Supporting Reference

Glossary of Housing Terms for the ExAC

CMHC's Glossary of Housing Terms is the A to Z of Canadian residential vocabulary, covering more than a thousand entries from adfreezing to wood-frame trusses in plain, bilingual definitions. It isn't named on Examitect's ExAC study plan, but it works as the vocabulary lookup you reach for every time Part 9 of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC), Canadian Wood-Frame House Construction (CWFHC), or a housing assembly question uses a term you can't quickly define.

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Glossary of Housing Terms overview

Glossary of Housing Terms at a glance

Full titleGlossary of Housing Terms, The A to Z of Housing Terms
PublisherCanada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
Current editionRevised 1997, 2001 and 2013, with reprints through 2013. Catalogue NH15-159/2001E. ISBN 0-660-18603-9.
Earlier edition1982, titled A Glossary of House-Building and Site-Development Terms
LanguagesEnglish with French equivalents per entry. French companion: Glossaire des termes d'habitation, catalogue 61949.
Primary audienceHousing-industry professionals, students in construction-related programs, anyone working with Canadian residential construction
ExAC relevanceNot named on Examitect's ExAC study plan. Cross-cutting vocabulary reference for Section 2 (NBC Part 9) and Section 3 (Building Science, Assemblies).
Where to accessCMHC publications channel. Often available as a free PDF download from CMHC.

Why the Glossary matters for the ExAC

The Glossary of Housing Terms is CMHC's illustrated dictionary of Canadian residential vocabulary, first published in 1982 and substantially updated in 2001 with more than 300 new definitions. It covers everything from foundation adfreezing to flexible housing design, with each English entry showing the French equivalent in parentheses and cross-references to topic clusters for vocabulary that travels in groups.

It isn't listed against any specific category on Examitect's ExAC study plan. That's the nature of a glossary. It earns its place on your desk in three situations: Part 9 wording throws you; you're studying CWFHC (which shares its illustrations); or your daily practice is in Part 3 commercial work and the residential vocabulary feels unfamiliar.

Think of it as the answer key for vocabulary. One sentence per entry, cross-references to topic clusters, and bilingual coverage for both official Canadian languages.

How to use the Glossary for the ExAC

  • Keep the Glossary PDF open in a second window while you read NBC Part 9, CWFHC, or any CMHC housing publication.
  • Start with the topic clusters: Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and cooling, Ventilation, Window, Lumber, Insulation, and Soil terms.
  • Break compound terms apart. "Braced wall panel" becomes three lookups: braced, wall, panel.
  • Skim the French equivalents on each entry. Useful if you take bilingual practice questions.
  • After reading a definition, jot the matching NBC 2020 Part 9 article number. The Glossary defines the word; the Code applies it.
  • Drill vocabulary with Examitect's Section 2 and Section 3 practice sets. The explanations use the same terms.

ExAC sections the Glossary supports

  1. Section 1: Design and Analysis

    Indirect support. The Plumbing, Electrical, and Heating and cooling clusters help you parse residential engineering coordination questions without losing time on terminology.

  2. Section 2: Codes

    The strongest fit. NBC Part 9 uses housing vocabulary the Glossary defines. Also useful for envelope and environmental separation questions.

  3. Section 3: Materials and Construction

    Concrete, Lumber, Truss, Wood Framing, Insulation and Joint clusters cover the vocabulary in residential assembly questions.

  4. Section 4: Construction and Practice

    Limited direct use. For field functions and contract administration, lean on CHOP and the CCDC documents instead.

Inside the Glossary: A to Z plus topic clusters

The Glossary runs alphabetically A through Z, ending with a short X Y Z section whose entries include X-10, xeriscape, yard and Young's modulus. Specialized vocabularies are grouped into topic clusters. A general entry redirects you to its cluster: looking up "air conditioning" sends you to Heating and cooling terms, where every related term lives together. The topic clusters most relevant to the ExAC are listed below.

Cluster What's inside, and where it pairs on the ExAC
Plumbing termsDrain, waste, vent, supply, fixtures, traps, water hammer, backflow. Pairs with NBC 9.31 and CWFHC Chapter 19.
Electrical termsService entry, panels, circuits, conductors, grounding. Pairs with the Canadian Electrical Code references in NBC 9.34.
Heating and cooling termsFurnaces, boilers, heat pumps, ductwork, air conditioning. Pairs with NBC 9.33.
Ventilation termsHRV, ERV, principal exhaust, supply air, makeup air. Pairs with NBC 9.32 and CMHC's mechanical ventilation publications.
Window termsSash, frame, glazing, casement, awning, hung. Pairs with NBC 9.7 and Windows: Overview of Issues.
Insulation termsR-value, batt, board, loose-fill, spray foam, sheathing. Pairs with NBC 9.25 and 9.36.
Lumber termsGrade marks, dimension lumber, sheet products, engineered wood, air-dried vs kiln-dried.
Wood framing termsPlates, studs, joists, rafters, headers, trimmers. The vocabulary CWFHC's framing chapters assume.
Truss termsTop and bottom chord, web, bearing, heel, point loads. Pairs with NBC 9.23 and engineered-truss design notes.
Concrete termsSlump, aggregate, curing, formwork, reinforcement. Pairs with CWFHC Chapter 3.
Joint termsControl, isolation, expansion, construction. Useful for both concrete and masonry assembly questions.
Soil and site drainage termsBearing capacity, frost depth, granular base, weeping tile. Pairs with NBC 9.12 to 9.14.
Flexible housing termsAdaptable, accessible, aging-in-place, visitable. Useful for accessibility-driven design questions in Section 3.
Plan, ceiling, wall, paint, paving and outdoor structure termsSmaller clusters that appear sporadically. Worth knowing they exist when a question uses an unfamiliar finish or site term.

