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Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent reference book.Highly recommended.
I thought this book was absolutely fantastic with the loads of information it provided.It is also LOADED with COLOR pictures.What I liked about it is that it taught me how to go about figuring out a layout for my new home and provided me with measurements for everything (i.e. how much space you need to provide in certain areas, etc.).I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is planning on building their own home.

Excellent during planning/design stages
This book presents a lot of information that is helpful during the early planning/design stages. Its easy to read layout and good use of pictures/diagrams brings out points that were either missing or hidden in some other books I have used.
I ended up using this book extensively, both for ideas and as a reference.

Note that the title of the book is something of a misnomer, less than 1/3 the book
is on 'building'. However the other 2/3 more than compensates for this. ... Read more

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Exactly what I was looking for
This book answered all my questions with straight-forward, easy to understand instructions and illustrations. It not only answers "how" but also answers "why". It covers every type of roofing I could think of. I'm not sure if it would offer anthing new to a professional but for a do-it-yourselfer like me it was exactly what I was looking for. In particular, I had been having a hard time finding anything online that explained the composite shingle weaving technique for valleys. This book explained and illustrated it very clearly and gave other solutions for valleys as well. ... Read more

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Great if you are building a new house....not so great for an existing house
I have finally gotten tired of high energy costs, and decided to take on adding weatherization to my house.My house is reasonably modern-built in '92, and no worse built than the average custom home.I live in an area of very high winds (50+mph), so there was probably some payback to added insulation.

I bought this book hoping that it would help me plan and prioritize my projects, make specific suggestions to certain problems, and provide an overview of materials available.I also bought Popular Mechanics Weatherproofing and Insulation by Albert Jackson (which I also reviewed, and found this to be the more useful of the two).

To start with, the book is probably about 80% geared to new construction rather than fixing problems with older houses.This was sort of a game breaker for my own needs, although I believe the book would be invaluable for new construction...or monitoring what your contractor is doing.

For existing projects, I found it more hit and miss.Perhaps the best way to describe it is to provide specific examples of things I was trying to do.

1. Weatherstripping:Every time I consider weatherstripping, I end up going to Home Depot, and getting frustrated.There must be a dozen types of weatherstripping, and it is never quite obvious which ones would be appropriate.I was hoping for a detailed overview with how to instructions.Instead, what I found in the book was "There are a variety of weatherstripping products.Some will work better for your insulation than others".Similarly for door sweeps- "There are a variety of designs available, so choose the one that seems to fit your situation".

2. Duct sealing: I am fairly sure I am losing heat and pulling cold air into my ductwork.I had planned on insulating these, but the book was silent on specific ways to do that, other than saying that it was a good idea.I am considering gluing rigid panel foam to the ducts, or perhaps wrapping fiberglass around the ducts.In one section, the book mentions that fiberglass isn't a good solution for reducing drafts and air leaks, but no mention of what to do with ducts.

3. Drafts coming from electric outlets:This book does mention the foam inserts that you can buy, but I have already installed them and found them lacking.I assume that spraying foam into the wall behind the outlets would be a solution, but no mention of any technique.The book did show some new materials available to solve the problem in new construction.

4. Drafts from improperly installed windows: I had previously removed the interior trim and added foam between the framing and windows.The book suggested this, and provided clear directions.Unfortunately it did not caution against using expanding foam (rather than door and window foam, which has a low expansion) which can warp the door or window.It did mention this in an overview, but not specifically in the window insulation section.The book also mentions adding or replacing weatherstipping to windows, but doesn't provide much detail on how.

So in summary, the book was somewhat disappointing for my needs.My suspicion is that the book may have been more useful in early drafts, but the lawyers gutted it worrying about liability and building code issues.

The book does have some excellent tips for new construction, which canbe modified for my use.However Ii was disappointed with it as a guide to adding weatherization.

