Space Heater
Individual heating unit used to heat a small area, usually electrically heated. 

Space Standards 
Minimum dimensions required for various activities in a building, which are established by law for safety and comfort.

Spacer 
1. Cross shaped, small plastic pieces, which are used to space tiles during the installation of ceramic tile, so that they are evenly placed. 
2. Small concrete blocks that support and maintain rebar at a specified height off of the bottom of a concrete pour. 

Spackling Compound 
Compound, which can be smoothed and painted, which is used to fill in small crack and holes and to cover other defects. 

Spade Bit 
Wood boring bit which is used with a power drill to shave wood in a circular section equal in diameter to the width of the head of the bit. The flat head, whose edges are ground to a beveled edge, has a point used to center the bit in the wood. The turning shank forces the point into the wood. 

Spading Tool 
Tool that uses a long, flat bade with a handle, used to compact newly placed concrete in the forms. 

Spall
1. Flaking off of a concrete surface. 
2. Fragment broken from a masonry structure. 

Span 
Spread between girders or heavy walls, from eave to eave or between structural supports.

Span, Allowable 
Maximum distance allowed that a structural member may span between supports. 

Spandrel
The area between an arch and a ceiling or between and above two connected arches. 

Spandrel Wall
Wall section spanning the area from the top of a window to the sill of the window directly above it, on the next floor of the building.

Spanish Mission Style 
Style familiar to the Southwest and patterned after Spanish missions.

Spanish Swirl
Heavy texture style, also called a sponge twist, which uses plaster, stucco or drywall to produce circular swirls. 

Spanish Villa 
Home of one to three stories with stucco outside and a roof of red tiles.

Spanner 
Wrench with projecting teeth that fit into a groove on a particular nut. 

Spark Arrestor 
Screen or metal cover installed at the outlet of a chimney or exhaust system to allow smoke to pass through but to protect from sparks.

Spark Lighter 
Lighter which moves a flint across a piece of rough steel, to produce sparks to light a gas torch. 

Spar Varnish 
Exterior lacquer or liquid plastic-based varnish. 

Spatula
Flat, flexible bladed tool which is used as a putty knife or taping knife. 

Specs
The products and the plans for construction of a building. 

Spec House 
Dwelling constructed prior to being sold. The builder "speculates" that a buyer will be found, thus the term "spec" house. 

Special Agent 
Person who is retained to act for another, with limited authority. 

Special Assessment 
Charged levied against property owners to finance an improvement made by the local government benefiting the homeowners and commercial businesses. 

Special Deposit Account 
If a loan is a rehabilitation mortgage, funds for restoration and remodeling are placed in this type of account and disbursed to the appropriate contractors once their work is completed. 

Special Purpose Property 
Building with limited uses and marketability, such as a church, theater, school or public utility. 

Special Use Permit 
Right granted by a local zoning authority to conduct certain activities within a zoning district. Such activities are considered conditional uses, which are permitted with the zone only upon special approval of the zoning authority. Also called a conditional use permit. 

Special Warranty Deed 
Property deed in which the grantor limits the title warranty to the grantee. A grantor does not warrant a title defect to the property occurring from a happening before the time of his ownership. 

Specialist in Real Estate Securities (SRS)
Individual who by his expertise, education and experience prepares syndication reports. 

Specific Gravity 
The ratio of a weight or mass of a given volume of a substance to that of an equal volume of another substance, water for liquids and solids, air or hydrogen for gases. 

Specific Heat 
Calories needed to raise one gram of a substance by one degree centigrade. The number of Btu needed to raise one pound of a substance by one degree Fahrenheit. 

Specific Lien 
Lien on a given property, such as a person's house as collateral for a loan. 

Specific Performance 
A legal action in which the court requires a party to a contract to perform the terms of the contract when he has refused to fulfill his obligations. 

Specifications 
Often called "specs", these are the written requirements for construction, such as for materials, equipment, etc.

Specular Gloss
Smooth, high-gloss finish. 

Speculation 
High risk, often high return, business transaction undertaken with no guarantee of success. 

Speculation Home
A "Spec" house is one that is built without a buyer. Dwelling is constructed prior to being sold. The builder "speculates" that a buyer will be found. 

Speculative Value 
Value that a speculator believes an investment will reach at some point in the future.

Speculator 
One who invests with the anticipation that an event or series of evens will occur to increase the value of the investment. 

Speed Square 
Three-sided, triangular shaped measuring tool, which is used to draw perpendicular lines on boards to be cut or to lay out angles. 

Spendable Income
Cash flow (from income producing property) which is reduced by income taxes resulting from the property's income.