The Complete Visual Guide to Building a House
The Complete Visual Guide to Building a House book cover

The Complete Visual Guide to Building a House

Hardcover – Illustrated, March 18, 2014

Price
$38.49
Format
Hardcover
Pages
528
Publisher
Taunton Press
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1600850226
Dimensions
8.5 x 0.87 x 10.88 inches
Weight
3.77 pounds

Description

"The Taunton Press is justly famous for publishing high quality books and magazinesxa0about homebuilding and home design -- not to mention the influential Fine Homebuilding magazine. Now they have launched what I would call the essentialxa0home building bible: The Complete Visual Guide To Building A House , by John Carroll, builder and regular contributor to Fine Homebuilding ,xa0and Taunton Press illustratorxa0Chuck Lockhart". Dan Gregory, Houseplans.com Chuck Lockhart is an artist, living in New Preston CT. He was the art director for Fine Homebuilding magazine for over 18 years and now serves as an illustrator for Taunton Books.John Carroll has been building and repairing houses since the late 1960s and is still an active remodeling contractor in Durham, NC. He is a frequent contributor to Fine Homebuilding Magazine and is the author of "Working Alone" and "Measuring, Marking & Layout.

Features & Highlights

  • 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.
  • It’s your single source for reliable instruction in building a house from foundation to finishing touches
  • ― and it’s a beautiful book as well.
  • An essential reference for builders, carpenters, and homeowners!
  • Find everything you need in one easy-to-navigate guide that covers all the bases:
  • Building the structure: foundations; floors; walls; ceilings; raftered and trussed roofs
  • Building the structure
  • : foundations; floors; walls; ceilings; raftered and trussed roofs
  • Closing the house to weather: roofing; installing windows, doors, siding and trim; controlling moisture
  • Closing the house to weather
  • : roofing; installing windows, doors, siding and trim; controlling moisture
  • Finishing the house: wall and floor coverings; hanging interior doors; installing trim and cabinets; building stairs
  • Finishing the house:
  • wall and floor coverings; hanging interior doors; installing trim and cabinets; building stairs
  • Expert step-by-step instruction and detailed illustrations.
  • The Compete Visual Guide to Building a
  • House
  • combines the expertise of builder-author John Carroll with over 1,200 full-color drawings by illustrator Chuck Lockhart. Finally, a step-by-step guide that provides a complete course in residential carpentry and construction from two pros who, together, have over 65 years of experience in the building trades.
  • Eliminate guesswork and avoid costly missteps
  • . Building a house is a complex and challenging undertaking that requires knowing what needs to be done at every critical step  – and that’s exactly what you will find in
  • The Complete Visual Guide to Building a House
  • . With this guide in hand, you’ll be armed with the right information and clear illustrations whenever you need them.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(281)
★★★★
25%
(117)
★★★
15%
(70)
★★
7%
(33)
-7%
(-33)

Most Helpful Reviews

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60 % happy.

The book is good but the title is in the rear cover .
There is not mention of , plumbing,electrical or A/C in the book ,just carpentry .
that is why the title sould have been:
"THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO RESIDENTIAL CARPENTRY"
91 people found this helpful
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Will save you from spending a year on YouTube

I suspect that if someone who hasn't built anything had this book, an unskilled helper, and a knowledgeable friend to call once in awhile, he could construct a decent house.
38 people found this helpful
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Great easy to understand diagrams!

I think this is the BEST book for the common handyman. Shows all aspects of home construction. I bought my first copy in 2003 when I was designing a house for my husband and I to build. He had a lot of skill (not a carpenter, but a lot of general skill) and he referred to the book several times during construction for some professional help. I just bought another copy for my son who is building a garage on his own.
32 people found this helpful
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Simple yet comprehensive instructions

Like John Carroll's other work, this book is excellent! It has clear, well-labeled illustrations that make the concepts and instructions easy to understand. This book really breaks down the house-building process into steps that are easy to comprehend. Unlike some other books, it does not over-simplify the process by just presenting a single textbook-like scenario, but actually addresses the real-life issues one might encounter when building a house.
21 people found this helpful
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Hits the nail right on the head!

This is a wonderful guide for house building. There are great illustrations, which are great for a visual learner like me. I have recently inherited land that I would like to build a cabin or house on, and this book helps round out my resources. While I appreciate [[ASIN:1626549915 Your Cabin in the Woods]] for inspiration of cabin-life and some beautiful hand-drafted blueprints, the detail of illustrations in this Complete Visual Guide are far superior.
21 people found this helpful
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Excellent illustrations. Very comprehensive

Excellent illustrations. Very comprehensive. I already have a handful of home building books, but I didn't hesitate to add this one to the others. The information may not be new, but the clear diagrams are worth the cost
18 people found this helpful
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Best book for architects with little residential experience.

As an architect with commercial experience but no residential experience, good books on are extremely hard to come by and are usually sparse on specifics.

This book is great-- you could actually build a house with just this book.
16 people found this helpful
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Thourough on foundation and framing

75% foundation and framing. The other 25% finishing work. I bought the book for the finishing really for remodeling my home. This book is really geared for the complete build mostly focusing on the foundation. Great illustrations and detail
15 people found this helpful
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excellent reference tool for beginners and experts alike.

Awesome book. I'm a professional carpenter but still go to this book for reminders and guidance when i come across things I haven't seen or haven't done in a long time. Great end to end reference. The visualization makes its incredible fast and easy as a reference tool.
14 people found this helpful
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Perfect reference!

My husband loves this book - so much so that he ordered it for our son in law who will soon be breaking ground for a new home — now they can confer and refer to page number “in the hymnal” :-)
9 people found this helpful