Key housing terms every ExAC candidate should know

These twelve come straight from the Glossary and appear regularly in Part 9, in CWFHC, and in Examitect's practice questions.

Term Definition in one sentence
Air barrierThe combination of durable, impermeable materials in the building envelope, continuous around the conditioned volume and sealed together, that stops indoor-outdoor air movement.
Vapour barrierMaterial used in the house envelope to retard the passage of water vapour (called a vapor retarder in the U.S.). Distinct from the air barrier.
Air change rateThe number of times the air in a room or dwelling is exchanged by natural or mechanical means, usually in air changes per hour (ACH).
Above gradeThe part of a structure or site feature above the adjacent finished ground level.
Aggregate (coarse vs fine)Material such as gravel, crushed stone or sand. Coarse aggregate is 5 mm and over; fine aggregate is smaller than 5 mm.
Airlock entryA vestibule sealed by a second interior door, used to reduce air exchange between conditioned and unconditioned space.
Adjustable steel columnA column commonly used in basements to support a beam, capable of being adjusted to a range of heights.
AdfreezingThe process by which one object becomes adhered to another by the binding action of ice. A factor in cold-climate foundation design.
Accessible designA house, amenity or product design that allows access for people with disabilities. Cross-referenced with the entry for barrier-free.
Activated carbon air filterA filter that absorbs pollutant gases through adherence to carbon, used in residential ventilation systems.
Air permeabilityA measurement of how readily a building material or component allows air to pass through under a differential pressure.
Air-supported structureA structure consisting of a pliable membrane that achieves and maintains its shape by internal air pressure.

Tips for Intern Architects using the Glossary

Practical advice based on how the Glossary earns its keep during ExAC prep.

Tip 1, treat it as a lookup tool, not a chapter. Don't try to memorize the Glossary; nobody passes the ExAC by reading definitions A to Z in order. Use it the way you'd use a Code definitions section: when something throws you, look it up and move on.

Tip 2, learn the cross-reference pattern. Many general entries say "See [Cluster] terms." That's not a dead end; it means the real definition lives with related terms. Following the cross-reference once teaches you the whole cluster.

Tip 3, prioritize the envelope vocabulary. Air barrier, vapour barrier, sheathing membrane, air change rate, air permeability, airtightness. If you can state the distinction between these in one sentence each, you'll lose fewer envelope marks on Section 2 and Section 3.

Tip 4, don't ignore the French equivalents. If you're writing the bilingual version of the ExAC, the French translation on each entry is exactly what you need. If you're writing English-only, scanning them still helps you recognize French-language excerpts on practice questions.

Tip 5, watch for the Flexible Housing Terms cluster. It covers visitable, adaptable and aging-in-place. Accessibility-driven questions in Section 3 use this language, and the Glossary's distinctions are sharper than the Code's.

Tip 6, cross-check date-sensitive terms against the 2020 NBC. The Glossary's most recent revision (2013) predates several Code updates. Energy efficiency vocabulary in particular has been refined in NBC 9.36. Where the Glossary and the NBC 2020 disagree, trust the Code.

Tip 7, build flashcards from the cluster entries. Twenty cards from Heating and cooling terms plus twenty from Ventilation terms gets you a long way for Part 9 mechanical-systems questions in Section 1 and Section 2.

Common ExAC scenarios where the Glossary helps

If a practice question uses one of the following situations, a quick Glossary lookup often points straight to the answer.

  • A question describes a wall section with "polyethylene on the warm side and a spun-bonded polyolefin behind the cladding." Which is the vapour barrier and which is the sheathing membrane? Look up both in the Glossary.
  • A specification calls for an "airlock entry" at the main door. What is it actually asking for, and which NBC clause makes it sensible?
  • A drainage detail uses the term "adfreezing" to justify foundation insulation extending below frost depth. What is adfreezing and why does it affect the design?
  • A truss schedule labels members as "top chord", "bottom chord" and "web". The Truss terms cluster gives you each definition in one sentence.
  • A ventilation rate is given in "ACH". The Glossary's air change rate entry tells you exactly what is being measured and how it's calculated.
  • A housing project brief asks for "visitable" units. The Flexible housing terms cluster tells you what visitable means in CMHC parlance, distinct from adaptable or accessible.
  • A Code reference uses "above grade" without defining it. The Glossary's one-line definition saves you from arguing with yourself about where grade starts.

