Balance
Making something equal. The amount remaining, as in a checkbook.

Balance Sheet
Statement of financial condition, which lists assets, liabilities and stockholder's equity. The net worth of an individual is assets minus liabilities.

Balancing by Dampers
Use of air dampers to regulate the flow within each part of an HVAC system. Air dampers are movable vanes that control air flow.

Balancing by Static Pressure
HVAC system air flow balance by way of properly sizing the ducts.

Balancing Ell
Control of water flow through a heat distribution unit using an elbow plumbing fitting.

Balancing Subgrade
Last grading of a subgrade prior to the final grading.

Balancing the Books
Reconciling records to show agreement such as in a bank statement agreeing with the checkbook.

Balancing Valve
Hot water heater valve that controls water flow and balances heat distribution. Hot and cold water usually come from a common source and is then distributed to many different locations. Balancing valves fine tune the flow distribution to make up for variables that might have been unknown at the initial design of the system. Balance valves show the degree to which they are open to permit the proper flow.

Balcony
Open air platform extending outward from a premises and enclosed by a railing.

Ball and Socket Joint
The type of joint usually used in a joystick allows free movement, in any angular direction, within the limits of the socket. This joint has a partial sphere on the end of a shaft, which moves within a closely fitting spherical socket.

Ballast
1. Fluorescent lamp transformer which controls the starting and operating current by regulating current flow to the pins or sockets on the tube.
2. Stone or gravel, which provides drainage and stability, as a base for concrete.
3. Stabilizing weight added to ships.

Ballast Transformer
Transformer that supplies voltage to the light tubes in a fluorescent light to provide a high starting voltage and then limiting the current.

Ball Bearing
A low-friction bearing type, with rotating parts, that has an inner and an outer race which are separated by steel spheres or balls, which give it its name.

Ball Check Valve
Valve that uses a ball to seal against a seat to stop flow in one direction to make it a non-return valve.

Ball cock Assembly
Mechanism in toilet tank that controls and regulates water levels by use of a ball shaped float, which will rise with the liquid, causing the valve to close by lifting a lever.

Ball Joint
The sphere shaped end of this flexible plumbing join rests in a socket.

Ball Mill
A paint mixing device consisting of a rotating drum containing metal balls.

Ball Peen Hammer
Hammer consisting of one rounded end and one flat end on the hammer head and is used mostly for metal work.

Ball Valve
Regulates or stops the flow in a fluid system.

Balloon Framing
One piece studs extending from the foundation to the roof and forming the walls of both stories in a two-story structure.

Balloon Frame Construction
Type of framing used in two-story homes where one-piece studs extend from the foundation to the roof and form the walls of both stories.

Balloon Loan
A mortgage in which the monthly payment is not intended to repay the entire loan. The final payment is a large lump sum of the remaining principal.

Balloon Payment
The final lump sum payment of a balloon loan.

Balloon Note Mortgage
A loan that is only partial amortized and requiring a lump sum repayment at maturity.

Balsa
Strong, lightweight wood.

Baluster
The main support for the handrails along a stairway or around a balcony is formed by these small spindle or vertical pieces.

Balustrade
Railing on a porch or stairway that is held up by a set of posts.

Bamboo
Hollow shafts of large tropical grasses often used for building or making furniture.

Band Clamp
Band that may be made of a variety of materials is flexible and has a cinching device used to secure objects.

Band Saw
Continuous, flexible bladed power saw that revolves around two wheels and is able to make straight and curved cuts by holding the item against the moving blade and maneuvering it as required to make the desired contour.

Bands of Color
Defective and uneven covering of a painted surface.

Banister
Taken from the word baluster, slender upright rails which guard the side of a staircase and support the handrail.

