Library builder

IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE a decent place to live. Most of us don’t want to live in a mansion. We only want a clean, safe place where we can live and raise our children. A decent house uplifts our spirits and provides dignity and hope for the future. It is hard for many people […]

If you’re drawing your own plans, the process— though slow and often frustrating—will give you a clearer understanding of your house than many builders ever have. It can save vou from making costly mistakes and will likely contribute to building a better house. A good wav to test vour ability to visualize a house design […]

BUILDING A HOUSE REQUIRES that you learn more than one new language. Besides the termi­nology of building (plates, braces, lined walls, plumb, toenail, and the like), there’s also the visual vocabulary of lines, symbols, and notations found on building plans. Fortunately, most of these sym­bols are fairly easy to understand (see the illustra­tion at right). […]

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 […]

Consider building a wheelchair ramp leading to an entry or at least providing гост fora ramp to be built in the future. An accessible ramp has a 1 — in-12 rise (1 ft. of rise for every 12 ft. of length). When designing a house, its smart it) look beyond what your needs are today. […]

Installing a fence around your site is a good idea. It can deter or prevent the theft of tools and building materials. It also makes the site safer by discouraging unauthorized visits. Liability insurance is also a good idea, and it may even be required if you’re borrowing money from a bank. Always work to […]

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 […]

The first step in building a house is finding a place to put it. This is not a step to be taken lightly. There are many factors to consider, not the least of which are the exact location of property lines, the setback requirements (the distance a house must be set back from prop­erly lines), […]

high on the short-grass prairies of western Nebraska, that huge inland sea of grass where the only constant is the wind whistling across the snow-covered, sagebrush hills. Aged, warped, unpainted clapboard siding hardly slowed the wind and cold. It was an uninsul­ated farmhouse with no central heating, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and windows that […]