The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling, 3rd Edition

I am enjoying this read. It covers most topics. Maybe not to the fullest but I just got it today. I feel it covers each topic to decent basic requirements and mentions code expectations when it can. I would recommend this as a read to familiarize the DIYer with what they may have forgotten or didn't know before you dive in. Certainly can't hurt to brush up on whatever area of a home you will journey into for repairs or improvements.

Great Product!!

I am very impressed with this book. The name "The Visual Handbook of Building And Remodeling" pretty much says it all. This book, which is approximately 1 inch thick and printed on high-quality paper, is beautifully illustrated with hundreds of full-color, isometric, and cross-sectional views of just about anything to do with the construction of a building. There are page after page of design guidelines including dimensions of just about any room in a home. Diagrams and dimensions of walks, ramps, level changes, kitchens and seating are clearly illustrated including the recommended dimensions. Brick sizes, brick veneer construction and various brick building tables are included. The cross-sections of every construction detail are clearly drawn with each part distinctly labeled. Table after table of easily understood joists and rafter dimensions, allowable spans, truss construction of various types with tables and again clearly illustrated. There are chapters on roofing, with asphalt,cedar and other shingles and flashings. Plumbing fittings are illustrated along with water wells and pumps, PVC pipe, sizing drain pipe, roughing in and dimensions. "Meet the Code", including a partial list of the requirements from the 2006 international residential code are included for many of the trades. There is also excellent coverage of electrical wiring for residential buildings including conduit, switches, lights, tables and cross-sections of each of these. I have only touched on the surface of what's available in this book. If you're planning to build a home from the ground up or just planning to do a little remodeling in a few rooms, you will find this book well worth the investment. Even a building contractor would find some useful advice and perhaps a few new ideas contained in this excellent book.

This is a very well written and perfectly illustrated book. Much of what is presented is interested even though a lot of it will be never used. This seems more like a book for having information for making choices.If you are a novice I do not think you can actually complete any task in this book safely, their is not a lot of information. It is good for general housing codes but not necessarily in your home county. However it is a very good reference book on a huge amount of facts that can be very useful.If you are an experienced DIY this may be all you need to complete a lot of the task because the pictures and illustrations are superb. It will take me time to see how useful this book will be because it does have a lot of pages within its binders. It is certainly worth more than the asking price.

Must have for a DIY project/person. Historically, I've spent countless hours researching how to do some house related project online and how to not goof it, plus meet code. I wish now I would have forked over the money much earlier in my life and bought this book. It's a one stop shop for MANY aspects of DIY work around the house. I'm using it now to help with a bathroom remodel and to study for Homeowner's permit tests through my local county building department which will hopefully allow me to pull my own electrical and plumbing permits.Regardless of the outcome of the tests, this is still a great reference source which will save me many hours in the future of searching through online forums, discounting the garbage some folks post, and ultimately I'll read the correct answer the first time in the book. I have NOT yet read it cover-to-cover, but from the number of pages I have read, it's very easy to read and has plenty of pictures and tables to help aid understanding.

I was considering undertaking the daunting task of doing an addition but had no experience. I started off with The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home by Kent Lester which is a great place to start since it helps with writing up contracts, dealing with subs, etc... that this book does not. Not being in the trade though, I had a hard time visualizing what was being described even with the use of Google images. This book made it all clear though with many, many very clear and professionally done images that even a layman such as myself could understand. Even the design elements were a huge help. I think this book fills a need for one source that explains the ins and outs of the home building process that is very understandable. I wish I would have read it even before starting the addition just to understand the inner workings of my home.

This book is great! It has multiple pics showing the correct way to build, not just the written codes. I referred to it often even though I bought the current code book from a different publisher. The examples were very helpful as I have been retrofitting my 130 year old farm house. I wish I had bought this publisher's current code. See my review of the DeWalt code book.

I have dozens of books on home building and this one is the best. It covers the topics in a very straight forward manner with great illustrations. His sections on the thermal envelope, heating , cooling , lighting, and sound are great. These are areas that the average builder does not cover well at all. Anyone building a house should read this book. A home is the largest investment a person makes and reading this book gives you the basic knowledge to see that it is going well. I am an engineer and I used this book while I was the general contractor on my own house.