Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Still a classic after twenty-five years.
I bought the first edition of this book years ago and what attracted me to it was the very accessible way it was produced, it just looked so inviting. Francis Ching writes about technical matters in a simple straightforward style and Cassandra Adams illustrations are a joy to look at. She produced the entire book (except for the bar-code) by hand, cover, title page, contents, index and drew over a thousand technical illustrations and even hand wrote the detailed captions. This latest updated edition uses the same illustrations but the text is now typeset in a typeface (Tecton, I think) very similar to her handwritten style.As other reviewers have said this is not a book for the DIY handyman but a guide to construction basics, chapters deal with the site, the building, foundations, floors, walls, roofs, moisture protection, doors and windows, finish work, mechanical and electrical, materials. The thirty-two page Appendix gives addition technical information, followed by a ten page index. I do have one very minor criticism of this latest edition though, for some odd reason the publishers have decided to print all the illustrations in a tint of black which detracts them from their original beauty. However this will not stop readers from enjoying and learning from a unique looking book that can hardly be improved on. A masterpiece.
Rating:  - beautiful drawings, complete information
I bought this book expecting a building manual and got the most amazing drawings on the issue that I have seen. It keeps a very logical order, beginning with the managing of the building site and ends with special construction techniques. The drawings are handmade over CAD drawings and that fact doesn't matter because of its quality.It has at the end the complete CSI masterformat System for specificactions, which scopes the whole field of building and a lot of references to institutions related to each division of the CSI system. It's a very useful book. I't's less complete in information than the Graphics Standards or the Neufert, but it's precious, and I must say that books need to be useful and complete, but they need to be beautiful too. I would recommend this book, because is one of the good purchases I have made.
Rating: - Provides the Foundation
I was first given this book by the architect of a home I was building over 20 years ago. The home involved curves and radiuses was built on a very steep slope. Integration of dis-similar materials and proper flashing was critical to it's performance. This book provided me with an understanding of how to tie many varied components together. Once completed, the home received international recognition (my first project to do so!).I have purchased and given at least 5 copies of this book to key employees since then. Recently I gave a copy to a law firm I frequently act as expert witness for in commercial and residential construction litigation. The illustrations are very understandable and compelling. This book (and others by Ching) easily compliments any construction or design professional's library.
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