Technical Books > Wordworking & Building & Home Maintainance

A practical and timely guide to help prevent accidents, ensure comfort, and maintain an independent, sustainable lifestyle in your own home as you age.

Today, a new generation of architects and builders is emerging, intent on creating homes that meet human needs for shelter while causing only a fraction of the environmental impact of conventional housing. The New Ecological Home provides an overview of green building techniques, materials, products, and technologies that are either currently available or will be in the near future. Author Daniel Chiras provides a wealth of up-to-date, practical information for home buyers, owner-builders, and anyone interested in building for a su... read more

This exciting new book, written by a veteran author who himself lives in a straw-bale and rammed-tire home, takes the reader on a tour of fourteen natural building methods, including straw bale, rammed earth, cordwood, adobe, earthbags, papercrete, Earthships, and more. You'll learn how these homes are built, how much they cost, and the pros and cons of each. A resource guide at the end of every chapter offers a wealth of information.

Maintaining Your Home's 358 full-colour pages are crammed with practical advice on common problems and their causes, what needs to be done about them and whether you should do-it-yourself or call for expert advice. It covers every part of your home, from subfloor to roof space and beyond, and includes charts for you to fill in to keep track of your maintenance over the years. For most of us, our home is our biggest asset and if you value the investment you have made, you need a copy of this book. It explains how your house works a... read more

In one way or another the leaky homes catastrophe affects everyone in New Zealand, most especially the unfortunate home owners. This book is a guide for people from woe to go. It will provide the reader with information on the following: "Tell-tale" signs and other not-so-obvious signs, who to go to, what steps to take, how the Weathertight Homes Tribunal works, whether to go to court or use the state system, what to expect in terms of time and cost, what to claim for and whether to stay in the home or go during repair.

Yurts inspire a sacred connection between people and their environment, between living and nature, between humankind and the forces that shape the world in which we live. Yurts: Living in the Round takes you on a journey, starting with nomads in Central Asia who still use the yurt today as their ancestors did in ancient times and ending with modern-day innovators who redesigned yurts (previously only used in the backcountry and at campgrounds) for use as modern permanent homes and offices. Yurts also offers advice on every aspect o... read more

Guiding novice and experienced woodworkers alike, this ultimate guide to the fine art of using the lathe to shape wood includes exercises and projects to develop the skills needed to maximise the fun and enjoyment of this craft. With the latest information on techniques, tools, machinery and safety, plus many professional tips and secrets, crafters can hone their skills on projects ranging from special boxes and bowls to hat stands and toys. Additional chapters include topics such as turning techniques for both scraping and cutting... read more

A signature feature of "Fine Woodworking" project articles is detailed exploded drawings. Some of these plans are works of art in themselves and reward careful study with insights into the basis of good design. For the many woodworkers, these plans are worth the price of the book alone. This book collects the workshop accessory and jigs articles that contain exploded drawings from the last 15 years of "Fine Woodworking". It is organized by class of project (tool storage, workbenches, table saw accessories, etc.). The book contains ... read more

Basic Plumbing Services Skills has been developed by the Plumbing, Gasfitting & Drainlaying Industry Training Organisation to support NZQA national qualifications and will be published in early March. It has been written to support the National Certificate in Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying (Introduction) (Level 2) and NZQA National Certificates in Plumbing and Gasfitting (Level 4). This text is an adaptation of the highly successful Australian textbook, Basic Plumbing Services Skills and covers the fundamental skills ... read more

An guide to building living structures with straw bales. Covers benefits of building with straw bales, safety concerns, building codes, and insurance, and offers techniques for building walls, windows, doors, foundations, roofs, floors, and plastering the straw walls. Includes b&w photos demonstrat

Deconstructing the Building Act is a practical, plain-English guide to the regulatory framework introduced in the Building Act 2004. This book provides a basic understanding of how and why the building control system was developed, and its purpose and application for those coming into contact with it for the first time. It simplifies the various legal, administrative and technical aspects of the legislation, and explains the control documents required to comply with the Act.

At a time when housing costs and interest rates have put the dream of owning a home beyond the reach of many people, the authors show how even the most impractical person can learn to build a house.

The need for a technical reference book on building with brick in New Zealand had been long overdue when John Oliver first published The Brick Book in 2000. Written in an easy to read format and supported with good illustrations, the fully revised and updated John Oliver's Brick Book reflects the author's obvious passion for all things brick. With sections covering the history of bricks, construction techniques, brick treatments, and with helpful tips and advice notes throughout, this book will have broad appeal. Indeed, whether yo... read more

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This excellent hands-on guide to designing environmentally friendly buildings -- those made from materials that preserve the earth's natural legacy for future generations -- is written by two nationally known experts on the subject. You'll find practical information on green product selection, product specification, and construction processes. You'll also learn just what green building materials are, where you can find them, and how you can use them effectively. This edition includes updated information on LEED requirements and how... read more

This book offers an introduction to the tradition of country woodworking, with sample workshop designs, practical advice on tools and equipment, and an overview of reliable woodworking methods all lending to our understanding of a fascinating, timetested craft. Watson carefully illustrates the step-by-step process of furniture design, carefully delineating the fine details and offering insight into the captivating history of country furniture and the furniture makers themselves First published 1974.

Bridges touch all our lives - every day we are likely to cross a bridge, or go under one. How many of us stop to consider how the bridge stands up and what sort of people designed and built something so strong? Bridge building is a magnificent example of the practical and every day use of science. However, the story of bridges goes beyond science and technology, and involves issues relating to artistic and cultural development. After all, bridges are built by people, for people. Bridges can be icons for whole cities; just consider ... read more

Authoritative, superbly crafted and easy to use, Collins Complete Woodworker's Manual is the one book every woodworker needs.This new revised edition has been extensively rewritten and contains new photographs and illustrations to give the book a contemporary feel, and includes all the new products and techniques developed since the last edition.The reader is guided through every stage in the process of crafting furniture and other decorative pieces. Starting with the basics – the nature of wood, the tools required, setting up a w... read more

While providing a wealth of information on a range of relevant subjects, Tomm Stanley uses an instructional narrative to lead readers through the process of building with stone and slipforms. This is the first book dedicated to slipform stone masonry in many years. opics include: Traditional stonemasonry and slipforming; Basic geology and where to source suitable stone; Passive solar principles; Concrete making and techniques for molding and casting concrete; and methods for restoring recycled wooden windows and doors. First published 2003.

Shelter, like many other elements of human existence, comes at an extraordinary cost to our planet and its inhabitants. In the US alone, construction of 1.2 million new homes a year results in a massive drain on the Earth's natural resource base. Today, nearly 60 percent of all timber cut in the US is used in building houses. Not to mention construction wastes and the huge amounts of resources used in the day-to-day operation of the "modern" household. In addition to environmental costs, there are the personal economic costs -- the... read more