Residential and Light Commercial Construction Standards: The All-In-One, Authoritative Reference Compiled from Major Building Codes, Recognized Trade Custom, Industry Standards

asked by willie on November 25, 2006 3:40 PM

A unique collection of industry standards that define quality in construction. For contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers, architects, engineers, attorneys, and insurance personnel, this book provides authoritative requirements and recommendations compiled from the nation's leading professional associations, industry publications, and building code organizations. Coverage includes standards for concrete, masonry, framing, finish carpentry and cabinetry, insulation, roofing, windows and doors, drywall and ceramic tile, floor covering, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and more. This one-stop reference is enhanced by helpful commentary from respected practitioners, including identification of items most frequently targeted for construction defect claims. The new second edition provides the latest building code requirements. This one-of-a-kind resource enables you to:

Establish an acceptable quality of workmanship.
Resolve disputes and avoid litigation.
Train personnel in correct installation procedures.
Answer client questions and authority.
Easily find applicable building code information.

The nationwide team of editors includes leading contractors, engineers, architects and construction defect analysts. They provide practical installation tips, along with advice on how to avoid the most frequently cited defect claims.

Buy this book

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Reviews

It is very broad in scope, but in my opinion it lacks depth. Specifically, there have been several times where I found it did not have goood detailed design info, especially related to practical example diagrams.

reviewed by mattisboss on November 29, 2006 12:52 AM

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I think this is an excellent book for, first, students and neophytes to learn some standard detailing and systems, and second, novice construction administrators and contractors needing help with some standard practices they might not have seen or know the whole ins and outs of. I will admit that it is not at a beginner level, and you do need some familiarity with construction to understand all of its articles, but the list of contributing editors is a who's who of construction standards, most of them being some sort of expert, whether they serve on buiding code commitees or are esteemed lecturers and each with multiple decades of experience.

The book is divided almost into the cooresponding CSI divisions it deals with. Each section starts out with a great blurb (titled "Common Defect Allegations") about what is to be expected when dealing with particular system. These are especially helpful to generalize a decision about masonry walls vs. concrete, and so on. What really excited me about this book was that in each building system article, there are the cooresponding UBC entries included with the hard to understand ones diagramed out (Like typical distance requirements for light fixtures around a shower or where you need a GFCI plug in your bathroom)

This is a necessary reference for construction and design professionals already in the field. More experienced professionals might find it more useful as a quick reference so they don't have to remember all the code issues and standards for a particular building system. This IS light commercial and residential construction, this book is missing all the steel erection, shoring, heavy concrete, etc. systems. I have found those books, though.

reviewed by janmueller on November 29, 2006 4:41 AM

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My fiance is an architecture student and although we didn't but the book here it is a great reference to her school work. If she ever has a question concerning framing all she has to do is look it up in this book and all here questions are answered. This is a great book and we recommend it to anybody in the architecture field.

reviewed by sumbuddy on November 29, 2006 7:26 PM

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Residential and Light Commercial Construction Standards is a great book when trying to avoid disputes about various construction standards. It covers everything from asphalt paving; concrete; masonry; finish capentry; cabinetry; and many more.

reviewed by speed5599 on November 29, 2006 7:31 PM

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add a new book!