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Volume 1: Everything you need to know to start and run your construction business. Learn the pros and cons of each type of contracting, the records you'll need to keep, and how to read and understand house plans and specs so you find any problems before the actual work begins. Handbook of Construction Contracting, Vol 1 covers all aspects of construction in detail, including all-weather wood foundations, practical math for the job site, and elementary surveying. Plans, Specs, Building No career offers better opportunities than construction. Where else can you start with little cash, no special education and no special skills and build a multi-million dollar company in 10 or 15 years? This isn’t fantasy. It happens regularly – not to everyone, but to many dedicated, hardworking builders in every region of the U.S. Many of the largest construction companies are run by men and women with little formal education. They learned the building business step-by-step, starting from square one. This book covers square one and a lot more. It’ll take you through:
The Author: Jack P. Jones has 25 years’ experience in building and remodeling homes. He’s a skilled carpenter, mason, plumber and electrician. But he knows that none of these skills will keep you in business long if you can’t make accurate estimates and bids that guarantee a fair profit. In this volume, he provides you with the estimating know-how and bidding tips that brought him success. They can do the same for you. Table of Contents: Chapter 1 - The Business of Building, 5 Contractors and Developers,6 Speculative Building, 8 Custom Building, 8 Remodeling, 9 Construction Loans, 10 Getting Started, 20 Chapter 2 - The Workable House Plan, 21 Construction Drawings, 21 Hatching and Shading, 27 Blueprint Lines, 28 Scale, 29 Nashville Plan, 30 Standard Forms, 42 Chapter 3 - Speculative Building, 50 Basic Spec House Plans, 50 Plot Plan and Exterior Elevations, 55 List of Materials, 58 Baseline Estimate, 58 Chapter 4 - Building Specifications, 67 Spec Organization, 68 Spec Language, 70 The Alfred B. Stone Residence, 73 Chapter 5 - Lumber, 86 Lumber Species, 86 Seasoning Lumber, 89 Measuring the Lumber, 90 Grading Lumber, 91 Southern Pine Grade Descriptions, 103 Canadian Lumber, 109 Selecting the Right Lumber, 116 Chapter 6 - Framing the Floor and Walls, 117 Methods of Framing, 117 Modular Coordination, 125 Framing the Floor, 127 Wood Sill Construction, 130 Posts and Girders, 133 Calculating Joist Lengths, 138 Minimum Joist Grades and Sizes, 142 Subflooring, 150 Framing the Walls, 155 Corners and Intersections, 165 Interior Walls, 170 Stairwells, 172 Chapter 7 - Framing the Roof, 175 Roof Trusses, 175 Conventional Roof Framing, 179 Flat Roofs, 181 Gable Roofs, 185 Hip Roofs, 187 Rafter Run and Rise, 190 Cutting Rafters, 195 Roof Sheathing, 201 Roof Coverings, 202 Asphalt Shingles, 205 Ratings, 215 Foam Sheathing, 217 Vapor Barriers, 218 Installing Insulation and Vapor Barriers, 218 Chapter 9 - Designing and Building Stairs, 225 Stairway Terms, 225 Location of Stairway, 225 Width of Stairs, 231 Kinds of Stringers, 232 Framing Around Stairs, 234 Planning Stairs, 237 Laying Out Stairs, 238 Handrail Height, 241 Chapter 10 - Finish Carpentry, 245 Sheathing, 245 Siding, 250 Half-Timber Work, 256 Outside Trim, 259 Cornices, 260 Windows, 263 Doors, 269 Chapter 11 - Interior Finishing, 279 Gypsum Board, 279 Plywood and Hardboard Panels, 284 Finish Floors, 285 Moldings, 292 Kitchen Layout, 294 Kitchen Storage, 297 Kitchen Ventilation, 303 Chapter 12 - Building with Concrete Block, 304 Concrete Block Basements,304 Concrete Block Apartment Buildings, 310 Concrete Block Warehouse Walls, 312 Passive Solar Systems, 316 Chapter 13 - The All-Weather Wood Foundation System, 322 The Materials, 323 Preservative Treatment, 324 Designing the AWWF, 324 Useful Design Aids, 326 Building the AWWF, 327 Comparative Cost Study, 352 Chapter 14 - Residential Fireplaces, 357 Kinds of Fireplaces, 358 Residential Fireplace Construction, 361 Energy-Efficient Fireplaces, 367 Chapter 15 - Residential Chimneys, 369 Chimney Design, 369 Designing Fireplace Chimneys, 370 Designing Appliance Chimneys, 372 Building Fireplace Chimneys, 373 Building Appliance Chimneys, 376 Chapter 16 - Math and Measurements for Contractors, 378 Using Feet and Inches, 378 Using Fractions, 380 Using Decimals, 384 Using Percentages, 385 Decimals in Surveying, 387 Construction Measurements, 388 Volume Calculations, 393 Calculating Lumber Amounts, 395 Chapter 17 - Elementary Surveying and Site Layout, 398 Division of Townships and Ranges, 398 Project Layout, 399 Surveying Instruments, 400 Using the Builder's Level, 403 The Bench Mark, 405 The Datum Plane, 405 Index, 410 Includes: Book By: Jack P. Jones 416 Pages, 8-1/2 x 11 Click here for in-depth information on Volume 2 Click here to purchase both Volume 1 & Volume 2 together. |
