He ido a un almacen grande de maderas en Ocaa (Maderas Medina) y mno parecen muy receptivos, me

intentaban redirigir a otro cliente suyo que construye casas de madera, pero yo soy pobre y cutre, asi que no
estoy como para pagar muchos euros a nadie.
Despues de insistir, consegui que aceptara que si les llevo las medidas me podrian aconsejar algo sobre las
secciones a utiliar, pero ellos no cortan, asi que me encuentro con varias cuestiones!
") #iarme de que las secciones que me aconsejen sean logicas y no sobredimensionadas (ya me han dicho
cuales se suelen llevar sin decirles yo nisiquiera el vano que quiero $%)
&) Decidir si uso cimientos de ormigon o postes de madera tratada enterrados en gravilla (uno, que es original).
'sto tiene poca importancia.
() )veriguar que tipos de anclajes se usan para anclar postes con vigas, tirantes, etc y donde se compran.
*) )veriguar una manera de cortar y taladrar maderos bien gordos sin electricidad. $generador electrico y radial
alquilados por ejemplo%
+) ,ara levantar la punta de los pilares he pensado poner un andamio solido anclado al suelo con vientos
-uertes, una polea en lo alto y tirar con el coche (es un *.*, en reductoras camina a paso de tortuga) o con el
motocultor (mas lento aun).
/) Decidir si utilio este tipo de construccion! (0e pongo solo los esquemas, pero no se si te he hablado de un
libro muy simpatico, en ingles, que te puedo enviar en un -ichero, de un carpintero (de hace muchos aos) que
e.plica como hacer una casa de madera que se ajuste a tus necesidades, sin mariconadas y muy util, se titula!
1YOUR ENGINEERED HOUSE", de el he sacado las ideas)
2imientos!
0ejado!
3uelo!
,aredes!
'l libro te dice hasta como hacerte tus propias ventanas de cristal -ijo, y unos 4ventiladores5 o trampillas para
ventilar, independientes de los vidrios, por lo que los puede hacer el carpintero y ahorrar mucha pasta. 'n -in,
una curiosidad que no se si encajara bien en la mentalidad de todo un arquitecto de pro
'l menda tiene controlado todo, la condensaci6n, la lluvia, la altura de la gente para adecuar las ventanas a las
medidas estandar de tableros comerciales, las super-icies donde se acumula menos el polvo y hay que limpiar
menos, cuando, como y donde comprar el solar, cuando construir, etc. 7n monstruo. ,or cierto, dice que a la
madera no hay que darle nada, ni barni ni leches, que eso no protege y en cambio te obliga a tener que barniar
cada pocos aos. 3olo usa madera tratada en los cimientos enterrados en el suelo.
8re a preguntar a otro almacen para comparar precios y empear el asunto, si tienes algo que decir, halo ahora o
calla para siempre.
0e mando un troo del libro, donde habla de estos esquemas de arriba, por si tienes curiosidad y ya sabes que si
quieres, te lo envio entero.
3aludos
Manu
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
0he -ooting :hich 8 suggest -or your dream house, is the one :hich in my e.perience has proved to be most
reliable and least troublesome to build, a set o- posts. 'ven :hile the cries o- amaement and the screams or
rage are rising, 8 continue to insist that this to me is the most versatile -ooting o- all. 8t can be used almost
any:here. 8t probably goes -ar into pre9history as the -oundation o- the -irst recogniable man9made d:elling.
)rchitects have rediscovered it time a-ter time, and as o- this :riting, are discovering it all again.
Here is a picture o- the -ooting underneath the o--ice :here 8 sit at this moment. 8 dug some holes, thro:ing the
top loam aside, and in the holes set heavy, chemically treated timbers. 8 -illed the holes :ith clean gravel and
tamped it do:n. ;o po:er machinery :as required, just me and a shovel. 0hen 8 nailed the -irst set o- -loor
beams right across the sides o- the posts, and the building :ent up -rom there.
Having tal<ed so much about ground loading, 8 should e.plain here that a post, called by the builders o- doc<s
and s<yscrapers a 1piling,1 pic<s up ground loading area -rom its sides as :ell as its -oot. 8=d rather not go into
the reasons -or this right no:, but i- you don=t believe it, just try to pull a :ell9set post out o- the ground.
Most builders :ill pre-er cast9in9place concrete posts rather than :ood timbers. 8- you do, don=t -orget to
include steel rein-orcing, plus bolts -or holding do:n the -loor timbers on :hich the house is built.
;evertheless, my s<etch remains the same :hether you use timbers or concrete.
0he s<etch sho:s the sun coming in on the long dimension o- the building rather than cross9:ays. 0he
pre-erred location -or a post9-ooted house is a south9-acing hillside. On a :inter day, the sun, coming in at a lo:
angle, :arms up the ground beneath. )t night the ground tries to re9radiate heat in all directions, but -inds little
to cool to:ard e.cept the house above it. 3olar heat storage material, in this case the ground, has been provided
-or nothing.
Man=s original intention in building himsel- a post9-ooted house may have been to <eep a:ay -rom pro:ling
lions. #e: o- us are seriously troubled by lions today, but post -ooting does neatly help us to escape another
natural enemy, ground :ater. 3etting posts does not disturb the physical structure o- the earth beneath. 8n most
cases it requires no earth9moving machinery heavier than a shovel. 8t creates almost no disruption o-
environment. ;othing is moved :hich has to be ta<en a:ay or put bac<. >est o- all, there isn=t any :ater in the
basement.
8n the scramble -or living space, the post -ooting allo:s you to build your house :herever you li<e, at the
lo:est cost. 8t also gives you the greatest -reedom to create a house :hich loo<s as i- it belongs :here it is. O-
all possible -ootings, 8 li<e it best.
34. How to build a roof
8n post9and9beam construction, as soon as the -ooting is in place, the roo- goes up on its supporting posts. 0his
is a very important advantage. 8mmediate shelter has been provided -or both materials and :or<men. 0here-ore
the roo- comes -irst, but :e have not as yet designed it.
0he -irst thing to decide about a roo- is its slope, i- any. >oth the structure and the covering o- the roo- are
determined in large part by its slope, or 1pitch.1 0his is spo<en o- as the number o- inches o- rise -or each -oot
o- horiontal travel. One inch o- rise to the -oot is 1one pitch,1 si. inches rise to the -oot is si. pitch. ;aturally,
t:elve pitch is one -oot to the -oot, or -orty9-ive degrees, :hile a -lat roo- is ero pitch.
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
Here is the alternative99basic structure, substructure and s<in.
0he posts and beams, spaced -ar apart, constitute the basic structure. 3ub9beams running the long :ay o- the
roo-, spread the load and support the s<in.
0his three9unit structure, or beam, sub9beam and s<in, is a very old principle, and mathematically sound. ?hat
:ill surprise you is that it is actually cheaper than the t:o9unit, or ra-ter and s<in arrangement, because it ta<es
-e:er pounds o- material to support a given load over a given span.
;ot only is it cheaper, but it ma<es a handsome structure, nice to loo< at just as it is. ;o: that :e have decided
to reveal structure and dispense :ith cosmetic decoration on the interior, this is an important point. 8 :ouldn=t
care to loo< at ra-ters all day every day mysel-, but the pattern o- beam and sub9beam loo<s good.
8 also point out that the board or panels on this roo- run in the correct direction, :ith the slope rather than across
it. 0he sti--ness o- the boards thus is added across the greater span, and the board immediately above each beam
becomes a part o- that beam and increases its e--ective depth.
)s -or the material o- :hich your structure is to be made, 8 say quic<ly that in your most9-or9the9money house
you :ill use :ood. ,er unit o- strength, :ood is more e.pensive than steel, but it can be e.posed to the eye
:ithout apology and :ithout covering.
?hat <ind o- :ood depends on :hat you regard as attractive. 3ome <inds o- :ood are stronger, sie -or sie,
than others, but that tells you only :hat sie timbers to use, and ho: many. 8 have never been able to
understand :hy some building codes speci-y <inds o- :ood. 0he important thing in revealed structure is that
you thin< the :ood loo<s good and -eels good. 3ome o- the structural :oods do not. #or e.ample, -ir, a :ood
required in many building codes, and hemloc<, equally sti--, are splintery and not o- pleasant te.ture. 8
recommend instead almost any member o- the spruce or pine -amilies.
?hat you :ill be seeing o- this structure are the posts, beams, cross9beams, and the bottom side o- the -irst
layer o- s<in, :hich :ill probably be either boards or ply:ood. @ou and your architect can have -un deciding
:hat combinations o- te.ture and color you pre-er. Aemember that i- you accept :hat 8 have been saying about
useless and e.pensive decoration, you are not going to paint or even stain your overhead structure. 0he colors
:ill stay light and handsome i- you leave the :ood alone. ?ith the money you don=t spend on cosmetics -or
your house you can buy a second car or build a bigger d:elling.
0he roo- s<in has to <eep heat -rom moving either :ay, by conduction or by radiation, and it has to <eep the
rain out. 0his tas< is complicated and e.pensive. 3ome compromise bet:een total success and economy has to
be made. Here is an e.ploded vie:, in pro-ile, o- the best roo- 8 <no:, all things considered.
0his may loo< complicated to you. 8t isn=t. Bet me e.plain ho: it :or<s, and ho: easy it is to put together.
@ou <no: that it is much easier to :or< do:n than to :or< up. 8 mean gravity9do:n, not prestige9do:n. My
:i-e rests the iron on top o- the ironing board, not underneath. 8n my roo- assembly the carpenter spends all o-
his time nailing do:n, not up.
