Buildings & Construction

Green from the Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-Efficient Home Construction (Builder's Guide)

A thorough, informative, and up-to-date reference on green, sustainable and energy-efficient home construction that clarifies definitions of green and sustainable and guides builders and architects through the process of new or remodel green construction, including issues of site, landscaping, durability, and energy-efficiency. It starts with clear explanations of the concepts and fundamentals of green, healthy and energy-efficient construction and walks the reader through the entire construction process, injecting expert advice at every decision point. Construction techniques, materials, and products are thoroughly explained, making the often vaguely understood concepts cleanly understandable. The book gives builders and architects the tools to respond to growing requests from homeowners for green and energy-efficient houses, whether new or remodeled. Homeowners can use the book to understand the concepts, process, and options, whether they're doing it themselves or working with a professional.

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

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.

Building Construction Illustrated

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.
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Illustrated throughout with clear and accurate drawings that present the state of the art in construction processes and materials
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Updated and revised to include the latest knowledge on sustainability, incorporation of building systems, and use of new materials
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Archetypal drawings offer clear inspiration for designers and drafters
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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.

2006 International Building Code - Softcover Version: Softcover Version (International Building Code)

The 2006 International Building Code® addresses the design and installation of building systems through requirements that emphasize performance. Fully compatible with all the International Codes, the 2006 edition provides up-to-date, comprehensive coverage that establishes minimum regulations for building systems using prescriptive and performance-related provisions. Content is founded on broad-based principles that make possible the use of materials and building designs. Structural as well as fire- and life-safety provisions covering seismic, wind, accessibility, egress, occupancy, roofs, and more are included.

Handy Farm Devices: And How to Make Them

Originally published in 1909, "Handy Farm Devices" is more than an engaging trip down memory lane. For any small farmer or homesteader, the techniques and devices described in detail are just as useful, durable, and fully functional today as they were 75 years ago. You will learn to build a portable chicken coop, a stone boat (for moving stone), a lightweight orchard ladder, gates that don't sag, and a handy wood splitter, as well as rudimentary farm structures, well houses, bee hives, a baby's cradle, a cheese press and much more. The charming, turn-of-the-century language and useful and inspirational quotes from Shakespeare, the Bible, Bacon, Longfellow and many others make this book a delight to read. --Mark A. Hetts

The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book

Building Codes Illustrated: A Guide to Understanding the 2006 International Building Code (Building Codes Illustrated)

Get the easy-to-use, illustrated guide to the 2006 International Building Code®.

As the building industry moves toward a single set of construction codes that have no regional limitations, architects, builders, engineers, and interior designers need an interpretive guide to help them better understand how the code affects their practices. The seond edition of Building Codes Illustrated fills this need by interpreting the updated 2006 International Building Code® (IBC) in a visual format that designers both need and understand.

This unique marriage of bestselling author Francis D.K. Ching's illustrative talent and Steven Winkel's code expertise provides an accessible, time-saving companion guide to the latest code. The visual presentation of information extracts the core portions of the building code that are most relevant for professionals and hones building codes down to the essentials. Organized to correspond with related subject matter in the IBC, Building Codes Illustrated enables architects, engineers, and other design professionals to quickly find clarifying information on the nonstructural provision of the IBC. You'll gain a clear and complete understanding of those sections at a glance through enlightening computer-rendered illustrations and succinct yet thorough interpretations.

There's no excuse for not being up to code. Avoid costly mistakes with the invaluable help of Building Codes Illustrated, Second Edition.

Chicken Coops: 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock

Bring your chickens home to roost in comfort and style! Whether you're keeping one hen in a small backyard or 1,000 hens in a large free-range pasture, you will find the perfect housing plan in this comprehensive handbook.

Author and farmer Judy Pangman combed the country to select these 45 plans for housing both laying hens and meat birds (chickens or turkeys). The coops range from fashionable backyard structures featured in the annual Seattle Tilth City Chickens Tour and the Mad City Chickens Tour in Madison, Wisconsin, to the large-scale, moveable structures Joel Salatin has fashioned for Polyface Farm in Virginia.

You'll also find plans for converting trailer frames, greenhouses, and backyard sheds; low-budget alternatives for working with found and recycled materials; and simple ways to make waterers, feeders, and nestboxes. A gallery of color photographs provides other creative ideas to get you going. With basic building skills, a little elbow grease, and this book of plans, you've got all you need to shelter your flock.

How to Build Your Own Greenhouse

Indulge your passion for gardening! Imagine extended growing seasons, homegrown tropical fruits, abundant vegetables ready to pick year-round, exotic orchids, and colorful flowers galore. They're all possible with this comprehensive guide to turning the dream of year-round gardening into a reality.

From the simplest cold frame to the most elaborate freestanding tropical paradise, there is a greenhouse plan in this collection to suit every gardener's needs. Roger Marshall guides you through all the style options, the practical considerations of choosing materials and a site, and every step of the building process, from foundation to glazing.

Whether your interest is in rare orchids or in healthful, organic vegetables for your family, a greenhouse provides the environment to protect and nurture the plants you love. And when it's cold and gray outside, the greenhouse is a welcoming and warm place to feed your gardening hobby.

How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More

Cows and horses, donkeys and mules, sheep and goats, pigs and fowl, even llamas are living on small farms and in backyard barnyards throughout the United States. But how and where are these critters being housed?

Author Carol Ekarius knows. In How to Build Animal Housing, she provides dozens of plans--with illustrated, step-by-step instructions--for species-specific shelters that are well ventilated, safe, appropriate for the animals, appealing, convenient, and a solid value for their owners.

The book is essential reading for anyone interested in animal health and welfare. It includes complete plans and step-by-step, illustrated instructions for sheds, coops, hutches, multipurpose barns, and economical easy-to-build windbreaks and shade structures. Ekarius covers new high-tech, portable structures made of plastics and fabrics, such as hoop houses and hen spas, as well as more traditional alternatives, such as straw-bale structures. Always practical, she enumerates the advantages and disadvantages of ready-to-build kits and modular barnyard buildings and includes designs for watering systems, feeders, chutes, stanchions, and more--the essentials that help owners keep their animals healthy and happy.

Ekarius wisely emphasizes the importance of careful planning, choosing an appropriate housing site, and complying with local zoning regulations; pest control, basic housing maintenance, and insurance costs are also discussed. Real-world advice from farmers and veterinarians on the types of housing and facilities animals like best enliven the text throughout.

How to Build Animal Housing is the most comprehensive and useful guide of its kind. For small-scale farmers, hobby farmers, do-it-yourselfers, and animal lovers, this book is indispensable.