5 comments about The Complete Guide to Flooring (Black & Decker).

1. I suspect that one of the most insane decisions in my life is deciding to redo my kitchen - on my own. This makes all kinds of practical sense, given what labor costs. But I am incorrigibly un-handy. But in a fit of pseudo-parsimony (you never really save any money doing something yourself - you just buy tools instead of labor) and a determination to recover my macho I have sailed into the unknown of plumbing, cabinetry, plastering, tiling, and, worst of all, flooring.

   No sooner did it become obvious that replacing the floor was inevitable than I realized that I was completely clueless about what to use and how to go about it. Of course there is no lack of people who will tell you what they would do, but this is one of those things that you live with forever and it needed to be wholly what I wanted. At this point I scanned the shelf of the local handyman's heaven and found this little cheery volume.

   For the most part it's quite practical. Chapters on planning, design, and preparation nurse you through the start up and dreaded removing of the old floor stages. Then there are chapters on hardwood floors, ceramic and stone floors, resilient flooring, and carpeting. More follows on finishing and repair. More than enough to answer the basic questions of how to close the knowledge gap and make a sensible decision about how to proceed.

   There are countless photos, and the writing style is clear, even if it is a bit dull. Of course, dull is a good thing when making a major household change. One gets excited when the day is over and the job done, not by unexpected drama in the kitchen. This seems as good a reference as any I've seen, and covers far more than I ever wanted to know. I expect that someday soon my cats will be walking on something entirely new. Complaining as they go, of course.




2. I've only helped a neighbour lay a wooden floor before so I needed all the help i could get. This book is informative with good pictures and ideas. It details everything from the tools you need to the different types of flooring and how to lay them
   I now feel confident to embark on purchasing and laying my own wooden floor. Highly recommended for a beginner



3. I'm a novice DIYer and new homeowner of an old place, and I like to get all the help I can before talking to experts. This helped me get informed on some flooring options, and was certainly helpful with illustrating to my carpenter what I wanted in different areas of my current renovation project. I probably would rate it higher if I've had the chance to do the work myself, but that's for later.



4. This is a great book for the do it yourself person. Great full color pictures. Complete step by step details on how to do a particular job. Have looked at several books like this and the Black and Decker book was tops. Not only does this book give you step by step instructions for a project, it also gives you a list of items needed prior to starting project. FYI I am fenmale and feel I can do any floor job with the aide of this book.



5. I've bought this book for my laminate floor project. The book turned out to be a disappointment: it gives no more information than I found on a leaflet from a laminate crate. With great details and pictures it explains very basic things, like it targeted for a 6-years old doing his school science project. But it omits really important details and nuances: how to calculate a layout so you wouldn't end up with the 1-inch wide last row, where to use which molding and how to install it, and so on. And if some unexperienced and not technically-inclined person starts his project using only this book, he very quickly may find himself in the troubles, with lot of materials and time wasted.

5 comments about Running a Successful Construction Company (For Pros by Pros).

1. Although some of the content does not apply directly to Ausralian construction this book has given me a much better understanding of some key business components, in fact it has delivered more than i expected and helped me to focus on systems that i need to implement. It has also made me aware of the fact that some of my priorities needed to be re-aranged. I believe that this book will help my company keep up with the massive growth phase we are currently experiencing.
   David Gration. Director, Home Morph. Pty Ltd.



2. This is a must read for anyone considering going into the construction business. As somebody who was in the business for almost 20 years, I wish this book was around when I first started. It covers all the bases and offers good advice on where to obtain the necessary items you'll need to get up and going.



3. Good solid guide that is informational and to the point, and not overly wordy.



4. This has been a real eye opening book. This book has helped me to organize my accounting system in more stream line manner. I have put a plan together ot implement more of the systems into my business. This book is a must for anyone getting in or already in the construction business. It explains so many aspects of the business that no one tells you about.



5. Most people who start construction companies start out as construction workers who get an opportunity. They are often brilliant at building, but lack training in the business aspect of running a company. My husband and I started a construction firm, he has 15 years experience in construction and I have plenty of business experience. Even with all that we knew between us, there were still huge gray areas in our knowledge base. Because I am an avid reader, I ordered about 15 different books on starting up and running a construction business. Some are wonderful, some are garbage...
   