8t goes together li<e this!
". is a main beam. 8ts shape and design :ill be determined by roo- slope and span and are not sho:n here.
0he main beam sits on posts.
&. are sub9beams -astened to the top o- the main beams.
(. are the visible boards, :hich you may call the ceiling i- you :ish. 0hey are nailed to the sub9beams.
0hey run :ith the slope o- the roo-, and add to the strength o- the beams.
*. are strips o- aluminum -oil, laid shiny side up, shingle -ashion, length:ise o- the roo-.
+. are one9inch spacers, placed on top o- each sub9beam, and nailed through the -oil and ceiling boards into
the sub9beams.
/. is another layer o- aluminum -oil, laid shiny side up, :ith the slope. One layer o- -oil is enough to <eep
outside heat out, but t:o or more layers are required to <eep inside heat in. 0he layer o- trapped air is a
conductive insulation.
C. is another ro: o- one9inch spacers, again set directly over the sub9beams. >y adding to the e--ective
depth o- the sub9beams, they are adding substantially to their sti--ness.
D. is the outer layer o- roo- boards. 3ince it is out o- sight, the boards can be o- lo:er grade than the
ceiling.
E. is still another layer o- aluminum -oil, laid shiny side up, the long :ay o- the roo-.
"F. is 1double9coverage1 roll roo-ing, laid as the name implies :ith a little more than hal- its :idth
overlapping. 8ts sur-ace color should be as light as possible. 0he <ind 8 use is labeled 13no: ?hite,1
:hich you can read to mean a -airly light gray.
8 have -ound one variation on this scheme :hich doesn=t greatly reduce its e--ectiveness and perhaps saves a
little money. #or layers + and / you can substitute a layer o- the cheapest available insulating 1board.1 8 don=t
advise the substitution, but i- you are pushing hard to save nic<els, it :ill :or<.
8=d rather see you use the three layers o- -oil and get the bene-it o- the t:o layers o- air. 0he second one reduces
both conduction and radiation to as near ero as it=s :orth trying to get. 0he -oil used here is not, o- course, the
<itchen variety. 8t is builders= -oil, a sheet o- aluminum on a bac<ing o- <ra-t paper. ?e use it shiny side up
because :e :ant drips and condensation to run o-- easily and cleanly.
)t this point 8 have to ans:er a question -rom the -loor. 1?hat happened to the glass :ool, roc< :ool, or mica
-la<e that are o-ten recommended as insulation%1
)ns:er! you may i- you :ish double the thic<ness o- the spacers, remove the middle layer o- -oil, and -ill the
t:o9inch space :ith :ool. @ou :ill get the same e--ect -or about the same or a little more money.
8 have three reasons -or pre-erring multiple -oil and air. 0he -irst concerns insects, :ho love to build their
homes in the :armth and com-ort o- a :ool batt, but are discouraged by the blea< horions o- aluminum. 0he
second reason concerns -ire resistance. 8-, by sad mischance, the lo:er layer o- board burns a:ay, the batt
insulation :ill -all do:n o- its o:n :eight, e.posing the upper layers to -urther damage. #oil :ill stay :here it
:as put much longer.
0o get at my third and most important reason :e have to e.plore a :hole ne: topic, de:.
@our :eather -orecaster tal<s about the 1de: point.1 0he ability o- air to retain :ater vapor depends on its
temperature. )s air cools do:n, it reaches a temperature, depending on ho: much :ater vapor it had to begin
:ith, :here it has to get rid o- some :ater. 0hat is the de: point. )ir, approaching its de: point temperature,
then coming in contact :ith a cooler solid body, deposits its e.cess :ater thereon. 0his is de:, :etting not only
your -eet in the grass, but steel, :ood, glass, masonry99in -act, everything at the critical temperature.
De: doesn=t 1-all,1 it 1-orms.1 ?hen de: is -orming on the grass, it is also -orming on the ignition system o-
your silent automobile. ?orse, it is -orming some:here on or inside the :alls and roo- o- your house.
8n these three s<etches, the dotted lines represent a graph o- temperature, same time, same place, same day, or
rather, same evening, but three di--erent houses.
0he s<etch at le-t sho:s in simpli-ied -ashion an 1uninsulated1 house, :ith an inner s<in and an outer s<in and
some air in bet:een. ?ith the outer air cooling do:n, and heat -lo:ing more or less -reely -rom inside to
outside, the condensation line almost al:ays occurs on the inside o- the outside. #rom there, in pre9insulation
construction, the :ater runs do:n and soa<s into the sill :hich eventually rots a:ay, but at least the outer
boarding stays dry and the paint stays on. )ll o- us have seen e.treme cases :here the de: -orms on the outside
o- the outside, :here it does no harm at all, but only :arns us that the house is losing heat at a great rate.
;o one builds houses li<e this any more. 0here is al:ays some pretense at insulation. ?hen, a -e: decades ago,
insulation became -ashionable, there :as a great :ave o- -illing the air space :ith some <ind o- :oolly or
-la<ey material.
0he middle s<etch sho:s you :hat happens :ith this <ind o- insulation. 0he temperature at :hich de: -orms is
no: almost certainly to be -ound some:here in the middle o- this semi9solid mass o- insulative material. 0he
de: is deposited there, and it stays there. 0he :hole :all or roo- gets :et and stays :et. ) -e: :ee<s later the
outside paint99this type o- house is al:ays, but al:ays, painted99begins to peel o--. 8n e.treme cases, given a
little more time, the inside plaster99this type o- house is al:ays, but al:ays, plastered99begins to -all o-- too.
0he third s<etch, at right, sho:s you :hat happens :hen :e go bac< to the original scheme but add t:o layers
o- -oil. 0he condensation line :ill almost al:ays be at the outer -oil layer. 3ince :ater and aluminum are not
even country cousins, the de: -orms not so much as moisture but as actual droplets, :hich run do:n and a:ay
-reely. 8- by chance you ignore my advice (many do), and paint the outside and plaster the inside o- your house,
both paint and plaster :ill stay dry.
>ut :hy, you as<, doesn=t the :ater :hich runs do:n rot the sill% )ns:er! later you :ill discover that it runs
out to the ground. 8n the -irst place, your ideal house doesn=t have a sill. 3econd, i- it did, the :all :ouldn=t be
on it at all, but outside it.
?alls crept into the roo- section because both su--er -rom this de: point business. 8 can no: state my major
structural (though not aesthetic) objection to the -lat roo-. 0here isn=t any :ay -or the de: to run out.
Go bac<, please, to my roo- pro-ile s<etch. )s :e have said, each layer o- -oil is actually a s<in o- aluminum
bonded to heavy paper. 'ach layer has its shiny side up. 0hough 8 can=t predict :hich layer is going to be the
de: point, 8 don=t care, because each layer eventually drains to the bac< o- the roo-.
)nother question that may arise concerns the double coverage roo-ing. 0his is sho:n on the assumption that
our roo- pitch :ill be some:here bet:een one and three, and there :e are bac< to pitch again as the important
-actor in many decisions.
) -lat roo- requires the so9called built9up roo-ing, :hich is multiple layers o- paper and tar, covered :ith gravel.
?ith no assist -rom gravity to remove :ater, the job must be care-ully done to be lea<9proo-.
#rom one up to three pitch, double coverage is required. 0his type o- roo-ing can either be stuc< on entirely
:ith tar, or nailed -irst :here the nails don=t sho:. 7nless something punches a hole in the roo-, there is little
chance o- a lea<.
#rom -our pitch up you can use single coverage roll roo-ing. 3ingle coverage roo-ing is laid on :ith only a
narro: lap, and the nails sho:. 0his roo- :ill <eep you dry -or a :hile, and it costs only hal- as much as double
coverage, but the chances are that to <eep the roo- -ree o- lea<s another layer :ill be needed be-ore too many
years. Here, by the :ay, is a chance to do some installment building i- you=re short o- cash. 3ingle coverage
no:, :ith double coverage right over it :hen you can a--ord it.
#or si. pitch and up, aluminum sheet roo-ing has some impressive advantages. 8t is -ire resistant, heat re-lective
either :ay, and permanent. >ecause o- the di--erence in thermal e.pansion bet:een solid metal and the :ood
underneath it, the aluminum sheet may loosen its -astenings and lea<. 7se it :ith caution e.cept on utility
buildings :here an occasional lea< :on=t do any harm. 8- and :hen someone invents a :ay to lay lea<less
aluminum, 8 :ill cancel this last statement and go -or it as the -inest o- all :eather sur-aces.
@ou :ill recall that 8 shrugged o-- shingles as a hopeless and e.pensive anachronism. 8- by chance you don=t
believe me, or your heart tells you that it isn=t a house i- it doesn=t have shingles on it, remember that -our pitch
is the absolute bottom limit. >elo: that, shingles lea<.
)-ter all this tal<, the roo- that 8 recommend is e.actly the one sho:n in the s<etch. 0hat tells you about
everything 8 <no: on the di--icult and important subject o- ho: to build a roo-.
35. How to build a floor
;o: that :e have a roo- over us :e can :or< in any <ind o- :eather. 0he ne.t step is to build a -loor. 8t ma<es
a level place to :al< around :ithout stumbling.
)gain :e start :ith structure. #loors have to be stronger than roo-s. 3hort o- a sno: depth running to very
many -eet, the heaviest load ever put on your roo- structure is t:o carpenters :al<ing around driving nails. 0:o
-eet o- sno:, :ith some rain thro:n in, :eighs less than -i-teen pounds to the square -oot. 8 use thirty pounds
per square -oot, plus the :eight o- the roo- itsel-, in -iguring required roo- strength.
