Working Alone: Tips and Techniques for Solo Building
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This unique book is worth a second set of hands by offering solo builders and do-it-yourselfers proven tips, techniques, and shortcuts for careful, precise, and safe construction. 130 drawings. Library Journal Carpenters will be enthusiastic about both these new efforts. Together they make a complete package for anyone interested in building. Spence has produced a hefty textbook-style guide to carpentry that covers the entire process of building from planning through finishing. The scope is impressive--704 pages and 2300 black-and-white photographs and drawings, building codes, foundations, framing, doors and windows, exterior finishing, cabinet construction, and tools. Newer techniques, such as steel framing and popular trends, like post-and-beam construction, are covered in separate sections. The comprehensive safety section is outstanding. Many of the processes are way beyond the comfort zone of the average do-it-yourselfer; however, there is something here for everyone, beginner to expert. Most do-it-yourselfers have encountered jobs where they could have used three or four hands; Carroll, a solo homebuilder, has come to their rescue with a slim volume that shows many of the tricks he uses to safely and efficiently complete work on his own. Readers who have completed projects will be suprised at how much easier their projects would have been had they known Carroll's techniques. Using straightforward text and line-drawings, he shares a variety of tips and labor-saving techniques for masonry, framing, siding installation, measuring, and hanging drywall. He shows how to cope with problems such as the collapse of the overextended tape measure. There really isn't anything else like this book on the market. Spence's title will get greater use in the library because it is a more general reference title; but both are excellent and will appeal to both do-it-yourselfers and professionals. Recommended for larger public library collections.--Jonathan N. Hershey, Akron-Summit Cty. P.L., Akron, OH Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Introduction2Chapter 1Replacing a Helper's Hands4The principal challenges of working alone6Three ways to overcome the challenges7Chapter 2Masonry Work18Working with mortar19Laying out a foundation21Squaring up small projects32Setting up scaffolding33Chapter 3Floors and Walls36Framing floors37Building walls41Erecting walls43Chapter 4Stick-Built Roofs57Laying out the roof58Building the roof68Chapter 5The Shell77Framing nonbearing walls78Finishing the eaves and rakes82Installing windows and doors88Shingling the roof91Installing wood siding93Chapter 6The Interior98Hanging drywall99Working on doors103Running trim103Hanging wall cabinets110Squaring up a large tile layout110Chapter 7Decks117Outside structure118Inside joists135Final steps139Chapter 8Limitations of Working Alone141Jobs for more than one142Using subcontractors to finish the job145Facing the workday alone146Resources149Index151
