Any recommended Books on Construction etc ??

[GTRClive]

Hi all, I now live in Alberta but am a Brit. I'm not use to wood construction, have built a 35x18 brick garage in the UK, but now want to build a workshop for my North American toys....

Have you seen or used any good books I can read on Construction techniques, Siding / Insulation vapour barrier, Roofing, etc....

The area I bought a house in means I can only build a 1000sqft shop, pitty as I was looking for 1500.....So a 30x32 or 39x25, seems the max I can build.... also have a 18ft hieght restriction... so 2 floors is out I think ??

Cheers for any help..

Clive

 

[Steve in Mi]

A 24' X 40' will work out better from the standpoint of sheet goods in 4' increments and reduce waste. Try to avoid any that are not multiples of 4 as they are special and will cost more (25, 30, and 39).

 

[GT350RC]

The internet is a great source of building information. I found a nice PDF file for building techniques, from the American Wood Council.

I also found a great PDF File for vinyl siding, from the Vinyl Siding Institute.

I also purchased a framing book from Lowes on general framing techniques. All of these helped considerably in building my first garage.

 

[Cword]

What you've described can be ordered on line from CMHC (Canada mortgage and Housing Corporation_
Here's a sample link to Canadian Wood Frame Construction
Books I've ordered from them have arrived within a week or two and have been excellent resources.

Mike

 

[fotoflojoe]

You can't go wrong with anything published by Taunton Press. http://store.taunton.com/onlinestore/catalog/homebuilding

They publish, among others, the magazine "Fine Homebuilding". They also publish many topical books on construction. i.e. Framing, roofing, doors and windows, etc. Most of their books are simply reprints of magazine articles, but if you've never seen the magazine, the books are valuable.

Also, you can get an online subscription to the magazine. This will allow you to search/download every article ever printed in PDF format.

Hope this helps.

-Joe

 

[Steve in Mi]

I thought that Building Construction Illustrated by Francis D.K. Ching was quite useful as a guide in my 1981 build. A search of Amazon shows lots of copies available for as little $4.** in paperback plus some others that may be of interest.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ETUESU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

You might find it in your local library ISBN 0-442-21532-0

 

[russlaferrera]

I purchased a book in 1985,"How to Design & build Your Own House ,by Lupe DiDonno & Phyllis Sperling , #394-73416-5.

The book gave all facets of construction plus very useful info I could understand, plus explanations on why stuff was done that way.

 

[Will67]

I have a subscription to Fine Home Building, and IMO think its the best of whats out there. I think they are published by Taunton or something close to it.

 

[mulepackin]

Will67 and Fotoflojoe are dead on here. Taunton puts out some of the finest books on all aspects of stickbuilding, from layout and rough framing to exterior and interior finish, and even fine finish work. I also have a book called Modern Carpentry by Willis Wagner. It was a required text when I did my carpentry apprenticeship. I refer to it often. Also, try to hook up with someone who knows what they are doing and can share and teach their knowledg.

 

[wrigh003]

Another vote for Taunton anything. I had looked through a Fine Homebuilding a time or two, thought enough of it to order their "How to Finish Your Basement" book, since that's on my ongoing project list. LOADS of valuable information, explains why some non-intuitive things are done certain ways, etc. The magazine's awesome, and has (apparently) been for a long time. Neat tip on the online subscription- there are enough back issues that you could conceivably learn to do just about anything from that alone.

 

[boiler7904]

Taunton puts out a lot of good info on construction and woodworking. JLC is another great resource. It's all about the sticks and bricks of construction along with business aspects for pro contractors. Their Field Guide books will teach you a lot about all aspects of construction. An interesting thing about the JLC Bookstore site is that a lot of the books are published by Taunton.

 

[dxdexter]

What you've described can be ordered on line from CMHC (Canada mortgage and Housing Corporation_
Here's a sample link to Canadian Wood Frame Construction
Books I've ordered from them have arrived within a week or two and have been excellent resources.

Mike

I'm with Cword. The CMHC Canadian Wood Frame House Construction book is a great guide. I have three of them from various years from 1988 to 2007. CMHC has other publications as well. I also own the Renovators Technical Guidebook and it is also a great source of info. You can also buy these from Amazon.ca as well as Canada Mortgage and Housing.

 

[Junkman]

I have Modern Carpentry, which is a text book for trade schools. I got mine back in the late 1970's when I had to do some renovations that had to meet code inspection. I knew how to do it, but I wasn't certain exactly how the inspector might want things done, so I opted for this book, since it was being used in the local trade schools. It is written by William H. Wagner, and covers all aspects of construction. I strongly recommend it for anyone building a home, whether it is by themselves, or by a contractor. It will take the guesswork out of what they are doing and why.

 

[GTRClive]

Wow now thats what I call a response, great tips lads and lasses, thanks for all the leads..

Cheers gain

Clive

 

[Danglerb]

I like the idea of DIY, but I would also hire a pro and maybe a helper for at least part of the project. A lot of things will go much quicker with an extra set of hands that have done it before.

 

[IDASHO]

Having an experienced helper is ALWAYS a plus. Not only will you learn proper methods, but you will also learn tricks of the trade that are not included in most books. Techniques that not only work, but reduce labor, and make life EASY.

After all of the building I have done.... the only book I use for reference any more is my electrical book. Even after wiring SOOO many of the blasted things.... 3-way switched circuits are still somewhat of a mystery