)s -or the -loor, 8 can imagine a party going on :ith one person -or every "F square -eet. 0his averages the
same -i-teen pounds to the square -oot. ;o: add a grand piano, play it, as< everybody to dance, and the -igure
goes up by some:here bet:een t:o and three. 8 use eighty pounds per square -oot -or -iguring required -loor
strength.
Ho:ever, and this is a big ho:ever, the determining -actor in a house -loor is not strength at all, but sti--ness.
?e don=t li<e the -loor to dip and bounce beneath us. 3ti--ness, as you :ill recall -rom the second quarter o- our
structural engineer=s course, -alls o-- t:ice as -ast as strength :hen span increases. 0o <eep our -loor structure
light and there-ore ine.pensive, :e :ant to support it at as many points as possible.
0o illustrate! Bet=s say that a certain <ind o- -our9by9eight timber is adequate -or a si.teen9-oot roo- span. 0he
same timber :ill prove barely adequate -or an eight9-oot -loor span, the di--erence, very roughly, being at least
t:o to one.
8- the support is every -our -eet both :ays, t:o9by9-our timbers are good enough. 0he ultimate support being
the ground, the decision as to the :eight o- our -loor structure depends in every case on ho: -ar a:ay the
ground is and ho: o-ten :e :ant to reach do:n to it.
8=m almost a-raid to mention rules o- thumb, because every case can be di--erent, but here goes. 0he hillside
house, sitting on posts, is going to have a post every eight -eet in both directions.
8- the -ooting :ere instead a continuous pad on level ground, the shop and playrooms might use the slab itsel-
as -loor, :ith the rest o- the house sitting on concrete bloc<s located every -our -eet. Bi<e this!
;ote the similarity bet:een the -loor structure as s<etched, and the recommended roo- structure o- the
preceding chapter. 0he three9:ay system o- beam, sub9beam and s<in gives you more -or your money, no
matter :hat the load or the span, than a t:o9:ay system o- beam (called ra-ter in a roo- and joist in a -loor) and
s<in.
0he bottom o- the timbers actually in contact :ith the concrete bloc<s is chemically treated, and no untreated
:ood is ever in contact :ith masonry.
8- still more space is required -or some reason, or i- you :ant your -loor to be a little -arther o-- the ground, you
can go up on another layer o- concrete bloc<s, or on stubby posts. )l:ays raise in even increments o- eight
inches, that being the step height :hich the human leg pre-ers.
0he s<in (some :ould call it the -loor, as distinct -rom the -loor structure) carries the -inal load. )ssuming -or
the moment that you are concerned only :ith load and not :ith insulation, ho: thic< shall the s<in be% #irst
you must decide :hether the s<in :ill be one layer or t:o. 0o arrive at a good decision :e have to tal< history
some more.
0he conventional -loor is built up in t:o layers, a sub9-loor and a -inish -loor. 0he -irst reason -or beginning
:ith a sub9-loor, strangely, is plaster. 0he plasterers grind their dirt into the sub9-loor, then the -inish -looring,
:hen laid, covers it up. 'liminate plaster, as 8 hope :e have agreed to do, and one layer o- -loor s<in, o- the
right thic<ness, is enough.
) second reason -or the sub9-loor comes -rom the lumber industry. 0he so9called 1one9inch1 board has shrun<
through the decades until the present industry standard is &+H(& inch. 0he same thing happened to the 1t:o by
-our,1 :hich commercially is "9+HD by (9EH"/. 0he 1inch1 board today isn=t even sa:ed an inch thic< be-ore
planing.
?hy is this important% >ecause, although the so9called 1one9inch1 board is about (H+ inch or a little more than
hal- as strong as a true one9inch board, it is less than hal- as sti--. 0his means that t:o commercial 1one9inch1
boards, placed on top o- each other and having a total thic<ness o- roughly "9"H& inches, :ill bend more under
your :eight than a single board that is truly one inch thic<.
8 build my o:n -loors :ith the lumber industry=s ne.t :eight o- board, called 1-ive quarter,1 sa:ed to "9"H*
inches thic<. 8 have it planed to "9"HD inches. 8t costs /F per cent as much as the t:o commercial 1one inch1
boards :hich it replaces, and is roughly hal- again as sti--. )lso the single board :on=t squea<, the squea< being
produced by the t:o boards rubbing together as they bend.
)t this point the carpenters are :al<ing on a -loor made o- "9"H*9inch boards. 0he -loor is sti--. 8ts durability
cannot be improved by the addition o- any other material. 8- you :ant to, you can run a -loor sander over it and
call it done. 0hat is :hat 8 do. Ho:ever, a bare :ood -loor :ill try your patience -or several years :hile it
converts dirt into patina. One coat o- linseed oil right a-ter the sanding :ill ma<e localied dirt less obvious and
speed up the patina process.
) -loor does a lot o- :or<. 8t is required to be so-t to the -oot, undeniable by the tilted chair, quiet under the
impact o- high heels, impervious to cigarette ashes, stable under the hasty step, and easy to clean. ) so-t:ood
-loor achieves the best compromise bet:een these con-licting requirements, but you may not :ant to loo< at
bare boards. @ou may believe that :ith a covering, the -loor :ill be nicer to the eye or smoother to the mop.
?hatever your choice may be, 8 suggested earlier that your -loor should be lightly te.tured in smoothness, so as
to be hard to slip on but easy to s:eep, and heavily te.tured in appearance, so as not to sho: dirt.
>e-ore covering your structural -loor at all, remember that serviceable -loor coverings are e.pensive. 0hey :ill
probably cost more per square -oot than all the rest o- your -loor structure put together. My suggestion is that
you use your :ood sur-ace -or a :hile and see ho: you li<e it. @ou :on=t hurt it a bit. @ou can al:ays add the
covering later, provided the original :al<9on -loor :as sti--. Here 8 rest my case -or thic< boards, and move on
to the insulated -loor.
@our idealied hillside house :ill have air, not earth, beneath it. 0his :ill save a lot o- money on site
preparation and -ootings, but some o- the pro-it must go bac< into a better -loor.
#ortunately, the insulation requirements o- a -loor are not severe. 0emperature di--erentials bet:een house and
ground are lo:, there-ore heat -lo: by radiation is lo:. )bout all that is required is to <eep the :ind -rom
blo:ing through. Here is a suggested -loor structure, seen in pro-ile!
0he -loor structure is put together this :ay, al:ays :or<ing -rom the bottom up. #irst the beams are -astened to
the -ooting posts. ;e.t a layer o- insulation board, :hich has been made -or lo: heat -lo: at the e.pense o-
strength. Here its only structural purpose is to hold up the aluminum -oil. ;e.t comes the -oil layer, :hich this
time, to simpli-y things, :ill be shiny on both sides. 0he insulation requirement is not severe. ) single layer
:ill su--ice, and <eep the :ind out as :ell.
)bove the -oil layer, you have a choice. 8- you have not been able to achieve the central plumbing core :hich
:ill be described later, there needs to be a space -or pipes. 8n this case, raise the cross9beams on spacer bloc<s
located above the main beam, and drive on.
#rom the cross9beams on up, our -loor is e.actly the same as be-ore.
Here is one more reason -or building the -loor be-ore the :all.
8n the ne.t section you :ill discover that your :all, instead o- sitting on the -loor, is going to come do:n past
it. 2onventional -loors are -inished last, and require -itting all around. @ours is built -irst, hangs over at the
edges, and is squared o-- :ith a po:er sa:. 0hen comes the :all, :ith no crac< sho:ing. )nd no: you <no:
:hy the de: :ater -alls onto the ground.
)ll o- :hich leads us to :all building.
36. How to build a wall
)rchitecturally spea<ing, :alls receive a lot o- attention, because they are at eye level, both -rom the inside
loo<ing out and the outside loo<ing in. 3tructurally spea<ing, :alls are the easiest and cheapest part o- your
house to build.
0he architectural concern :ith :alls99the pictures that have been dra:n and the pages that have been :ritten
about them99is an aesthetic matter. ?hat you do to dress up the inside and the outside is your business, but 8
suggest that -or the time being you do nothing in the :ay o- 1decoration.1
8n a post9and9beam house, the :alls are just hanging there, :ith their principal -unction being to <eep the :ind
out. 0hey are supposed to admit controlled quantities o- air and light. ;obody :al<s or dances on themI no
sno: rests on themI :ater drains out o- them easily. >eing vertical, their major heat control requirement is
radiation and not conduction. 0heir area is relatively small. )s structure, they are required to hold up nothing
e.cept themselves and a -e: pictures.
?alls, 8 repeat, are the easiest part o- the house to build. 0he carpenter doesn=t even have to bend over. )mong
all the many :ays to build a :all, here is the pro-ile, loo<ing do:n, o- my -avorite :all assembly!
Having loo<ed at the s<etch, let=s build it. 0his time :e :ill :or< -rom the inside out, starting :ith the posts
and :or<ing do:n past the -loor, :hich, according to the preceding section has already been completed and
squared o--.
0he -irst layer is :hat sho:s on the inside, at least until you get around to covering it up :ith :hatever suits
your -ancy. My s<etch sho:s it made o- vertical boards or ply:ood. Holes are le-t -or the doors and :indo:s.
3ince this -irst layer is nailed only top and bottom, into either the beam or the plate, it :ill seem perilously
loose. )t the opening -or :indo:s, :here -or the moment the boards are -astened at only one end, the :all :ill
seem ready to collapse at the -irst pu-- o- air. ) nailing strip -astened at the bottom line o- the :indo:s may be
help-ul to the carpenter. 8t :ill serve more as reassurance than anything else, ho:ever, -or it is not at all
necessary to add sti--ness to the :all99as you :ill see as the layers go on.