   This book is helpful in that it really explains the business end of the construction industry. Though this won't tell you how to build a house or a hotel... it will tell you the logistics of bidding, tracking expenses, labor costs, time sheets, draws, and all kinds of other things the those not familiar with the industry might have problems with the first go round. It helps you to figure out all of the little things that you might forget when trying to determine "if I do the job for X will I make any money?" The book is quite colorful and has excellent graphs, drawings and pictures to really bring to light what they are explaining to you.
   
   If you are considering either starting a construction company, or trying to move up in one... I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Working with Wood (Complete Illustrated Guide).

1. Andy Rae's Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide To Working With Wood is a 'must' for any who regularly tackle woodworking projects. A step-by-step reference covers different techniques for working with the wood, packing in nearly a thousand photos and drawings to show how to buy lumber, dry it, store it, join it, and machine it. Andy Rae has his own woodworking business and designs his own furniture; his extensive background making furniture and teaching woodworking lends to a splendidly simple presentation outlining different wood qualities and how to work with them.



2. This book is an expanded and comprehensive update of the (out of print) classic "Working with Wood: The Basics of Craftsmanship" by Peter Korn. It also includes some of the wood structural information from "Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology" by Dr. R. Bruce Hoadley.
   
   "Working with Wood" examines not only how to fell a tree, cut it up, sticker the wood, build a kiln, and when to use the lumber, but also how to construct furniture so it doesn't crack, or buckle due to changes in seasonal humidity. This book is well on its way to becoming a new classic.



3. Everything you need to know to work with wood illustrated by numerous beautifull pictures.
   You will find informtation on how to cut, dry, and use wood to build furniture.



4. This book is extremely comprehensive and full of great detailed pictures. Even better than the original. This would make a great companion to "The Encyclopedia of Wood" from the U.S. Department of Agriculture!



5. Between the covers of this impressive tome. lie an incredible depth, breath and detail relative to the topic of wood and wood working. Beautifully written. explained and photographed, this is the gold standard on this topic!
   
   Ken Manuelian

1 comments about 2006 International Energy Conservation Code - Softcover Version (International Energy Conservation Code (Paper)).

1. This book was in excellent condition, and was very helpful in a professional exam that I had to take.

1 comments about Unified Design of Steel Structures.

1. This book is well written and is up-to-date with the AISC 13th edition Manual. The explanations given are clear and concise. However the book is too thin to cover the breadth of Steel Design. More topics need to be addressed and each topic needs to be presented with a lot more depth.
   In summary, a better title for this book could have been "Unified Steel Design for Dummies".

5 comments about Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book.).

1. Everything you ever wanted to know about building a straw home from the ground up can be found in this manual.



2. I've been doing research for a house I'm hoping to build in 5 to 10 years, and straw bale is one of the wall systems I'm seriously considering. This book was extremely informative. I confess I often skimmed past sections dealing with cold, wet climates (I live in Arizona), but sometimes I read through them just because they were so interesting. If you're considering using this wall system for your own project, this book is a good place to start.



3. This is a great book and for anyone thinking of building in a damp climate a must have. Great information about the various ways of doing things, allowing the reader to make the best choice for their site, budget and level of skill. Covers wet weather considerations better than most other books. A good addition to your straw bale library.
   
   One warning, in this book the straw bale slab system is detailed but has since been shown to be a not so good idea so I would reccommend separate research on that subject.



4. I hope to build a natural house some day and am still in the research stage, looking at various alternatives. Straw bale is of course a serious contender. I am not a builder or a handyman; as a lay person I found this book satisfyingly detailed. "More Straw Bale Building" by Chris Magwood is another worthwhile read on the subject and balances this ones anti-Nebraska and pro-cement stucco biases somewhat. Anyway, what both books do is make it clear that building with straw bale isn't like Lego. It is serious stuff and requires a professional builder, and the money to pay them.
   
   One other thing: I really liked this book's introduction to other alternative building materials. It has given me other things to research.



5. Really good book with plenty of technical information, drawings, schemes. I would recomend that item for architects interested in this technology. It's one of few books on the market which are really "serious" about straw bale. It's not for people interested in colourful images and photos of buildings... it's not for design inspirations.

5 comments about Practical Pole Building Construction: With Plans for Barns, Cabins, & Outbuildings.

1. I'm 2/3 done with a garage that's based on a plan in this book. I'm using this book for pole barn-specific info, and "Building a Multi-Use Barn : For Garage, Animals, W..." for the rest. Together, these two books give me enough information, without going overboard. Good luck to you; I'm having a blast!



