The beam and lumber requirements for your jobs aren't always clear, especially with changing building codes and lumber products. If you need to figure any type of on-the-job lumber engineering, this book will help fill the gap between what you can find in building code span tables and the complex calculations that you need to hire a certified engineer to do. The book covers most building types and framing systems, including door, window and roof framing. And there's a chapter on connections, retrofitting with anchor bolts, framing anchors and tie-downs, plus the latest requirements for cross-bridging and anchoring. Also included is an important chapter on designing concrete formwork -- figuring the pressures, tolerances, and thickness for plywood, Plyform, composition, and fiber-reinforced plastic. In the back of the book you'll find a computer disk with an easy-to-use version of Northbridge Software's Wood Beam Sizing "TM". Just follow the step-by-step instructions in the program to find out what size member you need for the spans and loads that you require based on the wood species that you're using. Requires Windows 3.1 or higher.

Basic engineering principles are offered in non-technical language that the builder can put to use on his jobs. Includes understanding engineering requirements on the plans and how to meet them, sizing of structural members using only preliminary plans, and requirements for steel, concrete, and masonry.

Concrete can be a pretty unforgiving building material. Ask any of the builders who come into your store and they'll usually have a horror story to share about a concrete job gone awry and how much it cost them.Basic Concrete Engineering for Builders may be one of the only books available today that explains how to avoid common concrete problems with foundations, slabs, columns, and more. It gives step-by-step explanations on how to plan, mix, reinforce and pour concrete. It also shows how to design concrete for buildings -- the calculations, the tables, and the rules of thumb, with examples and insight into the working knowledge that every builder needs.Most builders don't end up specifying requirements for structural concrete work. That's the job of an engineer. But most builders working with concrete need a good general understanding of the concepts behind structural concrete engineering. They need to know about: surveying, foundation layout, formwork, form materials, forming problems, aggregates, admixtures, reinforcing, mixing and placing requirements, pumping, creating joints, curing, and testing the concrete's strength. They need to know basic design for walls, columns, slabs, slabs-on-grade, one- and two-way slabs, elevated slabs, equipment pads, pre-cast walls, retaining walls, basement walls, crib walls, reinforcing beams and girders, driveways, sidewalks, curbs, catch basins, manholes and other miscellaneous structures, as well as how to calculate the reinforcement needed for these structural components. You'll find all this information in this book and on the software included in the back.Includes Free Engineering Software: A CD-ROM is included with easy-to-useengineering software for designing simple concrete elements for beams, slabs and columns.

Don't let your jobs be held up by failing code inspections. Smooth sign-off by the inspector is the goal, but to make this ideal happen on your job site, you need to understand the requirements of latest editions of the International Building Code and the International Residential Code. Understanding what the codes require can be a real challenge. This new, completely revised Contractor's Guide to the Building Code cuts through the legalese of the code books. It explains the important requirements for residential and light commercial structures in plain, simple English so you can get it right the first time.

The bestselling structural design reference, fully updated and revised Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders is the go-to reference on structural design, giving architects and designers a concise introduction to the structures commonly used for typical buildings. The clear, accessible presentation is designed to give you the essential engineering information you need without getting bogged down in excess math, making this book an ideal reference for busy design professionals. This new 12th edition has been completely revised to reflect the latest standards and practices. The instructor site includes a complete suite of teaching resources, including an instructor's manual. Structural design is an essential component of the architect's repertoire, and engineering principles are at the foundation of every sound structure. You need to know the physics, but you don't necessarily need to know all of the math. This book gives you exactly what you need without losing you in a tangle of equations, so you can quickly grasp and apply the material. Understand fundamental concepts like forces, loading, and reactions Learn how to design for wood, steel, or concrete construction Study structural design standards and develop sound structural systems Determine the best possible solutions to difficult design challenges The industry-leading reference for over 80 years, Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders is the definitive guide to practical structural design.

Material prices and manhours for estimating new construction costs.

Reading a blueprint is like reading a road map. It tells you exactly what you are required to build. Read it wrong and you will build it wrong -- and that can be expensive. This book explains how to read and interpret all types of electrical drawings and diagrams used in residential and commercial construction. There are details on electrical floor plans, lighting layouts, and schematics showing single line and block or power-riser diagrams for wiring circuits. Learn how to lay out an electrical project, what to look out for in dealing with construction specifications and drawings -- especially in terms of today's technology, how to use an engineer's scale for developing and reading site plans, and how to make up and use panel board, connected-load, and other schedules.