;e.t comes a layer o- aluminum -oil, shiny side in, running horiontally and overlapping -rom above li<e
shingles. 0he :all at this point is practically :aving in the breee, just about sti-- enough to stand up against the
attac< o- the stapling gun that tac<s on the -oil.
;o: :e begin to sti--en it up :ith battens. ) batten is a piece o- almost9jun<9:ood, t:o or three inches :ide
and an inch (in quotes) thic<. 0he battens are placed horiontally, t:o -eet
apart. 3ome carpenters use short nails to hold them on, as 8 do. 3cre:s, though ta<ing more time, hold better
and in some designs are :orth the e.tra trouble. 0he door and :indo: openings are trimmed :ith battens all
around. Our :aving :all has suddenly become a lot sti--er.
0hen comes another layer o- -oil, shiny side out, and an inch o- dead air has been trapped.
0he ne.t layer is a ro: o- vertical battens. 0he builder no: has to get his head in the game, because the batten
location depends on the :idth o- the e.terior board it is to support. 0he :all is no: sti-- enough and thic<
enough to nail to, and :e hammer a:ay merrily (using nails o- the correct length), placing board on batten99
leave a little space99place another batten and another board99-igure ho: to brea< even at the :indo: openings99
another inch o- air has been trapped99the condensation line is established at the outer -oil :ith drops running
harmlessly to the ground99and the :all, no: -our inches thic<, is so sti-- it rings under a hammer blo:.
>uilding a layered :all is an easy but e.citing e.perience. 8 get carried a:ay every time. 0he materials are
ine.pensiveI the completed product is structurally and thermally soundI the random :idth e.terior boarding, in
addition to being an e.cellent :eather sur-ace, has given us an aesthetic chance at variety o- line and te.ture.
)t this point you may say, 8 <no: all about board and batten. 0hat=s shac< building. Here is :hat you mean!
0his is the board and batten you are thin<ing o-, :ith the board put on -irst and the batten sho:ing on the
outside. 8t loo<s cheap, and is. )ll " do is turn the board and batten around!
>y doing that 8 add another inch to the e--ective sti--ness o- the :all, trap another inch o- air, provide a -ree
drainage channel -or the de:. 0he :hole thing remains cheap, but it loo<s e.pensive. 8- you don=t believe it,
come and loo< at my house.
0he lo:er s<etch, sho:ing vertical, random9:idth boards spaced against battens, is in all respects the best
e.terior :all sur-ace 8 can devise -or a house. 8t drains :ell, both rain :ater and de: :ater. 8t ventilates itsel-.
3o -ar as the years o- my o:n li-e have let me see, it :ill last -orever. 8t is economical to build. 8t is so -ar out in
-ront that 8 personally :ouldn=t thin< o- building anything else. ?ith all these advantages, it loo<s good too.
3o -ar as :eather is concerned, the house is no: live9in9able as soon as it gets some doors and :indo:s. 0he
outside o- the :all is complete -or all time. 0he inside is completed or not, as you please. 0he :ood inner s<in
retains the virtue o- adaptability.
@ou can move in, live there in creature com-ort, and retain your option on :hat you :ant to loo< at. 8- you :ant
to decorate, the :alls around you are ideal -or trial and error e.perimentation. @ou can drive nails, hang
pictures, display dri-t:ood, or dra: pictures in crayon, :ith no harm done. @ou can cover one :all :ith
colored burlap, paint another :all :hite or decide on panoramic :allpaper, mi. a little plaster or put up a little
section o- tile. @ou can decide that bet:een t:o posts is a -ine place to build a cupboard, or shelves -or the
display o- Juimper pottery.
0hat good old :ooden :all is an invitation to let yoursel- go. 8t didn=t cost very much to begin :ith, and the
chances are you can=t do it any harm. 8- you :ant to99as 8 hope you :ill99 you can just leave it alone.
37. How to build door a!d wi!dow
Here is the :ay the ordinary door is -itted!
Ho: :ell this door <eeps the :ind out depends on the accuracy :ith :hich it is -itted into a -rame. 8n :arm,
:et :eather, :hen there is no need -or a tight -it, the door s:ells up and stic<s. 8n cold :eather everything
shrin<s and the door admits an invigorating breee.
Ae-rigerator manu-acturers are much smarter about doors. 0hey build them this :ay!
0he moment you stop to consider it, 8 thin< you :ill agree this is the sensible :ay to build a door. 8t doesn=t
have to -it anything. 8t just closes, -lat to -lat, and there you are.
0he domestic hard:are people don=t seem to have heard about the re-rigerator9type door, so you :ill probably
run into trouble getting hinges and latches that :ill :or<. ?hen 8 can=t -ind suitable hard:are, 8 do this!
0he ne.t question is, :hich :ay should the door open, in or out% ?ell, one million out o- one million house
doors open in, and, -latly, every one o- them is :rong. #or once 8 -ind mysel- on the side o- the building codes,
:hich insist that doors, at least in public buildings, must open out.
0he codes are based on one reason99rapid, unbloc<ed escape -rom -ire. 0here are many more reasons, all good,
:hy doors should open out, and none that 8 can thin< o- -or their opening in. Here are some o- the open9out
reasons!
Kune bugs and mosquitoes collect on the door. Open the door out and they just sit there. Open it in, and happily
in they come.
2omes the :ind, pressing against the door. 8- the door opens in, it gets looser, maybe even blo:s open. 8- the
door opens out, it gets tighter.
2omes the intruder, see<ing admission against your :ishes. 0he old 1-oot in the door1 technique is useless
:hen the door closes :ith the intruder=s :eight, not against it.
) door ta<es a lot o- space, because there has to be an empty area some:here into :hich the door can be s:ung
open. 8- this space is inside, it costs you many dollars per square -oot. 8- outside, it costs -e: i- any dollars.
?ithout belaboring the dangers o- -ire, you :ill grant that getting into a house is never quite as urgent as
getting out o- it :hen things go :rong. 'ven something so minor as the cat being about to vomit.
8- the :eather door opens out, :hat becomes o- the screen door% 8 have e.perimented :ith putting the screen
door on the inside, opening in, but that doesn=t :or< -or the same reasons that the :eather door doesn=t :or<
:ell that :ay.
0he best o- all solutions is the old9-ashioned screened porch. 8- you don=t li<e that name, :e=ll call it a 1:eather
vestibule.1 8t gets the arriving guest out o- the rain, ma<es a place to put your overshoes and your umberlla,
provides a chance to stamp the sno: o-- your shoes or dry o-- the dog a-ter a :al< in the rain. 8t gives the
mailman a sa-e spot to leave oversie pac<ages, and it be:ilders the mosquitoes :ho are trying to -ind a :ay in.
0here are a lot o- com-ort9inducing bene-its in that list.
)ssuming that :e :ent a step -arther and put the social9room door and the <itchen door in the same :eather
vestibule, the :hole thing might loo< li<e this!
?hat happened to the good old 1storm door%1 @ou don=t need any. 0he re-rigerator9style door, :ith or :ithout
the :eather vestibule, gives at least as much storm protection as t:o inset doors sitting bac< to bac<. 8 hope you
have not -orgotten to avoid putting any door :here it -aces into prevailing :ind and sno:.
8 haven=t said anything about ho: your door should loo<. 0a<e your choice. 0hey ma<e all <inds. >ut 8 do :ant
to utter a very loud cry about door :idths.
) common standard :idth is thirty inches. 3ubtracting the stop strip, and assuming the usual situation :here
the door :on=t open all the :ay, you=re luc<y i- you can clear t:enty9seven inches. @et many things are built to
a standard :idth o- thirty inches. ) des<, -or instance, is generally thirty inches :ide and thirty inches high. @ou
have a choice :hen the des< arrivesI you can tear the :all do:n or send the des< bac<.
0he re-rigerator salesman as<s, or should as<, about actual door clearance be-ore he starts delivery. )ppliances
<eep getting bigger. )t least one door in the house should clear thirty9si. inches. ;ot be thirty9si.I clear it. 0his
may re9
quire a little shopping to -ind a store9bought door :ide enough. #or the rest o- the doors, a minimum clearance
o- thirty9t:o inches :ill admit most -urniture. 0his can be achieved :ith a thirty9si.9inch door, :hich, happily,
is a standard :idth.
Bess happily, 8 report that although -ire9resistant doors could be manu-actured -or about t:o dollars more than
the cost o- those usually available, they don=t seem to have caught on. 7p to no: 8=ve been -abricating my o:n.
3hort o- that, the solid ply:ood door is a good bet, because it=s massive. 0he so9called 1hollo:1 door is a buc<
or t:o cheaper, and it=s -irebait. ;or does it close :ith that pleasant, convincing, 18=m at home no:1 thump.
?8;DO?3. 3ome :hile bac< 8 de-ined a :indo: as a piece o- glass set in a :all -or the purpose o- admitting
light and permitting you to see out, though not intended to be opened -or the purpose o- ventilation.
8- you start :ith the :all structure described in the preceding section, here is the best :ay 8 <no: to get a lot o-
:indo: -or little money!
0his is a carpenter=s :indo:, built right into the :all, using commercially available materials. 8t costs little i-
any more than a plain :all, :ithout :indo:.
#irst the carpenter builds a bo., slanting the horiontal pieces a little do:n:ard so that :hatever :ater collects
on them :ill drain o--. 0he bo. becomes part o- the :all structure.
