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W

Wainscot

Wood panelling or boarding on the lower part of an internal wall.

Wall Plate

Timber placed at the eaves of a roof, to take the weight of the roof timbers.

Wall Tie

Metal connector built into masonry walls to provide a structural link between the inner and outer skins.

Water Search

Also known as a Drainage Search. This is carried out with the local water authority and confirms the location of the water pipes, whether the property is connected to mains drainage, if not where the nearest mains drainage is located.

Weatherboarding

Overlapping timber boards cladding the outside of a building.

Weatherstruck Joint

Pointing in brickwork finished with a sloping, roof-like, surface where the lower edge is recessed.

Weighting factor

The weighting factor shows the contribution made by each category to the total performance recognised and rewarded by the Code. The total available contribution from all the categories is expressed as 100 per cent. Raw credit scores for environmental performance are multiplied by the weighting factor assigned to each Category resulting in an overall points score which can then be summed to result in an overall rating

Wet rot

Decay of timber due to wet or damp conditions. Not to be confused with the more serious Dry Rot.

Wet trades

Any trades which require a large amount of water, for example, plastering and rendering.

Will

A Will is a legal document that allows a person to make decisions on how his or her estate will be managed and distributed after his or her death. As a homeowner, it is advisable to make a will – or alter an existing one. Your solicitor can advise you.

Winder

Where the treads of a staircase are wider towards one end in order to accommodate a corner without the use of a landing.

WNF (Working Neighbourhood Fund)

The WNF is a dedicated fund to support councils and communities in developing more concentrated, concerted, community-led approaches to getting people in the most deprived areas of England back to work

Woodworm

Colloquial term for beetle infestation: usually intended to mean Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium Punctatum): by far the most frequently encountered insect attack in structural and joinery timbers.

Working Neighbourhood Fund

See WNF