Bundle
1. Standard sized package of roof shingles, approximately 20.
2. Stack of plywood held together with metal bands.
3. Two pieces of wallboard, face to face, with a piece of paper tape along each short end to unite them.
4. Group of any items bound together.

Bundle of Rights
Various interests or rights an owner has in a property.

Bungalow
A one-story house or cottage, which often has either an open or enclosed front porch.

Bunker
Reinforced structure that is partly underground. Alternately, a bin to hold bulk material.

Burl
Tree section that has a swirled grain.

Burlap
Coarse fabric made of hemp or jute.

Burn-off
Reducing prepaid items in a debt agreement.

Burned Brick Pavers
Outdoor brick made from clay or shale.

Burner
Found in many heating devices, burners meter and mix a fuel with air to burn efficiently.

Burning the Joint
The process of tooling mortar after it has hardened rubs metal off of the tool, which leaves dark marks on the mortar.

Burr
Portable power mill for cutting metal. Alternately, a rough piece remaining on a cut edge.

Buss
Metal bar to which wires coming into the house are attached and from which circuits are routed; an electrical conductor for carrying large currents. Buss is also a common brand of fuse.

Bus Duct
Electrical conductors which is attached in a sheet metal enclosure and which routes high current capacity through an area

Busbar
Metal bar to which wires coming into the house are attached and from which circuits are routed; an electrical conductor for carrying large currents. Buss is a common brand of fuse.

Bush Hammer
Devices used to chip and roughen a cured concrete surface, by impacting against it, to prepare for the next concrete pour. Every pour requires a rough surface to bond to the cured concrete.

Bushing
Hollow, threaded cylinder which is used to link larger and smaller pipes together by increasing an outside diameter or decreasing an inside diameter, for a better fit.

Busway
Metal enclosure for factor-installed electrical conductors that are used for service and feeder equipment and may be either insulated or not insulated.

Busway Plug
Device that allows a power takeoff from a plug-in busway.

Busway, Plug-in
Industrial plant busway where high current feeder circuits with low voltage drop are needed to supply numerous power takeoff points.

Butane
Flammable gas.

Butcher Block
Pieces or strips of hardwood laminated together.

Butt
1. Two boards meeting in a way in which the ends touch in a continuous line.
2. Short roofing shingle.
3. Thicker end of a roofing shingle.
4. A larger barrel.
5. The large end of a handle.

Butter
1. The application of joint compound, also known as mud, in a series of thin coats, to drywall panels.
2. Application of a layer of weld metal alloy to metal surfaces before the joint is welded so that the alloy in the weld zone is not diluted by the base metal being welded.
3. Applying mortar to brick or block prior to seeing it in position.

Butterfly Bolt
Also referred to as a toggle bolt, this fastener has a hinged, collapsible, threaded nut into which a long machine screw or bolt is threaded. Used with plaster or sheetrock, the nut, with the bolt attached, is pressed through the drilled hole. Once through the wall, the wings on the nut expand, by means of a spring, to a dimension large than the hole. The bolt is tightened which draws the nut up against the back surface of the wall.

Butterfly Roof
Roof formed by two gables, dipping in the center, to resemble a butterfly's wings.

Butterfly Valve
Valve made of a square, rectangular, or round disc attached to a shaft inside a body of the same shape. 90 degree rotation of the shaft moves the valve from open to fully closed.

Buttering
1. The application of joint compound, also known as mud, in a series of thin coats, to drywall panels.
2. Application of a layer of weld metal alloy to metal surfaces before the joint is welded so that the alloy in the weld zone is not diluted by the base metal being welded.
3. Applying mortar to brick or block prior to seeing it in position.

Butt Hinge
Hinge with two rectangular metal plates with screw holes joined together by a pin or rod.

Butt Joint
The joint that forms from uniting of two surfaces of a material without an overlap.

Buttress
External reinforcement for a wall.

Butts
Butt hinge. A hinge with two rectangular metal plates with screw holes joined together by a pin or rod.

Butt Weld
Welding together of two pieces of metal without any overlap.

Butyl Rubber
Sealant derived from polybutene together with resins, oils and solvents. It can accommodate movement of up to ten percent of the joint width for construction use.

Buzz Saw
Circular saw.

Buy-back
Agreement to sell real estate with a pre-arranged agreement to reverse the deal at an established price.

Buydown Mortgage
Home loan where the lender receives a premium payment and, in return, reduces the interest rate during the early years of a mortgage.

Buyer's Agent
The agent who represents the buyer in a purchase as either a single agent or as an exclusive buyer's broker.

Buyer's Broker
The real estate broker who represents only the buyer's interests in a transaction and whose commission is paid by either the buyer or through the seller or listing broker, at closing.

Buyer's Market
A real estate market in which the buyers have the advantage over the builder due to slow sales.

Buyers Resource Real Estate
National buyer's brokerage company with offices in 13 states. For information and referrals, call (800) 359-4092.

Buyers Home Finding Network
National referral service for buyers' brokers only. Information and referrals, (800) 500-3569.

Buying Power
Financial ability of a business or individual to afford a purchase or the worth of the dollar in real terms considering inflation.

Buying Power Index (BPI)
Average of income, retail revenue and population of a locality as a percentage of the entire United States, which reflects the economic status of that region.

Buy-out Estimate
Estimated price at which one partner in a partnership can buy out another partner. Market comparisons, appraisals or multi-year projections of market appreciation can be used to develop a buy-out amount.

Buy-sell Agreement
Agreement where the partners consent to purchase the interest of those leaving the partnership and those leaving consent to sell their interests to the other partners. Important in the event of death or disability of one or more partners, as well as other occurrences.

BX Cable
Rigid, flexible metal conduit with a wire bundle, consisting of individually insulated conductors covered by a flexible spiral-wound layer of metal or tough paper. Also referred to as metal clad (MC).

Bylaws
Homeowners Association rules and regulations governing activities in certain types of home communities, condominiums and townhouses.

Bypass
Line, either pipe or electrical wire, that permits a fluid or current to flow around an object.

Bypass Door
Sliding door, often used in closets, installed so that one door passes in front of the other door.