;e.t he cuts up or buys a lot o- strips, about a hal- inch thic< by -ive9eighths :ide, and nails them in place so
that the glass :ill have something to lean against. )s :e have learned earlier, the strips are to slant out at the
top by about three degrees, or in carpenters= language about one inch in t:enty.
0hen the panes are set in and held in place by another set o- strips nailed to hold the glass on the inside.
0hat=s all there is to ma<ing :indo:s. 8t seems almost too ridiculously simple to be any good. ,erhaps because
the :indo: is simple (and :e have come to believe that :indo:s are complicated) many questions :ill be
raised. 0hough it too< only one minute to describe ho: to build a :indo:, please bear :ith me during the many
minutes that -ollo: :hile 8 ans:er, not necessarily in the order o- -requency or importance, some o- these
questions.
Question One: :hat happened to the putty% Didn=t you <no: all glass is set in putty% )ns:er! yes, 8 <ne: it.
?hen 8 began to build :indo:s this :ay, 8 put glaing compound on both sides o- the glass. 0hat :as quite a
:hile ago. 0hen 8 got tired and put it on the outside only, and 8 as<ed every carpenter 8 <ne: i- he <ne: :hat
the putty :as -or. ;o ans:er. Getting even more tired, 8 quit using putty.
)s -ar as :ind coming through is concerned, 8 can=t -eel any di--erence. )s -ar as protection -rom brea<age is
concerned, the only pane that has bro<en :as the one smashed the time :e got bombed by a partridge :ho :as
-leeing a ha:<. (,ic<ed up bro<en glass -or a :ee<.) 8 have concluded that putty got started in the days be-ore
po:er sa:s, :hen it :as easier to stic< the glass in place than to sa: up another set o- strips.
Question Two: :hy does the glass lean out at the top% 8sn=t that a lot o- trouble% )ns:er! it is no trouble at all i-
the :indo: is built in place. 8t avoids the use o- rabbets, moldings, and close -its :hich ma<e the conventional
:indo: e.pensive. ?hy is it tilted% >etter vision, less glare, less dirt.
Question Three: ho: big are these panes, any:ay% . . . ?ell, the smaller the pane the more material required to
-rame a given area. )s a rule o- thumb, it :ould seem that anything smaller than t:enty by thirty inches is too
small to -ool around :ith.
)t the large end, :e have t:o things to thin< about! ho: large a piece o- glass can one carpenter handle :ith
com-ortI and ho: big a piece can conveniently be replaced :hen it gets bombed by a partridge or little league
home practice. My suggestion, not necessarily binding on larger and stronger carpenters, is something around
thirty by -orty9eight inches as a reasonable ma.imum.
Question Four: you say thirty by -orty9eight. Ho: come% ?hy not -orty by -orty, -or instance. . . . 0he :ider
pane brea<s easier and in most places doesn=t loo< good. Aemember that the :indo:, being at eye level and
e.tremely visible -rom inside and out, is a prominent part o- your architectural detail, perhaps second only to
the roo- line in importance. 0he so9called 1golden rectangle,1 that -our9sided shape most rest-ul to the human
eye, is si.ty9t:o somethings by thirty9eight somethings, or a little less than -ive9eighths as :ide as it is long.
0here is one little catch. Hang an e.act square on the :all, and a hundred sets o- eyes out o- one hundred :ill
declare it to be higher than it is :ide. 0his is because the eye muscles ma<e harder :or< o- vertical movement
than o- horiontal. 0here-ore, i- the long side o- our rectangle sits horiontally, it can be -airly s<inny, say,
t:enty9-our by -ortyI but i- it is installed vertically, :e -atten it out to around t:enty by thirty, and get the same
e--ect. Graphic artists e.ecute these proportions :ithout necessarily <no:ing :hy. 0he rest o- us can produce a
better9loo<ing result i- :e <no: the rules.
Question Five: ho: can 8 a--ord to buy all this plate glass% . . . ?ho said anything about plate% 8 use the so9
called double strength, but other:ise ordinary :indo: glass. 8t is rolled, not poured, and is very slightly :avy.
Boo<ing straight through, you can=t see the :aviness, but at an acute angle you can. 3ome people claim this
bothers them. 8- they :ant to pay more -or plate glass panes, my s<etch doesn=t change. )ll 8 say to them is :hy
don=t they rebel against the really acute distortions in the curved :indshields o- their automobiles%
Question Six: spea<ing o- plate glass, :hat=s :rong :ith these enormous single :indo:s 8 see in all the
magaines% . . . ;othing, e.cept that 8 don=t li<e them, and 8 don=t thin< you :ill either a-ter you=ve lived :ith
them -or a :hile. 0he caption beneath magaine pictures tells ho: nice it is to -eel that you are living outdoors.
0his is obvious nonsense. 3ometimes it=s nice and sometimes it isn=t. 0he -irst -unction o- a house is to provide
shelter -rom the outdoors, available at your :ill.
Bet=s loo< at my big :indo:, as s<etched, :ith si. medium9sied panes instead o- one great big one. 0he -irst
contention o- the big9:indo: advocates is that the -rames inter-ere :ith that old outdoorsy -eeling.
Here is a s<etch o- anybody, male or -emale,
standing and sitting. 3ince all standard chairs are about the same height, "C inches, and since people don=t vary
much -rom torso to torso, the eye height o- almost anybody sitting do:n, is *C inches, give or ta<e a couple o-
inches. ?hen people stand up, the di--erence increases, but the average eye height is about /* inches, and EF
per cent o- the :orld=s people loo< out at a level not -ar -rom that.
0he standard table height is (F inches, rarely higher, sometimes an inch or t:o lo:er. 3ince :e :ish to
preserve the option o- putting a table against the :indo: -or -lo:ers and stu--, to loo< good the :indo: :ill
begin at (& inches above the -loor.
Aemember, please, that our -ield o- vision is -airly -lat, since :e loo< side:ays a lot easier than :e loo< up and
do:n. )lso the normal -ield o- vision, at rest, is inclined a little belo: horiontal, because :e all carry our
heads tipped a little bit -or:ard. 3tarting at (& inches, a &*9inch pane puts the divider at +/ inches. ?ith your
eye at or any:here near *C inches you can see out per-ectly :hile sitting do:n.
3tand up, and unless you=re very short, the divider still isn=t in the :ay. )t the other e.treme, in order not to be
able to see com-ortably out o- that upper pane, you :ould have to be at least seven -eet -our inches tall.
0he vertical dividers are equally unnoticed, but -or a di--erent reason. ?hen you loo< out, your eyes are
-ocused on distance. )nything up close becomes a meaningless blur, and your eyes s:ing easily past the
vertical dividers :ithout even noticing them.
)ll 8 have argued so -ar is that the multiple9paned :indo: is no :orse than the single sheet o- plate glass. ;o:
8 :ant to demonstrate :hy it is not only cheaper, but better.
2omes a bad day, or dar<ness, and that out9doorsy -eeling is not -or us. ?e turn our eyes a:ay -rom an
unbro<en e.panse o- glass, hoping to avoid its coldness. Our eyes are no longer -ocused on distance, but on
near things. ?e see< the -eeling o- enclosure, and our eyes rest grate-ully on every physical thing that tells us
the :alls o- our house are secure.
)s a sub9question, you may point out that the magaines sho: lots o- glass going clear to the -loor, and isn=t
plate necessary in this case% 0o me, glass to the -loor is ine.cusable, e.cept -or the rare instance :here the vie:
lying -ar belo: our normal line o- sight is too good to be missed. 'ven in this case, glass to the -loor must be
used :ith caution to avoid a -eeling o- insecurity.
Boo< here!
0his s<etch e.plores the question o- :hether to start the glass at * inches up, or at my recommended (& inches.
@ou can see that the glass at the bottom does very little to:ard letting :inter sun into the house. 8t=s the glass at
the top that counts in :inter. 8n summer, glass to the -loor requires more overhang to <eep out the sun.
Glass to the -loor does not trap more :inter sun, but it does let more heat escape at night, radiation being
proportional to area. 8t destroys :all space that other:ise could be used -or tables, chairs, boo<cases. 'ven i- 8
live on the edge o- a cli-- and :ant to see the valley belo:, 8=m :illing to stand up to do so, pre-erring the
-eeling o- -ence bet:een me and the sudden drop.
0o summarie, 8 can=t see ho: glass to the -loor does any good. 8t may, instead, do considerable harm.
8=m trying to save you money, :hich is my apology -or such a long ans:er to a simple question. 0o spend has
become reasonable, accepted, compulsive. ;ot to spend seems to be the proposition :hich no: requires the
longer argument. ;evertheless, the :ay to save money in a house is to search out the things :e have been told
:e need, but don=t. 8- 8 have succeeded in con9
vincing you that you neither need nor :ant enormous plate glass :indo:s, 8 have saved you a good many
hundreds o- dollars right there. 0he ans:er to your ne.t question may save you a lot more.
Question Seven: :hat about double glass -or insulation% . . . Here :e are really tal<ing about money, and
money :hich in some cases has been spent to do more harm than good. Once again :e are discussing a :idely
advertised product that everyone tells us :e can=t live :ithout.
My rejoinder is that 8 can live :ithout a mortgage, so let=s begin in the same old :ay to -ind out :here :e don=t
need double glass.
0he obvious place :here you neither need nor :ant double glass is on the south side, :here at least hal- o- your
glass is going to be any:ay. ,robably not on the east side either, but that depends. 8- double glass <eeps heat in
at night, it <eeps it out equally :ell in the daytime. 8n the course o- a mid:inter day and night you might brea<
about even. 8n the meantime you have su--ered, not only ban<roll shrin<age, but a &F per cent loss o- vision,
because every glass sur-ace, inside or outside, <noc<s o-- about "F per cent.
