Library builder

The fundamental tasks of carpentry are mea­suring, marking, cutting, and joining. And though circular saws and power drill-drivers have largely replaced handsaws, braces, and screwdrivers, many carpentry tasks can still be done with hand tools (see the photo above). Like power tools, many hand tools have improved over the years. READING A TAPE MEASURE Tape […]

Getting Acquainted with Tools and the Parts of a House The craft of carpentry has a long and honorable heritage. Ages before we began recording our history, our ancestors were shaping and joining materials to create various types of shelters. Today, we are the fortunate inheritors of centuries of accumulated knowledge, experience, skills, and tools. […]

It’s not uncommon for builders or owner — builders to view the local building department as enemy turf. Let me suggest that your building experience will be immeasurably more positive, productive, and efficient if you view the build­ing department as a resource and think of the building inspector as someone who can help you. Certainly […]

Whether we admit it or not, we all respond emotionally to our surroundings. Buildings create interior environments that can be drab,

Often, especially in the city, houses are just plopped down square on the lot with a 15-ft. setback from the street and a 5-ft. side yard to meet building-code requirements. Such a building is a stranger to its land. Sometimes we can do better than that. Ideally, a house should be of the land, not […]

The bumper-sticker slogan, “Live Simply That Others May Simply Live,” speaks to the design aspects of an affordable house. To increase the cost of a house, all you need to do is complicate its design. Affordable housing is, by nature, small and simple. The same formula that makes for a safe house in earthquake country—small, […]

If you’re building a house, somewhere along the line you’ll likely need to hire a con­tractor. Whether it’s a surveyor, excavator, foundation contractor, plumber, electri­cian, or other tradesperson, you’ll want to choose carefully. Regardless of the job, always get bids from at least three contractors. Ask questions about their work, ask to see other work […]

Site, Design, Permits, and Preparation Building a house is a long journey, and one of the most important characteris­tics you can possess is optimism. In this context, I often think about President Jimmy Carter, who has done so much to promote the work of Habitat for Humanity. Over the years, he and his wife Rosalynn […]

Since this book was first published in 2002, the need for decent, affordable housing in this country (and throughout the world) has only in­creased. It is astonishing, but millions of families spend over one-third of their income on housing alone. Even families with steady middle-class incomes struggle to purchase homes and make mortgage payments on […]