Fragile 
Frail, delicate, easily broken. 

Fragment 
A part broken away from a whole. A detached, incomplete part. 

Frame 
1. The basic, skeletal structural around which a building is built and which gives it its shape or form. 
2. The border or case into which a window or door is set which serves as a structural support. 
3. To enclose in or to provide a border for. 

Framework 
The skeletal structure of a building. 

Framing 
Construction of the framework of a house. 

Framing Anchors 
Also referred to as framing clips, these metal fasteners connect the framework and reinforce joints of a building. 

Framing Clips 
Also referred to as framing anchors, these metal fasteners connect the framework and reinforce joints of a building. 

Framing, Balloon 
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. 

Framing In
The completion or finishing of structural framework. 

Framing Fasteners 
Used to lock framing pieces together, these fasteners are made of 16 or 18 gauge zinc-coated metal with pre-punched nail holes. They are set between the pieces of frame and attached with either nails or screws, locking the members together. This method is faster than using nails along. 

Framing Square 
Also called a carpenter's square, this flat L-shaped measuring tool, also called a framing square, is used to calculate lengths and lay out angles. The legs of the L, which come together at a right angle, have measuring tables and marks for rafter cuts etched into them. 

Framing Square Gauges 
Markers and attachments, which can be used on a framing, square for making repeat measurements accurately. 

Fraud 
The intentional use of deception to cause another to suffer loss. 

Freddie Mac 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). Commonly known as Freddie Mac. The company buys mortgages from lending institutions, pools them with other loans and sells shares to investors. 

Free and Clear Title 
Property title which has no encumbrances, including mortgages, judgments, and financial liens 

Free Area 
The entire area of an inlet/outlet opening that is used for air passage in an HVAC system. 

Free Enterprise 
Open and competitive trading. 

Freehold Estate 
Estate in which ownership is for an indeterminate length of time. Unlimited interest in a property. Freehold estates include freehold in deed, a fee simple estate; freehold in law, an inheritable estate; and determinable freeholds, a life estate. 

Freestone 
Fine-grained stone that is even in texture that can be worked with masonry tools without splitting along a particular line. 

Freezeback 
A condition that occurs when ice forms at the edge of the roofline, forcing water under the shingles. 

French Arch 
Masonry arch that has brick sloping outward, from the center, in a symmetrical form. 

French Curve 
A drafting guide that has multiple changing curvatures. 

French Doors 
Single or double doors in which the majority of the door area is made up of one or more panes of glass surrounded by a frame. One or both doors swing open on hinges. Traditionally made of wood, some have metal clad exteriors for increased weather resistance and durability. Tightly sealed double pane French doors are available, some with adjustable blinds between the panes of glass. 

French 
Provincial A formal style of home emphasizing symmetry and balance with a high, steep hip roof and curve-headed upper windows that break through the cornice. 

Freon 
Trade name of any of the fluorinated hydrocarbon compounds that are used for cleaning or refrigerants. 

Frequency 
1. The fact of occurring often or repeatedly. 
2. The number of periodic vibrations or waves per unit of time, expressed in cycles per second. 
3. Electrical cycles per second, called Hertz (Hz). 

Frequency Meter 
Measurement device for alternating current frequency of an electrical circuit, in cycles per second. 

Frequency Modulation 
Radio carrier wave frequency variation. 

Fresco 
The art of painting on wet plaster or a painting or design, which was made in that manner. 

Fret 
1. An ornamental pattern of small, straight bars which intersect or join together at right angles, forming a regular, repetitive design. 
2. Any of several narrow crossbars fixed on the finger board of a banjo, guitar, etc. to regulate the fingering. 

Fretwork 
An ornamental pattern of small, straight bars which intersect or join together at right angles, forming a regular, repetitive design. 

Friable 
Crumbly and brittle. 

Friction 
1. The rubbing of one object against another. 
2. The resistance to motion of two adjoining surfaces, such as between a fluid and the pipe through which it runs. 

Friction Catch or Latch 
The mechanism that uses friction to keep a cabinet door close. 

Friction Pile 
Piling supported by the friction with the soil surrounding it. 

Friction Tape 
Water-resistant, cloth-based electrical insulating tape that has an adhesive backing. 

Frieze 
1. Decorations that form an ornamental band around a room or mantel. 
2. Raised sculpture on a building. 
3. Horizontal band that connects the top of the siding with the soffit of the cornice. 

Frieze Ventilator 
Screened vent in a frieze board. 

Frit 
Powdered glass material, which creates a glazed finish when applied to ceramic tile and fired in a kiln, fusing it together. 

Froe 
Tool, also called a frow, with a cutting blade that is set at a right angle to the hand, which is used for splitting shingles or other types of wood. 

Frog 
Depression or groove in the surface of a brick, in one or both of the larger sides, which provides an attachment for the adjacent brick mortar joints. 

Front 
The part of something that faces forward. 

Front Clearance 
Clearance of the front of a lathe cutting tool, which is made by the angle at which the tool front is ground. 

Front Footage 
The number of feet of street frontage of a parcel of land. 

Front Money 
Amount of money necessary to start a project. Money invested in the initial stage of a business transaction to demonstrate good faith as well as to help offset some expenses. 

Front View 
Picture or drawing showing the face of an object. 

Front-end Ratio 
Lender calculation comparing a borrower's monthly housing expense (principal, interest, taxes & insurance) to gross monthly income. 

Frontage 
The linear measurement of a piece of land along a lake, river, street or highway. 

Frost Heave 
Problem caused when the water beneath the soil under a structure freezes, moving the structure upward. 

Frost Line 
The maximum depth to which the ground normally becomes frozen in a given geographic area and is an important consideration when installing pipes or other items that can be damaged or affected by freezing conditions. 

Frow 
Tool, also called a froe, with a cutting blade that is set at a right angle to the hand, which is used for splitting shingles or other types of wood. 

FRP 
Fiberglass reinforced plastic, which is a tough, non-scuff coating for plywood that is used for forms, etc. 

Frustum 
1. The solid figure that is created when the top of a cone is cut off parallel to the base. 
2. Column that has been cut shorter. 

FSBO (For Sale By Owner) 
Homeowner acting as salesperson for his own property. No listing commission is paid but a sales commission may be paid to a buyer's agent.