2. This book is very good. The information is presented in great detail in a very useable way. I found myself wanting to build with poles! Highly recomended.
   Sincerly, Adelbert M. Vinal Jr.



3. Although the book had some helpful hints I was looking for more practical instructions on how to build a pole barn. The book did not go in deepth enough and had little information on pole barns. I was looking for ideas to help setting the floor grade and where to get started after lay-out is finished



4. This is a very complete book that doesn't leave the reader asking for details like so many others. It's written so beginners can understand it and it contains all the design criteria, load tables, joint details, and so forth that an experienced builder needs to get a building permit and construct a building. Seddon inlcudes practical "how to" answers beginning with construction of a temporary frame to lift tall poles into holes in the ground without killing yourself trying. Framing and jointing details, connections, siding, windows and finish are all here. I built many stick frame homes over several years and was looking for information on construction of a pole frame home. I found it very useful and practical.



5. This book is fine, as far as it goes, but does not address the trend towards using cast concrete pole bases and untreated poles rather than using direct-burial treated poles.

5 comments about Markup & Profit: A Contractor's Guide.

1. Just skimmed this detailed book and its focus is profitability for a construction company. Includes a CD with helpful forms and checklists.



2. While the book has some great advice and positive inspiration. I thought it was a bit dated for 2007. The forms on the CD were old and lacking. I had made a batch of forms before I read the book that were much better. I would like to see someone do a book like this focusing on a specific trade.



3. it is a very good book that help new contractors and even old ones to price properly and not to lose also it gives alot ot tips



4. 
   This book has a world of information that is extremely helpful for any aspect of the construction field from start to finish. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone that wants to know how to lower their overhead and still give out quality service with a greater profit or to someone that is looking for inexpensive ideas on marketing their business to increase activity.



5. El libro es una buena guia para la evaluación y analisis de riesgos y utilidades, debemos considerarlos en la estimación de los Proyectos de construccion.
   La entrega del producto por amazon fue en en el tiempo estimado.

3 comments about Project Management in Construction (McGraw-Hill Professional Engineering).

1. I have worked for 3 years in project management company about construction, but I cannot establish transparent concepts about Project Management. At the moment, this book was messiah to me almost drowning in deep mud pool of construction field. Most of all not only beginners to PM but also skillful PM can gain lots of useful informations from this book.



2. This is a carefully written book focusing on competitively bid commercial construction projects using the "design then bid" method of project delivery. The book assumes that the AIA (American Institute of Architects) set of forms will be used - a reasonable assumption since these forms are apropriate and have long been the standard of this delivery system. If lump sum competative bid is the only project delivery method you will use, this book should be helpful.
   
   However, the very different approaches of construction management, and project management involving contractor input through out the project delivery process, are not addressed. So, the concept of continuous quality improvement can not be used. Simlarly the very common AGC forms more apropriate to these delivery systems are not discussed. Although rehab of old buildings (for change management), and design build are covered in chapters 11 and 12, this is an after-thought not central to the book's approach.
   
   Choosing Project Success - A Guide for Building Professionals



3. This is a great book and very informative. I found it to be accurate when comparing and applying to real life work experience. It is also easy to carry. Good read! I recommend.

4 comments about Carpentry & Building Construction, Student Text.

1. This is an excellent book that covers all aspects of building construction. The layout and content of the book are designed for easy reference and reading. A must for those who plan to take the Virginia Contractor's license exams.



2. This book has alot of details, pictures, diagrams, and charts and makes it very easy to read and understand for the newbie in construction. I highly recommend it.



3. "..... this new edition presents information that has been updated, reorganized, and rewritten.
   All photographs and drawings are new....."
   
   "..... Those who carefully use this book to
   INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOP CARPENTRY SKILLS
   should be able to:
   
   * Identify career opportunities in the building trades.
   * Demonstrate competency in the use of the materials and tools used in building construction.
   * Understand the building codes used in residential construction.
   * Read the prints and technical materials used in residential construction.
   * Demonstrate carpentry skills meeting or exceeding recognized standards....."
   
   [from the book of the preface]



4. When starting out with very basic knowledge of carpentry and building, this is the perfect book for learning. This book explains many aspects of carpentry, tools, and equipment. This book also explains the importance of zoning and would be beneficial for all interested in the construction or carpentry industry. You could benefit from this book if you are interested in making improvements to your land or home.