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106 of 107 found the following review helpful:
 An excellent detailed building reference Feb 22, 1999
By Mark Stanley (mstanley@putnamrf.com)
As a former building contractor, I can say that this book offers builders of all levels drawing views that blueprints sometimes do not even afford. There are detailed views of alternative approaches for same-type applications that cover most problems encountered during a building or remodeling project. I initially bought this book as a refresher in anticipation of a planned project on my own home, but it has turned out to be one of the best reference books in my library.
130 of 133 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Resource Dec 09, 1999
By John Nordstrom
This book is my favorite resource for, well, frame construction. I've used it for as a reference for doing detail drawings and as a reference for doing actual construction. I'm adding on to my house, doing most of the work myself. Whenever I hit a snag or need to do something I only vaguely know how to do (which is more often than I'd like), this is the first book I turn to. The drawings are of excellent quality, the text is extremely clear, and the layout like a fine set of blueprints. Its indexed well enough that you can find what you need quickly. The spiral binding is perfect for taking it to the job site and letting it stay open on the page you need.I'd highly recommend this book to apprentice carpenters, general contractors, architectural students, architects, and do-it-yourselfers. Thallon's Graphic Guide to Interior Details makes a nice compliment to this book, though I don't find it as necessary.
26 of 26 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent text, awesome drawings Nov 07, 2001
By D. Kasakitis
"Graphic Guide to Frame Construction" is an excellently illustrated spiral bound 'book' on wood frame construction. It covers all the major elements of home construction, from foundation, to floors, to walls, to roofs. It can be read as a book but is very reference-able. It does however assume some basic understanding of home construction, so it's not an absolute starter book. The text is a bit terse and requires some mulling over, but the drawings are fantastic. If you are considering building an outbuilding, adding on to your home, or perhaps even building your own home, this is one must have book, worth every single penny paid. Did I say that the illustrations are fantastic? They are.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Great for do it yourselfers Dec 13, 2001
By Sheree Lee Pennington
I purchased this book for my husband for Christmas, but after he commented that he wanted to build a shed, I had to give it to him early. He designed the shed he wants to build based on the book, but now has moved onto re-siding our home, again based on the book. This book provides all of the fine details on how to build, frame, and do it all yourself. It contains better detail then most internet sites and very specific drawings. A great purchase for a do-it-yourselfer who wants to do things correctly!
35 of 39 found the following review helpful:
Great reference book with TONS of Practical information Jul 11, 2003
By B. Christensen
"Frequent traveler, business owner, and self-professed gadget junkie"
I am a homeowner and adventurous tinkerer with all things mechancial/technical. I have never swung a hammer for a living, and am fairly clueless when it comes to general construction. (I have installed windows, replaced drywall, repaired plumbing, and run electrical simple lines, never built anything from scratch). I am about to embark on a complete remodel of a previously converted garage, and wanted to do most of the work myself. Armed with a copy of Visio 2002, I planned the layout of the new room (about 20' x 15') which will include moving some interior walls and doors, blocking an exterior window, installing a new interior window, and extensive removal and replacement of siding, sheathing, drywall, stucco, flooring, etc. Well, I needed a book that could augment my basic "sense" of the way things should look with some actual technical information. For example, how exactly do you frame an opening for a new window or door? How do you frame up a new wall segment that joins to an existing wall segment? What the heck is a "king stud" any way? All of this information is laid out very nicely in a textbook-like format, with lots of diagrams. The great thing is the way that the author starts each section with an overview drawing (say of a typical exterior frame of a house), then points to specific features, which are then detailed in subsequent sections. I would liken this to a "Bentley Manual" for automotive repair; it will not tell the complete novice how to build a wall, but for someone who already knows the difference between a 10d hot-dipped box nail and a 8 x 1-1/4" Drywall screw it is a great reference and can add a LOT of clarity to the way that homes are actually constructed using "best practices". (It will also help point out all the shortcomings of the manner in which your 50's era home was built! :-) My only complaint with the book is that it is very sparse on "method" descriptions. Essentiallly there are just short paragraphs with brief descriptions that can sometimes be a bit cryptic. These would be very clear to a professional builder, but for someone like me, they require a bit of head scratching and guessing at times. I had great fun looking at the diagrams, then pulling off wall paneling and seeing the relationship between the drawings in the book and the actual construction of my home.
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