Building Construction Books

Domino: The Book of Decorating: A room-by-room guide to creating a home that makes you happy

Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello, Dara Caponigro

Amazon Price: $21.12 List Price: $32.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $17.85

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> How-to & Home Improvements -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Interior Design -> Decorating

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Stylized but interesting interpretation of home decor 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you happen to like the mismatched, eclectic style of Domino, then you'll find this book full of interesting design inspiration. You need to look carefully, however, for if you have very traditional tastes and/or dislike the shabby chic look, you may well be disappointed.

A book we all should have! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a book we all should buy to reference from time to time and ofcourse, for our remodeling projects. Even if you don't want to follow every word of it, it is very handy to just get ideas for decoraring some parts of your space. You can start by selecting a room and it's theme and then proceed with the help of pictures and examples. The photographs are very nice and the quality of the book is excellent. I would certainly recomend this wonderful reference guide!

Editorial Review:

Domino: The Book of Decorating cracks the code to creating a beautiful home, bringing together inspiring rooms, how-to advice and insiders' secrets from today's premier tastemakers in an indispensable style manual. The editors take readers room by room, tapping the best ideas from domino magazine and culling insights from their own experiences. With an eye to making design accessible and exciting, this book demystifies the decorating process and provides the tools for making spaces that are personal, functional and fabulous.

Building Construction Illustrated

Francis D. K. Ching

Amazon Price: $32.97 List Price: $49.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $27.80

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Buildings & Construction
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The classic visual guide to the basics of building construction, now with the most current information

For nearly three decades, Building Construction Illustrated has offered an outstanding introduction to the principles of building construction. This new edition of the revered classic remains as relevant as ever-providing the latest information in Francis D.K. Ching's signature style. Its rich and comprehensive approach clearly presents all of the basic concepts underlying building construction and equips readers with useful guidelines for approaching virtually any new materials or techniques they may encounter.

Laying out the material and structural choices available, it provides a full under-standing of how these choices affect a building's form and dimensions. Complete with more than 1,000 illustrations, the book moves through each of the key stages of the design process, from site selection to building components, mechanical systems, and finishes.
*

Illustrated throughout with clear and accurate drawings that present the state of the art in construction processes and materials
*

Updated and revised to include the latest knowledge on sustainability, incorporation of building systems, and use of new materials
*

Archetypal drawings offer clear inspiration for designers and drafters
*

Reflects the most current building codes and CSI Master Format numbering scheme

With its comprehensive and lucid presentation of everything from foundations and floor systems to finish work, Building Construction Illustrated, Fourth Edition equips students and professionals in all areas of architecture and construction with useful guidelines for approaching virtually any new materials or techniques they may encounter in building planning, design, and construction.

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction

Andy Rae

Amazon Price: $26.37 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taunton Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $23.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Woodworking -> Furniture & Carpentry
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Woodworking -> Projects
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Woodworking -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Introducing a new woodworking series in the tradition of Tage Frid...a series filled with essential information required by woodworkers today. For the first time ever, all the techniques and processes necessary to craft beautiful things from wood have been compiled into three comprehensive volumes: The Complete Illustrated Guides. Highly visual and written by woodworking's finest craftsmen, these three titles -- Furniture & Cabinet Construction, Shaping Wood, and Joinery -- will establish a new standard for shop reference books.

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture & Cabinet Construction is the ultimate reference work -- a graphic, step-by-step presentation of basic furniture-construction techniques. Expert woodworker Andy Rae brings organization, enthusiasm, and more than 20 years' experience to this essential book. Readers will acquire a working knowledge of woodworking materials, a higher level of control over their work and tools, and an understanding of basic design principles.

2006 International Residential Code - Softcover Version (International Residential Code)

International Code Council

Amazon Price: $73.35 List Price: $81.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Delmar Cengage Learning Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $59.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Buildings & Construction
Subjects -> Law -> Business -> Construction
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Engineering -> Civil -> Construction -> Building Codes & Laws

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Can a residential Architect live without this book? 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This Christmas we gave this book to our son, at his suggestion. He is a residential Architect working in Kansas City. I asked him what he thought about the book, after having time to review it. His response was, "Tell them its irritatingly indispensable."

Amazon is always outstanding in the supply and delivery!

Everything you need to build a garage (or house)! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

If you are acting as a contractor on your home or garage project, then this book is invaluable to make sure that the subs are building to code or making sure that you are building to code. As an retired contractor and engineer, I've come to realize over time that codes actually do have a purpose in life besides making the building process a pain. The old farm house I bought probably wasn't built to code and it shows. A lot of farmers around here have to get up on their out-building and shovel snow because every year one or two more of their buildings collapse.