) better scheme -or big :indo:s on the south side involves use o- curtains.
@ou intended to have curtains any:ay. 8 as< that they become part o- the insulative structure. 0he sun shines
and the curtains are open, admitting heat. )t night, you drop or pull them closed. >oth the insulative and
emotional requirements have been met. ;ot only have you :on on heat, maintenance, and original cost, but you
can go into the pipe and slippers routine :ithout that blac<, blan< :all o- glass staring at you on a :inter=s
night.
Double glass may be o- bene-it on a :est or north :all, :here :e normally :ould not have many square -eet o-
:indo:s any:ay. 'ven here it is questionable :hether double glass :ill ever, in your li-etime, save enough
heat to repay its original cost. 2ertainly it :ill not i- you are :illing to go to the trouble o- pulling a curtain
across it at night.
8 can thin< o- one situation :here double glass is the right ans:er. 3uppose that -or good and su--icient reason
you do indeed :ant to sit be-ore a big north:est9-acing :indo:, gaing at the moonlight, :ithout :earing a
blan<et. Here double glass :ins.
Question Eight: :hat about condensation on the inside o- a single pane :indo:% . . . 0hose beauti-ul -rost
patterns you see on the inside o- :indo:s o- a :inter morning are a visual illustration o- the condensation line,
:hich 8 e.plained earlier. 0he same deposit o- :ater has ta<en place inside your :alls and roo-, but you can=t
see it so you don=t :orry about it. 0hat same -rosty de:, :hen deposited on your :indo:s, soon melts and runs
do:n, changing -rom a thing o- beauty into a puddle on the :indo: sill.
0he puddle is undesirable. )s :ith all o- our undesirables, the ans:er is to get rid o- it or get it out o- sight.
0here are at least t:o e--ective :ays o- dealing :ith :indo: condensation.
8n the s<etch at le-t, the strip o- :ood holding the inside bottom o- the glass has been beveled to catch the :ater.
>e-ore putting that last piece in place, your carpenter drilled three or -our tiny holes through the bottom board
into the inside o- the. :all, :hich :as already loaded :ith condensation and has been built to drain. '.it the
puddle.
8n the s<etch at right, the bottom piece o- :ood, beveled in the same :ay, retains the puddle but <eeps it out o-
sight. ,resently the :ater evaporates, and as it vanishes the puddle does its tiny bit to relieve the lo: humidity
in the room.
L';08B)0OA3. @ou :ill remember that in the ideal situation, the ventilators are placed lo: do:n on the cool
sideI high up on the :arm side. 3ince your carpenter is going to build the :indo:s, he might as :ell build the
ventilators too. 0hen, in that ideal situation, you might :ind up :ith this!
Here the carpenter has included the ventilator -rame along :ith the :indo: -rame.
)n alternate, space9saver arrangement -or the north side loo<s li<e this!
Here :e have placed a ventilator at each end o- the -rame, :ith three panes o- glass in the middle. 0his scheme,
though departing -rom the ideal thermal arrangement, ma<es a lot o- emotional sense. ?ith the ventilators open
in the summer, you do, as the magaines say, live outdoors. 2lose them, and your -eeling o- security at the line
o- sight has been increased.
Once :e have decided that :indo:s and ventilators are t:o di--erent things, the location -or ventilators, being
independent o- vision, is endless. ?e can place them :here :e li<e, hinge them in or out, up, do:n, or
side:ays. ) ventilator, essentially, is a -rame, a board, t:o hinges, a latch, and a piece o- screen. 0he screen
stays there, :ith no nonsense about ta<ing it do:n in the :inter.
8- the opening happens to be large in proportion to the rest o- the :all, :e :ill begin to :orry about heat loss. 8
build my large ventilator doors li<e this!
0:o layers o- :ood, scre:ed together cross:ays :ith -oil bet:een, are dimensionally stable, ine.pensive,
-airly non9conductive, and -ire resistant. #or very cold climates (or very coldblooded people) use t:o doors,
one on the inside o- the :all, the other outside. Open the outside one in the spring, close it in the -all. @ou may
call the outside one a 1storm ventilator1 i- you li<e.
Lentilator areas can be surprisingly small provided they have been properly located :ith the inlets on the lo:,
cool side and the outlets on the high, :arm side. 8n building my o:n house 8 -ramed in three times as much
ventilator area as has ever been used.
3peci-ic -igures at this range are al:ays dangerous, but you need a rule o- thumb :ith :hich to begin your o:n
on9the9spot engineering. 0he outlet ventilator should be at least double the sie o- the inlet. 0ry ma<ing your
inlet or cold side openings about one9t:entieth the area o- the :all they are in, your outlet or :arm side
openings about one9tenth the area o- their :all.
@ou :ill -ind that the sie o- the openings required to circulate air :ill be about one9-i-th the area o- glass
required to admit a satis-actory amount o- light.
?ith the -i.ed :indo: to see through and the ventilator to breathe through, you :ill have more light :hen you
:ant it, more air :hen you :ant it, and better heat control than you :ould have :ith conventional :indo:s.
)nd -or less money. 0he ball is no: tossed to you, because you :ill have to do your o:n engineering to get
light and air :here you :ant them.
3". How to build #artitio!
)dvice on partition9building divides itsel- neatly into three don=ts.
Don=t build a partition as i- it :ere an outside :all.
Don=t use a partition to hold up the roo-.
Don=t build it at all i- it really isn=t needed.
80 83;=0 ); O7038D' ?)BB. 0he prime -unction o- an outside :all is to protect the -amily -rom the :orld
and the :eather. 0he prime -unction o- an inside partition is to protect the members o- the -amily -rom each
other.
0o re9phrase, the outside :all must o--er physical and thermal protectionI the partition should o--er visual and
acoustic protection. 0he only time you need a partition is :hen you don=t :ant to see somebody or hear
somebody.
8n spite o- this per-ectly obvious distinction bet:een a :all and a partition, carpenters cling to their habit o-
building partitions as i- they :ere outside :alls. 0he convention is to use the same studding timbers and to
complete the job :ith some sort o- s<in, plaster and decoration on both sides. 0his practice is used -or
partitions, clothes closets, linen closets and even the places :here :e hide brooms. 8ronically, though partitions
built this :ay are e.pensive, they aren=t even good at their job.
0o provide visual and acoustic protection, a partition should be a s<in :hich is opaque to light, and a barrier
:hich dissipates sound. 0ranslated into structural terms, the partition ideally loo<s something li<e this!
3ince the partition supports nothing, there is no need -or strength. 3ti--ness is undesirable, because the sti--er a
partition is the noisier it :ill be. Heat conductivity means very little, the :orst situation :e can imagine being a
seventy degree living room on one side and a -orty9-ive degree shop on the other. @ou :ill recall that heat -lo:
goes by the square o- the di--erence. 8n -act, i- noise reduction is no object, there is no reason -or the partition to
be more than one opaque layer thic<, just strong enough to hang pictures.
@ou realie that simply by being thic<, a partition is robbing you o- e.pensive interior space. 0he conventional
partition che:s up one square -oot o- space in just a little over t:o running -eet o- length. 0here-ore the single
s<in partition has much in its -avor.
8-, ho:ever, you object to the sound o- trombone practice, squea<ing bedsprings or the -lush toilet, t:o s<ins
are needed -or a partition, i- only to hide the acoustic insulation. 0o get the most sound absorption -or the least
money, the s<ins themselves :ill be so-t9te.tured and not very sti--. 0he separators :hich hold the s<ins apart
:ill be as light and in-requent as possible. 0he -lu--y stu--ing can be made o- anything -rom roc< :ool batts to
old egg bo.es.
8n choosing your materials, remember that a rigid structure is elastic, and thus transmits sound. 0he probably
unacceptable goal :ould be t:o layers o- burlap separated by cotton batting. ) partition built that :ay :on=t
transmit much o- anything.
) closet -ull o- clothes ma<es an acceptable appro.imation o- these speci-ications. ) boo<shel- -ull o- boo<s
does -airly :ell, and even a storage cupboard holding miscellany is not too bad. 0here-ore 8 suggest you put
many o- your partitions to :or< holding things. 2losets are :onder-ul, provided they do not pretend to be
outside :alls and provided you can move them around.
80 DO'3;=0 HOBD 7, );@0H8;G. 8 suggested earlier that it ma<es sense to build -our :alls and a roo-,
move in, and -ind out by living there :here the partitions should go. 8 thin< partitions should be made to justi-y
themselves. 0hey should by all means be easy to move, so that i- a partition turns out to be in the :rong place,
you can -i. it.
8n this section :e started to build your house. ?e put the roo- up -irst, be-ore the -loor or the :alls :ere there,
and o- course be-ore the partitions. ?e didn=t build this :ay in order to avoid load9bearing partitions, :e did it
because it ma<es sense. >ecause it :as done that :ay, ho:ever, you are le-t -ree to partition as you please -rom
here on.
8# 8; DO7>0, DO;=0. My :i-e amuses her -riends by telling them o- the time :hen our -lush toilet :as
surrounded by three doors propped together. 0hings are di--erent no:. 0he partition bet:een bathroom and
<itchen is all o- -ive -eet high, :ith cupboards on both sides, to boot, :hile early morning conversations
proceed as smoothly as ever. ?e have thought-ully provided a portable radio -or the bene-it o- guests :ho
remain acoustically conservative.
