A selection of the best self-build books and guides offering advice and instruction on all types of self build project. A further and full summary of what we consider to be the best all-round architecture books can here.
- The Very Efficient Carpenter
- Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House
- How To Build Your Dream Home Without Getting Nailed!
- The Complete Guide to Building Your Own Home
- The Complete Visual Guide to Building a House
- What Your Contractor Can't Tell You
- How Your House Works
- Housebuilding: A Do-It-Yourself Guide, Revised & Expanded
- The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home
- The Housebuilder's Bible 13
- Green from the Ground Up
- Essential Sustainable Home Design
- The New Net Zero
- Passive House Details
- Building a Sustainable Home
- Ultimate Guide to Plumbing
- Be Your Own House Contractor
- Foundations & Concrete Work
Here's your chance to become a more efficient carpenter. Larry Haun has been a production framer for more than 35 years and a teacher of apprentices for more than 20. In this book, Haun shows you, step by step, all the techniques he uses to frame a basic house, from laying down the sills to cutting the rafters.
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Everything you need to know to make building the home of your dreams the pleasant and profitable adventure it should be. Every day, somewhere, someone starts the process of building their dream home.
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Buying a new home can be an expensive endeavor. Many people dream of building their own home but mistakenly believe that doing so is not cost effective. However, you can save 20 to 40 percent or more by building your own home.
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Today’s most comprehensive course in residential construction. The Complete Visual Guide to Building a House not only lives up to its name, but the detailed illustrations put this reference in a league of its own.
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This book equips owners with the information and strategies needed to turn their vision into a home or renovation project that can be executed on time and within budget. Chapters give detailed coverage of critical topics: design options, selecting and supervising the architect and contractor, cost estimates, budgets, plan specifications, contracts, dealing with town officials and keeping track of everything along the way.
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How Your House Works is a hands-on guide that gives you the low-down on why your faucet is leaking, your dishwasher is overflowing, or your furnace is on the fritz. This comprehensive book is your reference to virtually everything in your house with richly illustrated explanations of electrical systems, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, major household appliances, foundation, framing, doors, and windows.
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Housebuilding has always been the book of choice for prospective home builders—and with this extensive, thoughtful revision, it becomes a resource readers will continue to depend on for years to come.
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Whether you want to take on all the responsibility of contracting your home or simply want to intelligently communicate with your homebuilder, The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home can help you save 30% or more on the cost of home construction by teaching you the ins and outs of managing your construction project.
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Originally self-published in 1994, Mark Brinkley’s handbook combines up-to-date trade prices, planning guidelines and building regulations with deep insights into how and why we chose to build the way we do and how we might do it better.
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Green construction is the building trend of the decade. In direct response to the growing demand for sustainable, healthy, and energy-efficient homes, David Johnston and Scott Gibson present the most forward-thinking theories and the best proven methods of new and remodeled green construction.
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Many people dream of building a beautiful, environmentally friendly home. But until now there has been no systematic guide to help potential builders work through the complete process of imagining, planning, designing, and building their ideal, sustainable home.
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The new threshold for green building is not just low energy, it’s net-zero energy. In The New Net Zero, sustainable architect Bill Maclay charts the path for designers and builders interested in exploring green design’s new frontier net-zero-energy structures that produce as much energy as they consume and are carbon neutral.
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Passive House Details introduces the concepts, principles, and design processes of building ultralow-energy buildings. The objective of this book is to provide design goals, research, analysis, systems, details, and inspiring images of some of the most energy-efficient, carbon-neutral, healthy, and satisfying buildings currently built in the region.
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Learn the logistics of choosing windows, insulation, appliances, and lighting. Find out about FSC certified wood and about using reclaimed materials. Here is everything you need to make your home sustainable.
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Save money by making minor and major plumbing repairs and improvements yourself, with help from this complete home plumbing guide!
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You don’t need to depend on (or pay) a general contractor to manage your construction project. Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one, you can manage the job yourself.
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Written by seasoned builders from across the country, this revised edition of Foundations & Concrete Work features 17 new articles from Fine Homebuilding magazine, all focused on helping builders form and pour the absolute highest-quality foundations.
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