Fundamentals of Residential Construction

This is a revision of the definitive text on home building by bestselling authors Edward Allen and Rob Thallon. It features the latest developments in the materials and methods of house construction, including energy efficiency, and a new chapter on small, multi-family apartment buildings. Organized in a logical, easy-to-follow format, it covers codes, costs, and management procedures, discusses building materials, and explores basic building systems. Profusely illustrated with over 1,250 drawings and photographs, this book includes new photorealistic illustrations that bring the text to life.

Edward Allen, FAIA, has been a member of the faculties of Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has frequently taught as a guest instructor at other institutions across the United States. Along with a teaching career that spans more than thirty years, he has designed more than fifty constructed buildings. He is the best selling author of The Architect's Studio Companion, Architectural Detailing, Form and Forces, and Fundamentals of Building Construction, all published by Wiley.

Rob Thallon, architect, Associate Dean and Associate Professor at the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, is the author of the following best selling series of guides: Graphic Guide to Frame Construction, Graphic Guide to Site Construction, and Graphic Guide to Interior Details. He has more than thirty-five years of experience in residential design and construction, and has designed and overseen construction of numerous custom houses and housing complexes.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xi

PART ONE CONTEXT 1

1 The Context for Construction 2

2 The Construction Community: Builders, Contractors, and Developers 30

3 The Design Community 50

PART TWO MATERIALS 71

4 The Material Wood 72

5 Masonry 110

6 Concrete 148

PART THREE WOOD LIGHT FRAME CONSTRUCTION 169

7 Rough Sitework 170

8 Foundations 190

9 Floor and Wall Framing 218

10 Roof Framing 248

11 Finishing the Roof 276

12 Windows and Exterior Doors 306

13 Finishing the Exterior Walls 328

14 Plumbing 352

15 Heating and Cooling 370

16 Electrical Wiring 392

17 Thermal Insulation 408

18 Fireplaces and Stoves 434

19 Interior Surfaces 456

20 Finishing the Interior 474

21 Finish Sitework 496

PART FOUR ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS 515

22 Multifamily Construction 516

23 Low-Tech, Low-Energy Construction 546

24 Loadbearing Masonry and Concrete Construction 574

25 Timber Frame Construction 592

26 Light-Gauge Steel Construction 608

27 Panelized Construction 622

Glossary 643

Index 669