Conference 7.286::home_work

    Maybe you could tell us the title, author and library where you
    found it.

It came from the Harvard town library...

Mean's Home Improvement Cost Guide  (written by Mean)
Published by RS Means
Kingston, Mass.

-mark

    son of a gun !  I just saw that book at the bookstore -
    at Searstown Mall, in Leominster.
    
    No, I didn't check the price.  Sorry.
    
    Dwight

    Seems like I've been seeing a lot of commercials for the Time/Life
    Home Improvement books - maybe I'm just watching too much football!
    
    Anyway, does anyone have any opinions as to whether they are worth
    the investment and time it takes to get them all?  Seems like they
    have good info, but if you do a project once, do they lose their
    usefulness?  Or will I be going to the local DIY store and
    asking them what the book means when it says ....
    
    Have been going to the library, which is always the right price,
    but not always the right time or availability!

    We have all the basic tools, just getting started in real experience!
    Opinions of Bob Vila aside, anyone have anything to say??

    I have one of the books. Its on electrical wiring. A lot of
    people have borrowed it -once-. They have a lot of good pointers
    in them, but how much are you really going to use them. There is
    much more in those books then you will ever use. When I'm going
    to start a project I don't know much about I eather get the
    book from the library or buy one.
     
    dave
    

    I have several (they were gifts). The information is very basic
    and every time I refer to them for a specific problem, the information
    I need isn't there. If they weren't free, I wouldn't buy them.
    
    - Rich

    I worked at Time for a year and a half and was able to buy the books
    in the employee bookstore for next to nothing. Information is scarce,
    basic, or repeated from book to book. If you know absolutely nothing
    about a particular subject it might make sense to buy that particular
    book.
    
    I consider the Time/Life series to be the Monarch Notes of the DIY
    world.
    
    

    I was foolish enough to subscribe to them for a while.  Then
    my brother-in-law sent me a book, about $20-30, covered about
    as much as the Time-Life books.  The T-L books were about $10
    each, as I recall, and I have 8-10 of them.  So I spent maybe
    $100 over several months for material I could have gotten for
    a lot lot less in one trip to a book store.  Its obvious why
    T-L can afford to advertise them heavily.

    Just to get in here... they are a real waste on $$ I have found
    very little info in them that common sense wouldent fix.
    Over all if you cannot find a hammer while sitting on it buy the
    whole series but if you can tell a hammer from a saw look for
    something else.
    One other series you can save money on by not bothering is
    the popular science dyi encyclopaedia which is a collection of
    old articles and has little to offer besides ideas.
    -j

    
    I was on the subscription list for a for awhile, and ended up with
    2 books:  Kitchens and Bathrooms, and Plumbing, $13. bucks and change
    each.  I agree with some previous replies that they don't go into
    alot of detail.  I subsequently got off the list.
    
    I found that I can buy the T/L  books at my local bookstore.  The
    store didn't have the every different book in the series, but carried
    the more popular, basic ones.  They were 12.95.
    
    I would recommend that you try SUNSET books.    The T/L Plumbing
    book I bought didn't say anything about how to thread pipes.  The
    Sunset book did.  And the price is more attractive, $5.37 at K-mart.
                  
    The T/L books look nice with their hard covers, but were aimed at
    someone who wants to have a nice looking bookshelf.  Also, the price
    differential is largely due to Packaging -- the hard covers are
    more expensive to produce.
    
    Also, check out the Home  section of your local bookstore.  If you
    look long enough, you should be able to find what you're looking
    for in the amount of detail you want.
    
    My 2 cents.
    
    Steve
    

    Thanks for all the cautions/warnings!  I would rather spend my money
    usefully than have a nice looking bookshelf - my bookshelf will
    just look more "useful"! Seems like it would be frustrating to get
    the plumbing book just when you wanted to add a deck!

    re. -.4  What book did your brother-in-law send you.
    
    

    Over the years I've bought 1 or 2 of these types of books from various
    "special offers", and never found them useful.  Here are my two
    favorite sources of substancial information:
    
    DESIGNING, BUILDING & REMODLING YOUR HOME by FALCONE (I may have
    gotten those adjectives in the title messed up, but the author is
    right).  Good on the carpentry and engineering (load factors, etc)
    side of building, especially on what goes where in great detail.
    
    For individual topics (electrical, plumbing, heating, a/c, etc),
    you just cannot beat Audel's series. These are 1/2 height books,
    and they don't waste time on useless information.
    
