Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling: A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Materials and Systems for Every Part of Your Home/5th Edition

Great for reference

This book is very explanatory with a lot of illustrations. It goes over so many topics and things that could come up on a build. Great for a beginner like me.

This book is a must for any builder or trades guys. I’m getting ready to build my first spec home and this book is great. All codes are visually shown which makes it easy for anyone to understand.

Detailed information on residential construction

My husband and I are building our own home and I purchased about 10 books to help us with designing and building (we aren't total noobs, but both of us have areas we lack knowledge). I could have just bought this book and been done. The drawings, the tables, and the text are amazing and I'm obsessed with this book. I can't stop reading it and learning. Must have for anyone looking to building remodel their own home.

Very handy book. Couldn't help but buy a few more for my brothers

Exactly what I was looking for as a homeowner aspiring to be more.

This is a great reference as you can tell just by previewing it through the desciption page. My only complaint is that I did not realize I was buying a 21 year old book on building and remodeling! Obviously that's my fault, but only now do I see what I did wrong -- Even though I was looking at the newest edition, when I made my selection for which seller and price to choose, I ended up ordering the 1990 edition by mistake. Lesson learned: Be extra careful to read the publish date even when you are choosing a seller via the item description that shows the edition you want. Still, the information in this book is invaluable and well worth the price. [As long as you get the new one]Try this:The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling, 3rd EditionTo help you understand the purpose of this book; It's not going to walk you through the actual building or renovation process from a physical labor standpoint, rather it will explain the properties of the many building materials, methods, and measurements you will need to know to do almost any residential project. There is a TON of information in this book, and you will certainly learn a lot by reading it. It covers aspects from climate zones and average wind directions to tables describing the charecteristics of everything from wood species and caulks to sources of water vapor and sound transmission classes of walls. It tells you all the detailed stuff you might want/need to know, but can't find out simply by asking the guy at the home improvement store. This is a great source of information that would be a perfect guide during a building/remodeling project once you are already familiar with basic carpentry and have at least some relevant experience. It would also be a good purchase if you just want to better understand the ins and outs of what goes into building and remodeling a home.