Customer Reviews

Basic Engineering for Builders

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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I was hoping that this book would have more tabular data and formulas for calculating required structural members; instead it outlined basic components of materials of construction (i should hope we don't need an engineer to tell us things are made of wood & steel!) but did not get down how to solve problems. When I saw the author makes his living testifying against people, my heart sank.

As an electrical engineer, I got a peek into the civil and mechanical engineers world. As a home owner/remodeler, I got the basis for structural design. I will be looking at more books by Schwartz.

I purchased this manual for two reasons: 1-The author had a credible level of experience and, 2-I was Project Engineer on a wood frame structure where I had no or limited experience. Mr. Schwartz presents the often technical material in a very non-threatening manner. It is relatively easy to follow and someone with some construction industry background could find the references useful. I would caution individuals that changing a design without the engineer's stamp invites significant liability. Claims could abound if some structural members were resized for static loads and not checked dynamically, for instance. Also, experience teaches economical design but if one might get the impression that bigger is better or smaller is more economical-disaster looms! This should not be used in lieu of qualified, registered engineers working within their field of expertise. It seems jaded, but a few hundred spent on a redesign check and stamp could save thousands later. I would not hesitate recommending this manual to Engineer Trainee's or fellow PE's as a quick reference-I would never suggest this to a contractor. In my state, design or analysis (the independent practice of engineering) without proper education and state examination is a felony! With all due respect to Mr. Schwartz, please be honest with your educational level and experience before over extending yourself or your business.

With this book I was able to understand and show my remodeling contractor what size footings our addition required for the soil we were building on. We had a difference of opinion. But after reading this book he agreed with me.

This is one of the very few books that actually illustrates how to perform calculations to custom design what you want or need or double-check the mechanical properties of what someone else has already built. They give practical examples of every formula so you can easily get a feel for how the calculation is performed. Other "basic" books will give short tables or simply list generic values commonly used (this book also does that) but tables or generic values are ony useful for blindly slapping something together and limit you to only what is in the list/table. If you want something unique to be done professionally, with high-quality, and built-to-last, this is the only book to use. It is easy-to-read and follow and doesn't limit you to elementary projects.

I found the information helpful, easy to use and direct to the point.