;aturally 8 don=t insist that everyone adopt this relatively -ree9and9easy approach to partitioning. 8 do insist in
all seriousness that partitions are not too good things to have i- :e can get along :ithout them. 0oo many
partitions promote dar<ness, bad acoustics, and inconvenience. 8t is much easier to add a needed partition than
it is to ta<e a super-luous one a:ay.
3o much -or the don=ts. ;o: to the do=s. ,artitions are used to de-ine rooms. 0he real9estate agent as<s you ho:
many rooms your house has, on the absurd assumption that an eight9room house is :orth more than a si.9room
house. ?hat you :ant is a house that you can describe to the real9estate agent as eight rooms, but to the ta.
assessor as si..
0his :e can do by using closets as partitions. 0he conventional closet is a -ull9partitioned, t:o9by9-our studded,
plastered inside and out room, too big -or cats and too dar< -or chic<ens. 8ts :alls are e.actly as thic<, sti--, and
e.pensive as the outside :alls o- the house itsel-.
0he movable closets on the opposite page can be used -or clothes, or translated as you :ill into boo<case,
<itchen cupboard, linen shel- or games storage. >uilt to beam height, it becomes a complete :all. 8t absorbs
sound, stops vision, is easy to move around, can be modi-ied at your convenience or thro:n a:ay i- you don=t
:ant it any more.
Bet=s ta<e the hardest problem o- all, a square room, and see :hat :e can do :ith it by moving partitions
around.
3o :e ma<e a lot o- movable closets and shove them around at our convenience. ?here then is the -eeling o-
permanence% ?ith all these :alls :hich are cheap and easy to move, do :e not have an emotional need -or a
-e: things :hich stay put% 0he ans:er is to use masonry.
Most o- the objections about outside masonry do not apply to its use inside. 8n an outside :all, it includes the
condensation line, but it does not ta<e on :ater :hen it is inside. 8t conducts heat, but inside :ho cares%
0hough it is heavy and e.pensive, :hen it is used inside a little :ill go a long :ay in charm, in te.ture contrast,
and in the -eeling o- permanence.
Here is a partition made o- t:o movable closets and a bloc< o- masonry.
,erhaps one door:ay leads to the master bedroom, the other to a guest room. 0urn one o- the movable closets
:ith its bac< to the :all, and you have a room -or games, :ith storage cabinet. 0a<e the closet a:ay entirely,
and you have an B9shaped living room. 0urn the other closet :ith bac< to :all. @ou can have a reception, and
still have room to hang up everyone=s coat.
3ome:here a -e: things have to stay put. 0he -ireplace is an obvious e.ample. 3o are the bathroom and the
<itchen sin< :ith their associated plumbing. #or islands o- permanence, try s<etching a -e: hal-9partitions o-
masonry. @ou may li<e them.
8nside doors are as di--erent -rom outside doors as partitions are -rom :alls. )s :ith partitions, the need -or a
door should be demonstrated be-ore it is actually put there. Most houses start out :ith -ar too many doors. @ou
:ill see proo- o- that in the number o- doors that later are ta<en o-- and made into picnic tables.
0he -unction o- an inside door is to be a visual and acoustic barrier, not to provide physical and thermal
protection. 0his indicates that the inside door doesn=t have to -it anything tightly. 8t should not be encased in the
conventional door -rame. 8t should clear the -loor by hal- an inch to <eep out o- rug trouble. 8t doesn=t even need
a latch, i- you don=t thin< so. 8- it needs a loc<, there may be something :rong :ith the -amily members=
attitude to:ard each other.
>e that as it may, :e do not have to consult a psychiatrist to arrive at the prime argument -or a house :ith light,
movable partitions and -e: doors. #irst reason is money. Move in as soon as the house :ill shelter you. @ou can
spin your personal cocoons, i- you still :ant them, a-ter you get rich.
3$. How to i!tall %a&'i!(
@our house has become very much a machine. Here are some o- its mechanical chores!
0o provide heat, at several di--erent places and in varying amounts, :ith a minimum o- e--ort on your partI also,
in some cases, to ta<e heat a:ay.
0o provide hot and cold running :ater, at several di--erent places, -or several di--erent purposes, and to ta<e
same a:ay :hen you=re through :ith it.
0o provide means -or the storage o- -ood, over short and long periods.
0o provide means -or the preparation o- -ood99:arming, -rying, boiling, broiling or ba<ingI and to do much o- it
automatically :ithout the actual presence o- the coo<.
0o remove and sa-ely dispose o- se:age, and in some cases garbage and trash.
0o provide electric po:er at almost every conceivable location -or a vast variety o- purposes.
0o accomplish these chores, the domestic machine must have a number o- e.ternal connections!
) source o- :ater.
) source o- -uel. (3ometimes the same as the ne.t one.)
) source o- electric po:er.
) se:age disposal point.
#rom a tenth to a -i-th o- the cost o- the -inished d:elling normally goes into establishing these e.ternal
connections. 8n other :ords, the -irst square -oot o- house costs at least a tenth as much as all the other square
-eet put together.
0o convert these sources into services, your domestic machine requires a massive array o- sub9machines! sin<s,
tan<s, -aucets, pumps, -ans, valves, :ashers, dryers, burners, blo:ers, grinders, and traps.
8 don=t propose here to advise you on :hat sub9machines you can get along :ithout, or :hich models to buy.
My point is that these things all come to you in crates. )ided by a small army o- plumbers, electricians, and
appliance maintenance men, you install them and try to <eep them running. 8- a sub9machine -ails completely,
you ta<e it a:ay and install another.
0hese sub9machines are all nourished by pipes and :ires. 8- the sub9machines are the muscles o- your domestic
body, the pipes and :ires are the nerves and the alimentary canal. 0he muscles can be ta<en out and sent bac<
to the -actory -or repair, but the pipes and :ires remain :ith your house and have to be -i.ed on the spot.
0here-ore :hen 8 tal< about ho: to install machines, 8 don=t mean :hich ones to buyI 8 mean ho: and :here to
put in the pipes and :ires.
?e have three things to :orry about! economy o- installation, ease o- maintenance, and -le.ibility.
#rom here on, your plans and s<etches should include still another area, the machine room. 8- you plan
care-ully, you can put into this room everything around the house that groans, :hirs or blo:s. @ou can also
arrange the equipment so that most o- the pipes and :ires are e.posed to your vie: and the hand o- the
mechanic.
)round this utility room :ill be grouped as many as possible o- the sub9machines that use :ater. ?ires are
relatively cheap so :e don=t care much about :here they are, but every e.tra -oot o- pipe is that much more
money and trouble.
#inally, in principle, :herever possible pipes and :ires :ill be le-t get9at9able, so that you can -i. them or
change them easily. )s -e: as possible :ill be buried. )ll pipes and :ires :ill be one sie larger than required
-or your assumed needs, because those needs :ill al:ays gro:.
'conomy o- installation, our -irst goal, depends largely on arrangement.
?hile tal<ing about arrangement, 8 began a technique o- s<etching little squares to illustrate -unctions. 8n one
s<etch 8 began :ith the machine room smac< in the middle. 8t didn=t turn out too badly. ?ith this area in the
middle o- the north side (our machines care little :hether the sun shines or not) the head coo< :inds up in her
customary position in the middle o- the south side.
@our plumbing distances, assuming t:o bathrooms and a <itchen, can be shortened still more by doing this!
8n this plan, piping approaches the irreducible minimum. 0he arrangement -or living is also quite splendidly
compact, i- you :ant to live compactly. One thing is required99that the head coo< enjoy scrambling eggs be-ore
an audience. 8 built one li<e this once, and the particular coo< in question enjoyed it very much.
?ith the -irst objective, economy, de-ined as a matter o- arrangement, the ne.t t:o goals, maintenance and
-le.ibility, are similar in that they both demand ma.imum accessibility. Here :e run into the conventional habit
o- burying pipes and :ires :ithin :alls, :hich ma<es them about as inaccessible as possible and requires
e.pensive cutting and tearing :henever anything has to be changed.
0he electrical suppliers have done a good job o- ma<ing s:itches, panels, conduits and outlets accessible and at
the same time not unattractive. Materials are available :ith :hich to cover the :hole house :ith electric
service, :ithout hiding anything and :ithout cutting holes in the
:all. ;aturally, the speculative housebuilder :ill be the last to use sur-ace outlets and :iring, but these
components are to be had by telling your electrical contractor that you :ant them. #or once, an industry has
provided a sensible service be-ore its consumers demanded it.
0he plumbing people have not done nearly as :ell. 0hey cling to the notion that -ol<s :ho use :ater don=t :ant
to see ho: it got there. 8t must be admitted their problem is more di--icult. ) :ire is easier to pac<age
attractively than a pipe, but the need to <eep plumbing e.posed is greater. Ho:ever bul<y and inconvenient
pipes are, they must be inside the house -or t:o reasons! :ater -reees and pipes sometimes lea< or clog and
require maintenance.
0he pipes go inside, but :e try to hide them more or less art-ully -rom vie:. 0he solution is simple -or :ater9
use areas :hich abut directly on the machine room. 0hese areas al:ays need cabinets, so :e put the pipes in a
-alse bottom, li<e this!
0he plumbers :ill love you -or simpli-ying their problems. >esides, this arrangement gives you an e.cuse to
have plenty o- cabinets.
3ometimes99-or e.ample, :hen pipes cross an area o- open -loor99you :ill have to -orget the non9burying
principle and -all bac< on the method s<etched in 3ection (+. 0here the pipes run beneath the -loor beams. 0hey
are still removable, but :ith more di--iculty.
8- your :ater is hard, ma<e the buried pipe a sie larger than it :ould other:ise need be. Meep joints and valves
to a minimum. 3pea<ing o- valves, install the drain valve, :hich has to be at the lo: point in the system, in an
accessible spot.