The book is well organize by project phase so things are easy to find--cement pad, walls, floors, roof, etc.

Editorial Review:

The 2006 International Residential Code®brings uniformity to construction of one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses up to three stories high. A comprehensive code for homebuilding, this book brings together all building, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical provisions. It establishes minimum regulations using prescriptive provisions, and is founded on broad-based principles that make possible the use of new materials and building designs.

Build a Smokehouse: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-81 (A Storey country wisdom bulletin)

Ed Epstein

Amazon Price: $3.95 List Price: $3.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Storey Publishing, LLC Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $1.10

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> How-to & Home Improvements -> General AAS
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Architecture -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

worth the money 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

this book is all a beginner needs to gain a full understanding of self sufficiently smoking and curing meats. short but an excellent read full of practical knowledge.

Build a smokehouse 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Great Book, very cheap and full of very helpfull infomation, to cover every budget.

Build a smokehouse 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Good book, but no novel, keeps things very basic and doesn't go into detail about parts that could improve finished product.

Sage advise. 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

It is what it says it is. Basic instructions on building a smokehouse. They provide several types starting with simple to a permanent structure. It's a nice straight forward pamphlet.

Worth the money 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Build a Smokehouse: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-81 (A Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin)
A skiny little book but if you want to build a smoke house it is a nice one to have. I wish i had it fourty years ago before i tried to build my first smoke house. It would have not have burned down if I had followed the advice in this little book.

Editorial Review:

Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

Concrete Countertops: Design, Form, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath

Fu-Tung Cheng, Eric Olsen

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taunton Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $13.97

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Remodeling & Renovation -> Kitchens
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Remodeling & Renovation -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 47 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Perfect Pastime for Obsessive Compulsives Awaits 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Those whose need to obsessively clean, clean, clean will find in this volume the very thing that will give order, utility and meaning to their affliction. The many and colourful photos in the book, especially those promoting the author's own business (all of them) show the gleaming and pristine surfaces that a concrete countertop offers to those prepared to perpetually be wiping them down. I will not be surprised to learn that Howard Hughes had these babies installed.

Drinking too much? A concrete countertop may be the answer! Wine, even in relatively small amounts, left on the countertop will rapidly etch and discolour the surface you laboured so long and hard to produce. The proud owner of a concrete countertop soon learns that a hangover is hardly the only thing that remains after the party ends. You'll reminisce about the good times you've had as you survey the rings and semicircles that each glass or bottle leaves, and the imbiber soon learns to moderate his consumption in the interests of maintaining perpetual vigilance.

Fitness, too can be maintained through judicious pursuit of the simple activities described in this slim volume. If your mania for a high fruit diet has left you thin and weedy, and lacking the vigorous physique that gains respect and attention, cease your fretting! The process of creating a set of countertops rewards the devotee who follows the instruction provided with the equivalent of a 6 month strength training regime, within a single 24 hour period in which you will mix, pour the concrete, and then clean up the mess that is produced. My own set weighed an easy half-ton, and after completing and installing it, no-one ever kicked sand in my face again. And, the resulting surface is even more prone to damage from citrus than wine, so that fashionable but fey diet with lots of fruit will soon be a thing of the past, replaced by a healthy preference for beefsteak and blood sausage.

All of this points to another advantage that this book will provide its devoted apostle: a more complete appreciation of modern chemistry, and in particular the many and varied chemical compounds found in the modern kitchen, many of which - certainly more than I suspected - have an acidic nature which the counter will soon reveal.

Even after the process of pouring, the prospect of moving your creation combines all the most challenging aspects of a forced march, a bulgarian weight lifting camp and nineteenth century quarry work. Trust me, there's nothing like it, and it's all in here.

I am surprised that others who bought this did not also buy Bullfinch's Mythology. Through this book I rediscovered the joy of the study of mythology, specificaly the myth of Sysiphus, to say nothing of Prometheus, especially the liver bit.

If you've heard about concrete countertops but thought that no guide existed to introduce you to concrete's magical world; if you thought that you lacked the skills and energy to take on such a job; if you thought that agonizing labour to produce a dated-before-it-is-finished work surface cum impossible-to-dispose-of millstone was beyond you - well, let's hope you're right. For the rest of us, this book is just what the clinical psychiatrist ordered. Next time, I'll use Lithium.

Editorial Review:

This book reinvents the countertop with a single material: concrete. Concrete Countertops is an essential book for architects, homeowners and contractors who want to learn how to design, form, mix, pour, color, trowel, inlay and finish decorative concrete countertops. Homeowners will be inspired by the 350 color photographs that bring this exciting medium to life.

