BPC Commercial Builder (Unlimited) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Work Breakdown Structure

A hierarchical decomposition of the total project scope into manageable deliverable packages. Each estimate line item maps to one WBS code so costs roll up without duplication.

Total Float

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying project completion. Calculated as late start minus early start, or late finish minus early finish.

Loaded Labor Rate

The base hourly wage multiplied by one plus the burden rate. Burden includes payroll taxes, workers' compensation, insurance, and fringe benefits.

Unit-Price Contract

A contract paying a fixed price per unit of measured work. The owner bears quantity risk while the contractor bears unit-cost risk.

Builder's Risk Insurance

Coverage for the structure under construction, materials in transit and storage, and related soft costs from a covered loss. It excludes employee injury and third-party liability.

Retainage

A percentage withheld from each progress payment until substantial completion. It protects the owner against liens and defective work and is commonly five to ten percent.

Soil Swell Factor

The percentage increase in volume when bank soil is excavated and loosened. Loose volume equals bank volume multiplied by one plus the swell factor.

Competent Person

An individual capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and authorized to take prompt corrective action. Required for daily excavation inspections under OSHA.

Allowable Bearing Pressure

The maximum soil pressure a foundation may impose, set by geotechnical report. Footing area must be large enough that service load divided by area stays below it.

Water-Cement Ratio

The ratio of water weight to cementitious material weight in a mix. Lower ratios increase strength and durability; it is the primary mix design control.

Slip-Critical Connection

A bolted steel connection designed to prevent slip at service loads. It requires pretensioned high-strength bolts and faying surfaces prepared to a specified slip coefficient.

Board Foot

A lumber volume unit equal to one square foot of one-inch-thick stock. Computed as nominal thickness times nominal width times length in feet, divided by twelve.

Panel Span Rating

A sheathing label showing maximum support spacing in inches, roof first then floor. A 24/16 rating allows twenty-four inches on roof and sixteen on floor.

Mill Certificate

A steel mill's certified report of chemical and mechanical properties for a heat of steel. It documents yield strength and is required for code compliance.

Vapor Retarder Class

A rating of resistance to water vapor diffusion. Class I is under 0.1 perm, Class II is 0.1 to 1.0, and Class III is 1.0 to 10 perms.

Cricket

A small sloped roof diverting water around a chimney or wall projection. Required behind chimneys wider than thirty inches to prevent ponding and leakage.

U-Factor

The overall rate of heat transfer through an assembly, equal to one divided by total R-value. Lower values indicate better insulating performance.

Demand Factor

The ratio of maximum demand to total connected load. Used to size electrical services because not all connected loads operate simultaneously.

Fixture Unit

A dimensionless measure of probable drainage or supply demand for a plumbing fixture. Fixture units are summed and converted to peak flow for pipe sizing.

Voltage Drop

The reduction in voltage along a conductor due to resistance. Kept under three percent on branch circuits and five percent total feeder plus branch.

Fire-Rated Assembly

A listed wall or floor system with a stated hourly rating. Board type, layers, stud size and spacing, and fastener schedule must match the listing exactly.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient

The fraction of incident solar radiation admitted through glazing as heat. Lower values reduce cooling load in warm climates and are specified for south and west exposures.

Clear Opening Width

The unobstructed width through a door when open at ninety degrees. Egress doors typically require at least thirty-two inches of clear width.

Personal Fall Arrest System

A full-body harness, anchorage, and deceleration device limiting free fall to six feet. Anchorage must resist five thousand pounds per worker.

Safety Data Sheet

A standardized document listing a chemical's hazards, handling, and first-aid measures. It must be accessible to workers under hazard communication rules.

Certificate of Occupancy

An official document issued after final inspections confirm the building complies with approved plans and codes. It authorizes occupancy and use of the structure.

Maximum Price Contract

A cost-plus agreement with a guaranteed maximum price. The contractor absorbs costs above the cap, and savings below it are shared per a stated formula.

Escalation

An allowance for price increases between the estimate basis date and construction. Computed by compounding an annual rate over the elapsed months.

Modular Brick

A brick sized to produce a nominal four by two and two-thirds by eight inch module with three-eighths inch mortar joints. About six and three-quarter bricks cover one square foot of wall.

Absolute Volume Method

A concrete mix design procedure summing the volumes of cement, water, air, and aggregates to one cubic yard. It yields proportions for a target water-cement ratio.

Drainage Plane

The weather-resistive surface behind cladding that sheds water to the exterior. It requires through-wall flashing and weep holes at its base.

Equal Friction Method

A duct sizing technique assigning the same pressure drop per unit length to each duct section. Sizes are read from friction charts at a target rate per hundred feet.