Banjo
Automatic taping tool that holds both joint tape and compound together so that, as the tape is withdrawn, it is coated with the compound. The blade at the tape exit point cuts the tape where the end of the joint is reached. A wet banjo holds both the tape and compound in the same compartment. The dry banjo holds the tape and compound in separate compartments. Both types are faster and easier than manual application but the dry banjo allows the unused tape to be saved for another application.

Bank
Financial institution servicing savings and checking accounts, placing loans and dealing with negotiable instruments. Three major types of banks are commercial, savings and savings and loan associations. All are subject to federal and local regulations.

Bank Letter
Provided by a bank to another party to document the availability of funds by an individual or business.

Bank Plug
Used to indicate to the machine operator the final grading level that is desired. 2 x 4 wood wedges are driven into the ground, allowing about 2 feet of the wedge showing and then a string is attached and stretched between these plugs, setting the grad.

Bank Statement
Monthly bank report that summarizes financial transactions.

Banker
Mason's bench that is used to lay out and shape arches.

Bankrupt
Financial insolvency.

Bankruptcy
A legal procedure by which an insolvent debtor can be relieved of repayment of certain obligations. Bankruptcies remain on a credit rating for 7 to 10 years. This may become a problem in obtaining financing.

Bar
Masonry term for rebar, which is a metal rod with a raised surface, and come in various lengths and diameters. When used with concrete blocks, they are installed vertically in the cores of the block, which are then filled with concrete. This enables concrete block construction, which is cheaper, to be as strong as pure concrete.

Bar Bending Table
Work table that is designed with holders to facilitate the bending of rebar.

Bar Chair
Metal device, used to keep the rebar elevated in the center instead of resting at the bottom of the pour. May often be bent from rebar itself.

Bar Chart
Graph that may be used to help a contractor compute how much time and labor will be needed for particular jobs by using horizontal or vertical bars to show the duration of each activity by the length of its bar.

Bar Clamp
Designed for spanning wide work, it has a metal pipe with screw clamps and an adjustable stop mounted on the pipe. The clamping mechanism is positioned long the length of the bar to fit the appropriate size of the work with the length of the bar. Fine adjustments and clamping pressures are made by the screw threads on the clamp.

Bar Doors
Swinging doors, less than the full height of the doorway, possibly louvered.

Bar Graph
Graph, which uses bars to show the rate of change instead of another quantity, such as time, by the length of bars representing quantity or value. Useful to visualize how closely actual activity matches original goals.

Bar Hanger
Designed to support an electrical box, it spans between joists and suspend the box between structural members.

Barber Chair
Split in a tree trunk which happens when the felling cut is not properly made.

Bare Conductor
An uninsulated electrical conductor.

Bare Electrode
Welding electrode with no flux coating.

Bargain
A thing of good value or an attractive deal.

Bargain Sale
Property sold for less than market value.

Bargain and Sales Deed
The most widely used type of real estate deed, this makes the transfer of property from one individual to another for a consideration in the form of a sale.

Barge Board
Fascia installed along the roof rake from the horizontal fascia to the roof peak and, seemingly, forming the outermost exposed rafter. The decorative slanting boards on the gable end of the roof. On a roof overhang, they are used to cover the exposed ends of the framing member. They vary in ornamental appearance.

Barge Course
Coping for a wall, formed by a course of masonry units laid on edge along the top of that wall.

Barge Rafter
Also referred to as a fly rafter, it is the rafter at the gable end that's attached to the roof sheathing above and the lookout blocks, which are behind the rafter.

Barites
Paint pigment material, barium sulfate is a material opaque to X-rays.

Bark
Outer coating on a tree.

Barn
Enclosed agricultural building.

Barrel Bolt
Door lock that consists of a cylindrical sliding bolt.

Barricade
Barrier used to keep people away from areas that may be dangerous.

Barrier
Something that slows or stops movement from one place to another.

Bartizan
Small turret hanging over a wall or tower.

Barytes
Paint pigment material, barium sulfate is a material opaque to X-rays.

Barter
Exchange of goods or property in which no cash is paid.