Foundations & Concrete Work (Best of Fine Homebuilding) [Paperback]

Fine Homebuilding (Author), Taunton Press (Author)

Book Description

Series: Best of Fine Homebuilding | Publication Date: May 1, 1997

In these collected articles from Fine Homebuilding magazine, professional builders, masons, and engineers show you how to mix and cure concrete for lasting installations, build a concrete or block foundation, avoid the most common mistakes in concrete and masonry, build a foundation on a sloping site, insulate and drain foundations, even in the coldest and wettest climates, make a permanent wood foundation, and work with concrete to build retaining walls and driveways.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561581828
• ISBN-13: 978-1561581825
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,281,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is an interesting and information book, May 3, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foundations & Concrete Work (Best of Fine Homebuilding) (Paperback)

This book consists of a collection of articles which have appeared in the "Fine Homebuilding" magazine. As such, it covers the topics which the people who wrote the articles chose to discuss, which implies that some topics are covered more than once, while others may not be dealt with at all. There is not necessarily comprehensive coverage of the subject, which a beginner or student of the material may require.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not so great...., March 20, 2001

By 

Rob Stokes (Sumner, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foundations & Concrete Work (Best of Fine Homebuilding) (Paperback)

I purchased this book with the intent on learning about laying my own forms, and pouring footings for a small garage addition. Although there is good information in the book, it is not cohesive, nor does it flow and in fact is quite dis-jointed. I did not learn what I needed to know about form building, but I did learn more than I really needed to know about several other areas of concrete work.

I was really hoping that a "project progression" approach would have been a natural means of writing a book such as this, but I gambled and lost. This book goes on the shelf and I'm poorer for it's purchase.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Variety of concrete methods, June 19, 2001

By 

Daniel J Dravis (Eau Claire, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foundations & Concrete Work (Best of Fine Homebuilding) (Paperback)

I bought this book because I'm removing my current driveway and wanted to replace it myself to save labor costs. I did find an article on driveways which was useful to me. I also found several other article of interest becuase I plan on building my own house from the ground up in the future.

As some other reviewers have pointed out, this is not a "project progression" book. There are plenty of others out there, go buy one of them. If you want to find out what's new and innovative in the trade, try this one! I recently went of a "Parade of Homes" in my area (northern Wisconsin) that was supposed to show off homes of the best builders in the area. Was I disappionted!! Only 1 of 16 homes had used any of these new ideas. Nearly every one had a damp/wet basement. People just stick with the same techniques that were used 25+ years ago.

If you are about to build, buy a book like this, get informed and either do it yourself or make your builder, build you a "modern" home.