Drywall: Professional Techniques for Great Results

Myron R. Ferguson

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taunton Amazon Marketplace: 62 new & used starting at $4.40

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Woodworking -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Buildings & Construction
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

3rd Edition is also a great addition to your library 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I noticed that the 3rd Edition of this book has a copyright date of 2008 and the cover of the book notes that it is completely revised and updated. Any review written before 2008 is almost certainly for the second edition. The 3rd edition is a reasonably hefty 210 pages of content; it is printed on nice paper, is nicely organised, and has an index.

I am an experienced do-it-yourselfer and bought this book to get an update on the latest corner beads made of vinyl and some made of metal and paper. I also wanted a little more knowledge on available types of drywall and joint compounds.

This book is very comprehensive and covers drywall techniques, tools, and materials. Consistent with the reviews of the earlier edition(s), this book focuses almost exclusively on drywall (which is also consistent with its title). There is a section on soundproofing which I believe is very useful.

I would rate this book as a must read for anyone who wishes to learn about drywall techniques. The text is clear and there are many photographs to illustrate the points that the author is making.

I would have liked it if the author covered skip troweling but this is a little tricky to learn from a book (so this omission did not bother me much).

I already had a good amount of knowledge about drywall and this book has given me another step up in knowledge. I am completely satisfied with this book.

Editorial Review:

The most thorough and concise guide to hanging drywall available. This revised edition features new material, additional pages and color photographs. With more than 87,000 copies sold, Drywall is a mainstay of any comprehensive home-building library.

Creating a New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home (American Institute Architects)

Russell Versaci

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taunton Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $11.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> General
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

At the beginning of the new century, there's a groundswell of popular nostalgia for period houses with an authentic pedigree. Regional styles of old homes in all parts of the country have captured the imagination of homebuyers who are disillusioned with the cookie-cutter sameness of new home construction. Many are turning to the history and tradition of their own neighborhoods for inspiration in old houses--themes that will inspire and inform them in building a new home that will preserve a sense of place and the feeling of "home."
Creating a New Old House explores how architects, builders, and craftsmen are reinterpreting the traditional American house. Through photographs and engaging text, brief discussions of history and craftsmanship, and occasional sidelong glances at the workings of real old houses, Versaci employs his "Pillars of Traditional Design" to explain how traditional houses go together and what gives them their unique design appeal. The author explores the creative work of architects, builders, and craftsmen from all corners of America who are creating new "old" houses in a revival of the distinctive traditions of American homebuilding--and refitting them to work for the demands of modern family living.

Measuring, Marking, and Layout: A Builder's Guide

John Carroll

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taunton - Model: 070464 Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $8.55

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Woodworking -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Buildings & Construction
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good book except for page 27 & other similar "metric" references 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 21 people found this review helpful.

This author is in the dark ages with respect to the use of the metric system. As a country, we've been there / tried that. We can't help it if the rest of the world is backwards using the metric system! Why was at least a whole page WASTED in talking about this? How ridiculous! It is an okay book, but mostly black and white drawings and lots of text. Perhaps if the author, and Taunton, had spent more time with the content of the title and included some color in a book that is the same price as their other titles with LOTS of color, they would have had a good book.

Editorial Review:

"For Pros By Pros." You don't have to invest a fortune in space-age gadgetry to make accurate measurements, and you don't need advanced training in math to build complex houses. Author John Carroll provides dozens of beautifully simple techniques for highly accurate measuring, marking, and layout using a number of basic tools. Good habits of measuring and marking not only ensure high quality but also save materials and money and increase productivity. Measuring, Marking and Layout shows how to do the job right the first time. If you find it more enjoyable to end up with clean, professional-looking work than with sloppy work, Measuring, Marking Layout gives you what you want.

Graphic Guide to Frame Construction: Details for Builders and Designers (For Pros by Pros)

Rob Thallon

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taunton Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $15.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Woodworking -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Design & Construction
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> How-to & Home Improvements -> Carpentry

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great basic reference for residential building 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Have been using this reference for years as an Architect. Probably the best one out there that covers all the basics. Not overly complicated. Could use an advanced version for more complicated details, especially in roofing (half-hips, etc.) and foundations.
Great reference for the nomencalture of all the parts.
Do not expect to build from it as codes and structural sizing are required and vary too much, but good, basic detailing and understanding overall with plenty of illustrations.

Editorial Review:

Here for the first time is a complete visual handbook designed for architects, builders, students, and anyone else interested in wood-frame construction. Inside you'll find hundreds of meticulous drawings illustrating every detail you might ever want to know about when building wood, whether you're building basement walls or framing a chimney opening.

This wealth of visual information is mined from actual jobsites. Special attention is given throughout to durability and to energy efficiency.