The book was also silent on methods to prioritize projects having the highest payback potential.
... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Extensively illustrated, it presents a detailed examination of typical construction methods and the preparation of architectural working drawings for residential and commercial buildings. Covers drafting materials, tools, techniques, electrical plumbing and plans, heating/air conditioning systems and technical sketching. Contains an in-depth discussion of computer graphics hardware and software as well as basic operating procedures for computer design. Chapters include technical vocabulary, study questions and laboratory problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

is good
The book is in great condition and it came quickly...something i cannot rela
te too

Helps the student progress from understanding what materials to use to making actual drawings
My sixteen year old daughter is seriously interested in becoming an architect and this book is a great resource for her.William Spence has provided an excellent text for people to learn about architectural drawing in all its beginning aspects.

The 24 chapters and 19 appendices fall into three broad sections.The first 9 chapters teach the student about the tools and materials used by architects to make their drawings, technical sketching, various drafting techniques, the basics of computer graphics workstations (this material is dated, but still good as an introduction), using the computer for architectural design and drafting (again, dated material but the process is still sound), architectural drafting standards, reproduction of drawings, the preliminary design process, and contract documents.

The second section encompasses chapter 11-24 and teach the student about drawing foundations & footings, floor - wall & roof construction (separate chapters for light construction and commercial buildings), the title sheet and site plan, floor plans, foundation plans, architectural sections, architectural details, elevations, roof plans & framing plans, schedules, electrical plans, heating & air-conditioning systems, plumbing plans, and pictorial drawing.

The third section are the 19 appendices that provide abbreviations, selected metric conversion factors, and many different kinds of symbols used in drawings as well as ratings, load information, and various tables as well as a glossary.

The chapters present the material effectively and helpfully.They teach the student knew terms, sometimes provide a glossary, the questions act as a chapter review, and the laboratory projects present the student with drawing challenges that help build skills and confidence necessary to move to the next chapter.

I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, and yet the material here makes me want to learn to draw this stuff.So, it must be motivating!

Presentation techniques.
I want to review how to present the architectural works during presentation. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Everyone Should Own a Copy
I'm a woman on my own and this helpful book has saved me more times than I can count. Whether it's giving me a hands-on way to fix something, or a helpful check list to ask workers about that come over for various jobs I can't handle, it always delivers. Well-written and easy to follow, I highly recommend it.

This is a very good book. Here are some others.
This is a very good black & white book. It covers what it covers in considerable detail, and I enjoyed just reading some parts of it for the heck of it. It might be good to check out this book at a library, in order to be sure its your cup of tea.

Generally speaking, no one book can cover all the intricacies of home improvement and construction. So it's best to try to look at the book you're thinking of buying before you purchase it. Try a bookstore or library or home inmprovement store, if possible. I have purchased the following books and found them to be very helpful to me:

Encyclopedia of Home Maintenance & Repair - This is a black & white book, but has very good explanations, especially of electrical.

New Complete Guide to Home Repair & Improvement (Better Homes & Gardens);

Do It Yourself Home Improvement: Step by Step Guide to Home Improvement;

Ultimate Guide to Home Repair & Improvement (Ultimate Guide);

Popular Mechanics When Duct Tape Just Isn't Enough: Quick Fixes for Everyday Disasters (Popular Mechanics) - This is kind of a "Hints from Heloise" for the home fix'r up'r.

Encyclopedia of Home Maintenance and Repair by Spence
This work contains detailed engineering diagrams of building
foundations and components for water meter valves, valve repair
and electrical repair. The author explains how to light a
propane torch. The presentation explains how to shut off the
water flow via the main valve. Electrical tools are described
in detail; such as, the lineman plier, continuity tester, neon bulb and volt tester. Simple electronic definitions are
provided. For instance, energy flows in circuits and a load
utilize electrical current or "I". A short circuit
interrupts electrical flow. A volt tester may be utilized
to test the current. In addition, the author describes
paints; such as alkyd oil paints utilized in many popular
applications. ... Read more

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Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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In Four Volumes. ... Read more