Sometimes, I just want to escape from society. On the weekends, I love to get outside and hike my way around the local countryside.
I’ve been thinking a lot about building my own property, or at least a small place to go to on weekends. Obviously, this is quite a large challenge. I’ve recently been looking for books which might help me reach that goal and teach me something about construction.
Below are some of the best books that I’ve found on the topic so far:
Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods by Joseph Iano
With over 30 different editions to date, this textbook is widely regarded as essential for construction engineers across the globe. The ‘Fundamentals of Building Construction’ continues to be used by thousands of students in schools of architecture, engineering, and construction technology every year.
Iano takes the reader on a long journey which starts with the types of nails used in basic construction tasks and ends with an understanding of the components of buildings and how they are constructed. Reading this book gives the reader the ability to stop at any site and have a fair idea of what exactly everybody on site is doing and what they have left to do.
Building Construction Illustrated by Francis D.K. Ching
This classic visual guide to the basics of building construction has recently been updated to contain the most up-to-date information. Building Construction Illustrated has provided outstanding introductions to the principles of building construction for students over the past 3 decades and beyond.
There are some who say this book has too much of a US-bias, but I think that this is a fairly decent read for anybody in the world if they want a more theoretical understanding of construction rather than just practical. you may want to be wary however that the measurements and units used in this book can be misleading.
Graphic Guide to Frame Construction: Details for Builders and Designers (For Pros by Pros) by Rob Thallon
Considered the standard reference in its field, this “Graphic Guide to Frame Construction” is the most well respected visual guide to building with wood. This is an invaluable reference for experienced designers and builders. Inside is a complete visual handbook for architects, builders, students, and anybody interested in wood-frame construction.
Cabin Porn: Inspiration for Your Quiet Place Somewhere by Zachery Klein
Not a book about construction per sé, but, Klein’s ‘Cabin Porn’ is a chunky coffee table read which you can easily pick up and flick through when the mood grabs you. This book delves into the creation of wood cabins and guides you on how you might build your own. You get to experience your own mini-escape each time you flick through the pages.
The book is filled to the brim with photos. These photos are absolutely breathtaking and will no doubt fuel your wanderlust and make you want to take in the beautiful surroundings in your own cabin someday. The stories left me wanting to meet the amazing people who build these cabins and grab a beer with them.
The one downside is that this book is a little light on words, I wish there had been more tales from the author and the contributors about their journeys.
My thanks go to J3 Building Solutions, one of the best construction companies in Newcastle. I spoke to a few members of the team at J3 during my research on this blog, they gave me some great book suggestions to consider for my learning. If you’re looking for trustworthy commercial builders Newcastle, You can’t go wrong with J3 Building Solutions.
Henrietta Lacks, as HeLa, is well known to scientists for her cells taken from cervical cancer. In her life, she was a poor Southern tobacco farm hand who worked to tend to the same land as her slave ancestors. However, her cells have created massive advances in the drug industry. However, they were taken without her knowledge and without adequate financial recognition.
This book starts by suggesting that medicine is broken. We like to imagine that it’s based on evidence and the results of fair tests, but in reality, those tests are often miraculously broken. We like to imagine that doctors are familiar with the research literature surrounding a drug, when sadly much of the research is hidden by drug companies.
Using examples such as Vioxx, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, Celebrex, and anti-depressants — ‘Overdosed America’ describes how at the heart of the current crisis in American medicine lies the commercialisation of medical knowledge.
Currently, Americans spend close to $200 billion each year on prescription drugs. As Dr. Angell powerfully describes here in her book, claims that high drug prices are necessary to fund research and development are unfounded. The truth instead is that drug companies funnel the bulk of their resources into the marketing of products which actually have questionable benefits. Meanwhile, as profits continue to grow exponentially, the drug companies brazenly use their wealth and power to push their agenda through government.
Med Head is a book which describes how it feels to have a body that won’t stop moving. This is a well woven tale about how it is to be different from everyone else, to be made fun of every day and how to break free and take control.
At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he is a doctor treating the dying, and the next, he becomes a patient who struggles to live.
Atul Gawande uses this book to approach the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can improve life whilst also being used to bring about its end.
Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey
Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother, and Me by Sarah Leavitt
Still Alice by Lisa Genova