numerous lenders
and helps consumers find affordable mortgages; the broker
charges a fee only
if the consumer finds a loan.
Mortgage
Company: A company that borrows money from a bank,
lends it to consumers to buy homes, then sells the loans
to
investors.
Mortgage
Deed: Legal document establishing a loan on property.
Mortgage
Origination Fee: A charge for work involved in
preparing and servicing a mortgage application (usually
one percent of
the loan amount).
Mortgagee:
The lender who makes the mortgage loan.
Mortise:
A slot cut into a board, plank, or timber, usually
edgewise, to receive tenon of another board, plank, or timber
to form a
joint.
Mud Cracks:
Cracks developing from the normal shrinkage of
an emulsion coating when applied too heavily.
Mudsill:
A wood foundation member, usually a pressure treated
2x4 or 2x6, bolted to the foundation and on which other
framing
members can be
attached.
Mullion:
A vertical bar or divider in the frame between
windows, doors, or other openings that supports and holds
such items as
panels, glass,
sash, or sections of a curtain wall.
Muntins:
Horizontal or vertical bars that divide the sash
frame into smaller lights of glass. Muntins are smaller
in dimensions and
weight than mullions.
Muriatic
Acid: Commonly used as a brick cleaner after masonry
work is completed.
Mushroom:
An unacceptable occurrence when the top of a caisson
concrete pier spreads out and hardens to become wider than
the foundation
wall thickness.
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