How the Glossary compares to other ExAC references

The Glossary's job is vocabulary. It overlaps a few definitions with each of the books below but doesn't replace any of them.

Reference Relationship to the Glossary
Glossary of Housing TermsNot named on Examitect's ExAC study plan; it works as a cross-cutting vocabulary reference for Section 2 and Section 3 housing questions. Published by CMHC, the Glossary defines hundreds of plain-language terms used in Canadian residential design, construction, and finance, with cross-references to NBC Part 9 and CWFHC illustrations.
NBC 2020The Code that governs housing construction. The NBC defines a handful of terms in Division A; the Glossary covers far more housing vocabulary in plain language. Where they conflict, trust the Code.
Canadian Wood-Frame House ConstructionDirect companion. The Glossary borrows CWFHC's illustrations. Use them together for Part 9 housing topics.
CHING (Building Construction Illustrated)Broader, more graphic, and American-centric. Ching defines terms in context; the Glossary defines them in isolation. Either works for vocabulary, but the Glossary is the Canadian residential standard.
CHOPPractice-management focused. CHOP and the Glossary rarely overlap, but knowing housing vocabulary helps when CHOP discusses residential project administration.
NBC 2020 Part-9 IllustratedCode-keyed and illustrated. Pair it with the Glossary the same way you'd pair Part 9 with CWFHC: one gives context, the other gives vocabulary.
Why Houses Need Mechanical Ventilation SystemsA CMHC primer on residential ventilation. The Glossary's Ventilation terms cluster is the vocabulary backbone for it.

How Examitect reinforces housing vocabulary

Examitect's Section 2 and Section 3 question banks lean heavily on Part 9 housing terminology. Every Part 9 explanation uses the same vocabulary the Glossary defines, so if you read enough explanations, you absorb the Glossary's working set without sitting down to study it directly.

Where a question hinges on a specific term, Examitect's explanations restate the definition in line so you don't have to chase it. The Glossary stays useful as the place to verify, expand, or look up cross-references when an explanation only gives you the short answer.

You can try a free practice question to see how the explanations are written, or compare plans if you're ready to start drilling.

FAQ

Glossary of Housing Terms FAQ

Not as a named resource. It isn't listed against a specific category on Examitect's ExAC study plan. It works as a cross-cutting vocabulary reference that disambiguates housing terms used across Part 9 of the NBC, Canadian Wood-Frame House Construction and other housing-related supplementary readings.

The CMHC edition titled Glossary of Housing Terms, revised in 1997, 2001 and 2013. Earlier editions used the title A Glossary of House-Building and Site-Development Terms (1982). Catalogue number NH15-159/2001E, ISBN 0-660-18603-9.

Effectively yes. Each English entry shows the French equivalent in parentheses. CMHC also publishes a fully French version, Glossaire des termes d'habitation, catalogue number 61949.

Alphabetical A through Z, ending with a short X Y Z section. Specialized vocabularies are grouped into topic clusters such as Plumbing terms, Electrical terms, Heating and cooling terms, Ventilation terms, Window terms, Lumber terms, Insulation terms and Soil terms. A general entry like "air conditioning" redirects you to the relevant cluster.

The 2001 revision added more than 300 new definitions on top of the 1982 original, so the working set is well into the four-figure range across the alphabetical and topic-cluster entries combined.

No. Use it for disambiguation. When a practice question or a Part 9 passage uses a housing term you don't recognize, look it up. The Glossary is a reference, not a study list.

They are companion volumes. The Glossary draws selected illustrations from Canadian Wood-Frame House Construction, and the two are commonly cited together for Part 9 housing topics.

Through CMHC's publications channel. The Glossary is widely available in PDF form because CMHC distributes it as a public reference, and Canadian architecture school libraries carry it.

Other ExAC reference books

If you're keeping the Glossary close, these are the references most likely to come up alongside it on practice questions and on the exam itself.

Canadian Wood-Frame House Construction

The direct companion volume. Same CMHC source, same illustrations, built around the construction sequence rather than vocabulary.

NBC 2020

The National Building Code of Canada. Part 9 housing provisions use the vocabulary the Glossary defines.

CHING

Building Construction Illustrated. A broader graphic reference where terminology lives in context rather than in entries.

CHOP

The Canadian Handbook of Practice, the RAIC reference for architectural practice management cited across the ExAC.

NBC 2020 Part-9 Illustrated

Code-keyed illustrated guide. Reads naturally with the Glossary's vocabulary at your elbow.

NECB

National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings. Supports the envelope and energy questions in Section 2.

RSMeans

RSMeans Cost Data. North American construction cost data, used for Section 1 Cost Management questions.

Yardsticks

Hanscomb Yardsticks for Costing. Canadian elemental cost data by building type and region, for Section 1 Cost Management.

All ExAC references

The full list of primary and supplementary references on Examitect's ExAC study plan.