The beam and lumber requirements for your jobs aren't always clear, especially with changing building codes and lumber products. If you need to figure any type of on-the-job lumber engineering, this book will help fill the gap between what you can find in building code span tables and the complex calculations that you need to hire a certified engineer to do. The book covers most building types and framing systems, including door, window and roof framing. And there's a chapter on connections, retrofitting with anchor bolts, framing anchors and tie-downs, plus the latest requirements for cross-bridging and anchoring. Also included is an important chapter on designing concrete formwork -- figuring the pressures, tolerances, and thickness for plywood, Plyform, composition, and fiber-reinforced plastic. In the back of the book you'll find a computer disk with an easy-to-use version of Northbridge Software's Wood Beam Sizing "TM". Just follow the step-by-step instructions in the program to find out what size member you need for the spans and loads that you require based on the wood species that you're using. Requires Windows 3.1 or higher.

Basic engineering principles are offered in non-technical language that the builder can put to use on his jobs. Includes understanding engineering requirements on the plans and how to meet them, sizing of structural members using only preliminary plans, and requirements for steel, concrete, and masonry.

Concrete can be a pretty unforgiving building material. Ask any of the builders who come into your store and they'll usually have a horror story to share about a concrete job gone awry and how much it cost them.Basic Concrete Engineering for Builders may be one of the only books available today that explains how to avoid common concrete problems with foundations, slabs, columns, and more. It gives step-by-step explanations on how to plan, mix, reinforce and pour concrete. It also shows how to design concrete for buildings -- the calculations, the tables, and the rules of thumb, with examples and insight into the working knowledge that every builder needs.Most builders don't end up specifying requirements for structural concrete work. That's the job of an engineer. But most builders working with concrete need a good general understanding of the concepts behind structural concrete engineering. They need to know about: surveying, foundation layout, formwork, form materials, forming problems, aggregates, admixtures, reinforcing, mixing and placing requirements, pumping, creating joints, curing, and testing the concrete's strength. They need to know basic design for walls, columns, slabs, slabs-on-grade, one- and two-way slabs, elevated slabs, equipment pads, pre-cast walls, retaining walls, basement walls, crib walls, reinforcing beams and girders, driveways, sidewalks, curbs, catch basins, manholes and other miscellaneous structures, as well as how to calculate the reinforcement needed for these structural components. You'll find all this information in this book and on the software included in the back.Includes Free Engineering Software: A CD-ROM is included with easy-to-useengineering software for designing simple concrete elements for beams, slabs and columns.

Material prices and manhours for estimating new construction costs.

All those of us without traditional skills need to know to build with timber framing Many natural building methods rely upon the use of post and beam frame structures that are then in-filled with straw, cob, cordwood, or more conventional wall materials. But traditional timber framing employs the use of finely crafted jointing and wooden pegs, requiring a high degree of craftsmanship and training, as well as much time and expense. However, there is another way... Timber Framing for the Rest of Us describes the timber framing methods used by most contractors, farmers, and owner-builders, methods that use modern metal fasteners, special screws, and common sense building principles to accomplish the same goal in much less time. And while there are many good books on traditional timber framing, this is the first to describe in depth these more common fastening methods. The book includes everything an owner-builder needs to know about building strong and beautiful structural frames from heavy timbers, including: the historical background of timber framing crucial design and structural considerations procuring timbers-including different woods, and recycled materials foundations, roofs, and in-filling consdierations the common fasteners. A detailed case study of a timber frame project from start to finish completes this practical and comprehensive guide, along with a useful appendix of span tables and a bibliography. Highly illustrated, this book enables 'the rest of us' to build like the professionals and will appeal to owner-builders, contractors and architects alike.

A common-sense index to help you quickly find what you need in Volume 1 of the UBC. Topics are listed under names you use in construction. Guaranteed to help you save time looking for what you need in the Code.