The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction (For Pros / By Pros) [Paperback]

Larry Haun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 1998

A complete course in basic framing, including information on tools, plans, codes, permits, lumber and materials.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (October 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156158326X
• ISBN-13: 978-1561583263
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a systems approach, February 28, 2005

By 

Alan K. Wells (The wilds of West Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction (Ring-bound)

I bought the book and (then) tapes to educate my family and myself in framing methods so we could build our proposed 3800 sft house as a family. I was not new to the construction industry, having worked in the past as an Architect (unlicensed:), a remodeling contractor, and construction supervisor. I had even acted as the general contractor on my own house. However, I had never started and completed a house from the ground up built by my own hands.

We built our house the Larry way right down to the purchase of a framing saw. (My children still call it the Larry saw.) Although our house was *considerably* more complex than the house in the videos, the techniques illustrated worked just as well. In the end, our drywall contractor commented on how straight and square the framing was. He never complained about the out of sequence studs, and I've never had any difficulty finding one to hang a picture or whatever. And frankly, as I put my Architect's hat back on, it just looks better. I like the re-layout technique.

But the most important contribution from Larry was his systems approach. One might believe that all framers use such an approach, but from my experience that's generally not the case and a trip about any construction site can prove that true. I was able to directly compare our work with the work of the carpenter contractor who framed our then current house seven years earlier and the pro was the one found wanting... The fact that an forty something man and a 15 year old boy were able to do a professional framing job using some basic skills and Larry's techniques are a testament to his (complete) thought process. I was and am impressed. I originally bought several hundred dollars worth of framing books of which this was one (a non-material expense in a $100K+ project), and read them all. But in the end, Larry really was the only one that relied on a systematic approach to the process and was the most helpful, not because he taught us how do to things, but that he taught us *what* do do in a simple orderly set of steps from begining to end. And in the end, you don't have to be a genius, or even a skilled carpenter. You just need to know what to do next.

55 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, but ignore his stud location advice., August 15, 2001

By 

Charles Steck "Charlie Steck" (Concord, Ga USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction (Ring-bound)

Not being a builder I was looking for a practical book to assist in building my 24x36 shop. This book has a lot of good stuff and you can tell that Larry "has been there". I went by the book on almost everything. I wish I had ignored his advice on stud location. He says it is not neccessary to maintain the 16 oc from end to end when you hit interruptions like doors and windows. He says you can simple start the 16 oc pattern over and not sacrifice structural integrity. I agree, but you catch heck when you sheath your walls and it would be better to have a stud under every 16 oc ceiling or second floor joist. He does say that for sheathing or dry wall reasons one could argue for maintaining the 16 oc the entire length of the wall, but he sorta of minimized it and said you can save on stud cost. Being a beginner I followed his advice to the tee. I will now go back and put in extra studs at 4' oc to accomodate my siding. Ignore his stud location advice and you will have a very helpful book on framing.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding reference and guide, December 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction (Ring-bound)

This book fills an important gap; it's neither too basic nor is it a structural or architectural engineering text book. I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in remodelling or building by themselves, or even just curious about how their house is put together. This book does such a good job documenting and explaining the framing process that I would also highly recommend it to anyone who's having a house built.