8n locating sub9machines, especially those attached to plumbing, be sure to leave plenty o- space around them.
0he maintenance man, :hether he is a handy husband or a pro-essional, must have room to s:ing his :rench.
@our treasured appliances, :rapped in their ba--ling armor o- enameled sheet metal, seem al:ays to develop
their major ailments at the bac<.
8t does no good to say that, :ere the mar<et not competitive, -or "F per cent more money a domestic machine
could be made to run -orever. #irst, the statement isn=t strictly true. 3econd, the mar<et is competitive and the
consumers themselves are the ones :ho re-use to pay the e.tra "F per cent.
0he domestic machine does indeed :ear out, stic<, lea<, -reee, :heee, clog up and brea< do:n. @ou <no:
the machine is going to need -i.ing. 0here-ore there=s no sense pretending that it doesn=t e.ist. Juit trying to get
it out o- sight and a:ay -rom -i.ability.
0he ans:er is a machine area :ith enough light and space -or your present mechanical servants, plus a -e:
more :hich someone :ill invent ne.t year. ?hy not sho: the guest a machine room :hich in its :ay is just as
handsome as your greenhouse, your s:imming pool, your high -idelity living room, your pine9paneled
playhouse, or even your <itchen stove :ith its little -lashing lights.
0he machine room :ith its steel and brass muscles che:ed up about a third o- your housebuilding money. @ou
might as :ell be proud o- it.
4). How to *(t it built
1)nything special is e.pensive.1 0his statement :ill be quoted to you as an a.iom by most members o- the
1building business,1 :hich includes cra-tsmen, contractors, -inanciers, real9estate agents, lenders, developers,
appraisers, and pre9-abricators.
Happily, the statement :ill be denied by many s<illed cra-tsmen, :ho are able to build, and :ould pre-er to
build something today that is di--erent and better than :hat they built yesterday.
8 have to accept the validity o- the 1anything special1 statement as applied statistically to the :hole building
business. 8 deny that it must apply to any one particular individual or situation. My advice to you is to -orget
about it, because you are an individual, not a statistic.
3pecial construction in-luences building costs in more than one :ay. Here are three e.amples that indicate the
range o- e--ects.
3,'28)B 2O;30A7208O;, lo: cost! Details are selected -or inconspicuous economy. Bo: cost re-lects lo:
demand :hich, in turn, re-lects the -act that -e: people <no: ho: to select :isely -rom :hat is available.
;O;93,'28)B 2O;30A7208O;, medium cost! Details are chosen because it is assumed that they insure
:idest sales appeal. 0his is the area o- pea< demand because most people do believe that 1anything special is
e.pensive.1
3,'28)B 2O;30A7208O;, high cost! Details are selected -or display and conspicuous economic :aste, not
-or use. 0he demand is limited to those :ho can a--ord useless e.penditure.
?hen the a.iom equates special :ith e.pensive, it re-ers only to the area o- conspicuous :aste. 8n this area, the
:ell9heeled buyer can put gold plate on his stone :alls i- he :ants to, :ith no complaints -rom me. 8t=s his
money.
0o those :ho quote and believe the a.iom, the :ord special seems to mean something di--erent -or the sa<e o-
being di--erent.
1;on9special1 de-ines the customary, :hich is al:ays the area o- greatest demand. 2ommodities o--ered -or
sale are those :hich the seller believes most people thin< they :ant. Genuine bargains are never to be -ound in
this area. 0here are reasons. #irst, bargains are not o--ered at times o- or in areas o- pea< demand. 0hin< about
the day be-ore and the day a-ter 2hristmas and you :ill need no -urther e.amples. 3econd, mass production
economies are o-ten more than o--set by advertising and distribution costs99:hich are an un-air charge upon the
discriminating buyer99and by the addition o- details :hich he doesn=t :ant.
0he addition o- un:anted detail is especially signi-icant in the non9special house, in :hich the builder has -elt
compelled to o--er a little bit o- everything, hence not much o- anything. 3pecial construction eliminates those
-eatures :hich to you are useless and e.pensive. @ou and 8 use the term 1special1 in the sense o- the -irst
de-inition above99something di--erent and distinctive, but on the lo: cost side o- the statistical average. 0o say
it again, the :hole point to this boo< is not :hat has to be added to ma<e a good house, but :hat you can do
:ithout in order to a--ord more o- :hat you really :ant.
7n-ortunately, even doing :ithout can sometimes be e.pensive. 8t depends on :ho does the :or<. 8- the
cra-tsman, in departing -rom his habits, gets mi.ed up and spends most o- the time scratching his head, you pay
-or every scratch. 8-, conversely, the cra-tsman is able to apply his :ell9learned s<ills to:ard the achievement o-
unique results, he :ill :or< -aster as enthusiasm replaces boredom.
One hour o- a carpenter=s time is not a -i.ed commodity that results in a predictable economic bene-it. )
plumber -riend o- mine is a genius in the clutch. ?hen my :hole :ater system -roe up solid, he came at once,
hammered it bac< together out o- old pipe -ittings, and charged me ten dollars. 8- you try to engage his services
-or a routine job, he=s available three months -rom ne.t 0uesday.
) hal- mile to the :est o- my house lives a medical research man o- considerable reno:n. 0his scholar can
build anything. He as<s me -or advice, accepts a quic< s<etch, puts do:n his empty beer can, and departs. 0he
ne.t thing 8 see is the completed structure, put up e.actly as 8 told him e.cept better. His -eeling -or tools
and materials, his intelligence and his muscular s<ill, relieved -rom prejudice by his total lac< o- -ormal
building e.perience, produce an end result :hich is uniquely his o:n. Given the same problem, and building
the ans:er to it :ith my o:n hands, 8 too :ould produce a unique result. 8t :ould be better than his, -or me,
and his is better -or him.
0he story o- the medical man is not a plug -or doing9everything9yoursel-. ) mile and a hal- to the east o- our
place lives a -inancial type :ho doesn=t <no: one muscle -rom another. )ll he does is line up a couple o-
-riendly, :ell9adjusted carpenters and then go around saying put this here and put that there. He as<s my advice
but never ta<es it. 0he end product he achieves is not only beauti-ul but livable, and, to belabor the phrase,
uniquely his o:n.
0hese t:o very di--erent gentlemen have one thing in common. >oth approach the construction o- their
domestic estates :ith this in mindI 1?hat do 8 :ant%1 ;ot, 1?hat should 8 have%1 0he -irst man is able and
:illing to do his o:n :or<, the second man is able to persuade others to do it -or him.
Ho: does he do it% 8- you are an amateur plumber, you can tal< about s:eating pipe jointsI i- an amateur
carpenter, at least you can hold the other end o- a board. 0he second man o:ns no s<ill e.cept to be a human
being. 0he carpenters :ho convert his intentions into structure are human beings. 0hey have s<ill to sell. He
-eels his :ay to:ard :hat he :ants through his o:n creative process. He is :illing to pay others to help him. 8t
is an equal partnership. >eing equal, the partnership operates quite e--iciently.
Ho: do you tal< to a builder% 0hat=s easy. @ou remember that although the per-ect builder does not e.ist, the
per-ect customer does not e.ist either. 0he most nearly per-ect builder :ould be yoursel-, i- you possessed the
necessary s<ills. 8- you do not, the ne.t best builder is the :ell9adjusted cra-tsman :ho interprets your dreams.
8n helping you :ith your dreams, he is content, because he is interpreting some o- his o:n as :ell.
3ince :ell9adjusted cra-tsmen are not al:ays easy to come by, you may be inclined to engage the services o-
the -riendly and businessli<e builder, :ho at best is an artist attempting to meet a :ee<ly payroll. He can
produce, chargeable to you, carpenters and plumbers and masons and electricians at the snap o- a :ell9:orn
-inger. )t this point, enter the architect.
@our :ell9adjusted architect is a bridge, an interpreter, and a catalyst. He is psychologist, structural engineer,
business man, and client9quieter. He is, :e hope, an artist as :ell, but artistry is only one part o- the business o-
architecture.
8nso-ar as you are less than all9capable yoursel-, the architect becomes your brain and the builder becomes your
bac<. 0he architect cannot :rite a speci-ication :hich :ill govern every driven nail. 0he builder cannot decide
the direction o- every hammer blo:. 0he house you :ill live in :ill be precisely the product o- the cra-tsmen=s
hands.
>et:een the architect, your brain, and the cra-tsmen, your hands, stands the builder, your bac<. 8 suggest you
choose him on the basis o- sympathy and understanding. 8 do not suggest that you choose him on the basis o-
competitive bidding.
8 can understand s<yscrapers and tunnels and bridges being o--ered -or competitive bids. 8 can but dimly
understand the house you are to live in being so constructed. 8t seems to me that i- the builder is not honest and
able, you don=t :ant him at any price. 8- the builder is human, as they all are, and has been compelled to o--er a
job9:inning lo: bid in order to stay in business, you :ill have -orced him to do less than his best in order to
ma<e a pro-it.
8n not so charitable language, the less than honest builder, -aced by a possible loss, can in the complicated
business o- building a house lic< you in so many :ays you=ll never <no: :hat hit you.
0his is the end o- the Ho: chapter. 8n terms o- dollars, possibly the most important Ho: o- all is ho: to get it
built. ;ot <no:ing :here or :ho you are, 8 can o--er suggestions in only the most general terms. 8n general, 8
thin< you :ill be better o-- i- you employ an architect. 8n general, 8 thin< you :ill be better o-- i- you do not as<
your builder -or a -i.ed price.