The building industry contains a number of professionals, all of whom are skilled in particular areas. The following glossary pages provide an insight into these positions to make you aware of whom you are dealing with.
| Profession | Definition |
| Architect | Responsible for designing the building, fabric and furnishings, including production of drawings. |
| Bricklayer ('Trowel', 'Bricky') | All brick/block work, lintel installation. |
| Building Inspector | Employed by local council to inspect the works carried out to ensure building regulations are adhered to. |
| Building Surveyor | Produces reports and verifies condition of building. |
| Carpenter ('Chippy') | All timber related work. I.e. roof, doors, first fix, and second fix. |
| Carpet Fitter | Underlay, carpet, latex, lino, wooden flooring, carpet tiles, matting. |
| Client |
Person / persons or company who owns the property or request the works to be carried out. |
| Contractor | Company/partnership employed by the client |
| Electrician (sparky) |
All electricity supplies, installations and testing |
| Glazier |
Supplier and installer of all glass |
| Ground worker / Landscaper |
Site leveling / clearance, drainage works (below ground), landscaping, building foundations, concrete oversight. |
| Local planner |
Employed by the local council to agree planning on new buildings and building works. |
| Painter/Decorator | All preparation, painting and wallpapering. |
| Plumber |
All water supplies, waste services (above ground), central heating, radiator / guttering installation and also lead work |
| Plasterer (spread) |
Rendering, plastering, floor spread, artex work, pebble dashing. |
| Project Manager | Person employed to manage all aspects of the work. |
| Quantity Surveyor |
Person responsible for all finance, costs relating to the works. |
| Roofer |
Tiles, slates, asphalt, mineral roofs, cladding, plastic products and lead work. |
| Scaffolder |
Erects all temporary scaffolding, lifting equipment (hoists). |
| Site Manager |
Responsible for running all works on site including work planning, material, plant and sub-contractor management. |
| Sub-Contractor | Any company/partnership that carries out work for another Contractor |
| Structural Engineer |
Used in situations where calculations are required to check loadings or to identify structure requirements / defeats of buildings. |
| Surveyor |
Sets out measurements of site. |
| Tiler |
Internal ceramic, floors, ceilings, walls etc. |