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The Well-Built House
 
 
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The Well-Built House (Paperback)

~ James Locke (Author) "YOU WANT TO build a house, and I want you to build a certain kind of house..." (more)
Key Phrases: wood gutters, shower base, rough opening, New England, Getting Done, More Subs (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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The Well-Built House + Tips & Traps When Building Your Home + So... You Want To Build a House: A Complete Workbook for Building Your Own Home
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  • This item: The Well-Built House by James Locke

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  • So... You Want To Build a House: A Complete Workbook for Building Your Own Home by J M Gore

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is the essential book for anyone who is considering building or buying a new house or remodeling an old one--an insider's guide to construction, written by a professional contractor. Many readers will remember Jim Locke as the contractor in Tracy Kidder's bestselling book HOUSE, in which he epitomized the values of the true craftsman.


About the Author

Jim Locke writes and builds in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Mariner Books; Rev Sub edition (September 28, 1992)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0395629519
  • ISBN-13: 978-0395629512
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,109 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Locke
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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best of its kind, November 11, 2003
By misterbeets "misterbeets" (Safe Harbor, MD USA) - See all my reviews
I originally thought the author might have been capitalizing on his fame from being the subject of another book: Tracy Kidder's House. I was surprised to find it more intelligent than the competition. And I was put off by the title, thinking the book was only about those things that make a house a work of old-fashioned craftmanship. But it's a complete tour of the housebuilding process, seemingly written from memory, so easily do the words flow.

He shares his opinions, and they're always sensible. Mostly he eschews the cheap stuff, and telling you *what that is* is invaluable. He prefers plywood to OSB, wood to vinyl siding, and steers you away from roof trusses, vinyl windows, wooden countertops (not cheap, but not practical), and fiberglass tubs. He tells you where to install thicker plywood or wallboard, and tries to talk you into a real masonry chimney instead of a metal lined firebox. His style is succinct, never offensive, and witty. Best of the dozen or so I'm familiar with.

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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great insights into a builder's perspective, September 16, 2002
Sure, there were a few chapters that we skimmed over--too much detail about construction techniques for our current pre-planning stage. But we read the bulk of the book with a "REALLY glad that you mentioned that" mental response.

A major feature of this book is its discussion of design and hardware features in your future home. We will be able, now, to have an informed discussion with our architect and builder about many essential aspects of our home design.

The extensive discussion--occurring throughout the book--about relationships between the owner, architect, builder and subcontractors was worth its weight in gold. MAN, the mistakes we are going to avoid!!

This book gives extensive insight to the perspective of the general contractor, and of problems that the general contractor faces--with the architect, the owner, and the sub-contractors.

As a result of reading this book, we are now contemplating the choice of a builder before we decide upon an architect--directly contrary to our earlier thoughts. As we read and contemplate more, we shall see.

We are planning our first experience in building a custom home--and it is the home we intend to live in until.... So, this is a BIG deal.

We learned SO much from this book. If there is a more informative book on the subject, we would like to know!!

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42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, well-written, thorough, honest, fun, literate, August 28, 1999
By Carolyn K. Larson (Lamoine, Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Of all the books I've bought on building a new home, this is far and away the best. I just wish I could spirit Mr. Locke and his crew up to Maine to build our retirement home and horse barn. It will be the first, and last, home we build, and what I would give to have the craftsmanship of a builder like Mr. Locke to pass on to my son and grandson. An added gift is his humor and literacy - the book is as well-crafted as I suspect are his houses.

Reading it will not make you a good builder - only long experience and caring can do that - but as one who knows nothing from cornice to casings, this book makes me far more comfortable in talking with those who are - or who aren't.

Thank you, Mr. Locke.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Only three pages for the role of an architect?
This book was written by the contractor who built the house in Tracy Kiddr's HOUSE and Kidder wrote a glowing foreword. Read more
Published 2 months ago by John Milnes Baker

1.0 out of 5 stars A good book in its time, but now hopelessly out of date.
When this book was written, it was a good, straight forward guide to good construction practice in the residential housing market. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Polvaga

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Easy to Read
This book offers a great overview of the building process, from a builder who sounds like he does exceptionally high quality work. Read more
Published on September 4, 2007 by We Love Books!

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Information
With this book, you get facts, measurements, the best way to do things, and reasons why it needs to be done a certain way. You get the basic order of what happens. Read more
Published on August 6, 2006 by Marsha J. Hayes

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful for the firstimer
This is the first book I have read in starting to gather info to build for the first time. It has given me several things to look for. I would recomend it to anyone.
Published on October 12, 2005 by D. Ricketts

3.0 out of 5 stars Many good points but dangerously dated
This book offers many common-sense bits of advice. I had some problems with the combination of the author's total self-assurance (do this, don't do that; this is good, this is no... Read more
Published on July 12, 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Overview of the Building Process
Locke does an excellent job of discussing the process of building a new house. As a builder/contractor, his perspective is clearly that of the contractor, but he admits his bias... Read more
Published on June 25, 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars New home buyer
Although this book has a great deal of good information, it lacks adequate illustrations. Those that are provided are simple line drawings where photographs would be better. Read more
Published on July 30, 2000

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative but frustrating.
This book offers an informative, but ultimately frustrating, look at the house-building process. Locke certainly seems to know what he's talking about, and in a perfect world,... Read more
Published on April 16, 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars

A must read for anyone involved with building a new home.

The Well-Built House is an excellent book which everyone who is considering having a new house built, or remodeling an older one, should read. Read more

Published on December 6, 1997

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