[.uk] The Well-Built House (ISBN 0395629519)

Best of its kind:
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.

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 good) combined with the fact that this book is so far behind contemporary code that you could run into real trouble taking it too seriously. But he's writing for people who are watching the building process, not lifting a hammer.

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.

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. You learn how the builder thinks. It will be good information to have at hand while your house is being built. I'd sure like for James Locke to build my house!

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. It is well-written and entertaining, so I had no trouble reading it from cover to cover. It's only drawback is that it is perhaps a bit dated, so newer materials and techniques are not covered, but if you are wanting to build a traditional wood-framed house I highly reccommend it.