    Good place for both of thesee is Walden's.  I know the one in Wordester
    Center has them, but others probably do as well.
    -reed
    

    A "No" vote too for the Time/Life books. But I would recommend
    (especially for many of the noters in this file, based upon general
    questions asked) is the Ortho series of books. I find these books
    to be good references and they contain lots of "meat" and very
    little "filler." Not to mention you can get them at spags for just
    over $2. each (Cover price is I believe usually $3.95). 
                                         /Glenn
    

    On the subject of home improvement, diy books, can someone
    suggest a good book or magazine article on building a home
    entertainment center.  Judging from the prices I have seen
    for these units, I'm almost certain I could do a more custom
    job for a lot less bucks!  I'll want it to hold a TV vcr and
    stereo components, something like the following:
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    ----------------------------------------------------
    |			      |			       |
    |      tuner 	      |	    VCR                |
    |--------------------------------------------------|
    |                         |                        |
    |    amplifier            :                        |
    --------------------------|                        :
    |                         |                        |
    |   tape deck 1           |                        |
    --------------------------|                        |
    |                         |         TV             |
    |   tape deck 2           |                        |
    ---------------------------------------------------|
    |                         |                        |
    |   turntable             |                        |   
    ---------------------------------------------------|
    |                                                  |
    |             drawers or storage space             |
    |               here, etc.                         |
    |                                                  |
    |                                                  |
    |                                                  |
    |                                                  |
    |--------------------------------------------------|
                                                        
    thanks, Eric
    

    re: .11
    
    I'm looking for the same kind of pointer.
    
    One thing, though.  Shouldn't your turntable be on top so you can
    open the cover?  Both my turntable and an old VCR of mine are top
    loading, so my arrangement is more limited than I'd like.
    
    -joet

    re: .12
    
    	I would like to build a pull out shelf for the turntable.
    	I guess I could just sit down, do some measurements and
    	design it out.  Its really just a big rectangle with shelves
    	anyhow, right? :^)  I've noticed most of the wood shelving
    	comes 1x12.  I'll need at least 1"x16" or the tv will fall off
    	the back.  Do they sell this size.  I've never seen it on the
    	shelves.(in those tall racks).
    

    RE: .13
    
    If your talking pine, Binghams Lumber in N.H. has pine up to
    1" x 24" but be prepared to pay between $2.00 to 3.00 per bd. ft..
    
    If it were me, I would probably go with veneered plywood instead.
    
    Charlie

    Earlier in this note, someone recommended Sunset books instead of
    Time/Life - sure enough, I was hanging out at the drug store last
    night waiting on a 'scrip, and this place had a whole section of
    Sunset books.  They're softbound, about 8 x 11 inches, less than
    half inch think, these were $2.95 to 5.95.  Seems like I saw one
    on constructing shelving units and built-ins, nice pictures.
    
    Will definitely go with these - if I could only decide what project
    to start next!

    re .11
    
    I was about to start drawing up plans for a home entertainment center,
    when my wife dragged me into an unfinished furniture store, and
    I found a "room divider" that fit my needs almost exactly:

       		*-----------------------------------------*
		|            |                |           |
		|   audio    |    tape deck   |           |
		|   tapes    |                |  records  |
		|            |     receiver   |           |
		|-----------------------------------------|
    		|                     |                   |
    		|                     |      vcr          |
    		|                     |-------------------|
    		|                     |                   |
    		|         tv          |    turntable      |
    		|                     |                   |
    		|                     |                   |
		|-----------------------------------------|
		|            |                |           |
		|            |    vcr tapes   |  storage  |
		|            |                |           |
		|  storage   |----------------|  (video   |
		|            |                |   game    |
		|            |     records    |    and    |
		|            |                |   media)  |
    		*-----------------------------------------*
		
    I put eight casters on a frame under the unit, so that it can be
    rolled (with great difficulty) away from the wall to access the
    wiring. It's 16"deep. which is fine for the tv and turntable. There
    is enough space above the tv for an additional shelf (second tape
    deck/CD?). The edging on the shelves and vertical supports is a
    little more than an inch thick, so I was able to run all wires along the
    back and make them nearly invisible.
    
    I put backs on the holes used for records and tapes, to keep
    them neat and as a base for wiring connections (antenna fan-outs,
    multiple-outlet A.C. strips, etc). The "storage" holes will soon
    get backs, shelves and doors, to hide the clutter.

    I know this isn't a "how-to book" answer, but it's the way to go
    for a semi-custom center without starting from scratch.

    When I put in my 2 cents worth on 'best books' I purposely left
    out my favorite, becuase I haven't seen it anywhere.  Well, I just
    saw the new edition in the Open Book (Julio's shopping plaza,
    Westboro). It is called CARPENTRY AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, by
    Feirer & Hutchings.  It costs (sitting down?) around $45.  The edition
    I have I got from Popular Mechanics Book Club 2 years ago, for about
    $10 or so.  I call it the 'best' because it is the type of book
    many of have been looking for - a textbook (after all, they must
    exist for trade schools to be able to teach this stuff, right).
    It assumes nothing for the most part, and teaches everything (at
    least in carpentry).  It also touches on other aspects of building
    (scheduling materials, estimating, etc.), but does not cover in
    detail the allied trades such as wiring, plumbing or heating.
    -reed
    

    Don't waste your money for the books at Time Life's prices.  I picked
    up a complete set of the books at a Library book sale in Chelmsford,
    MA last year and I got them for 75 cents a book.
    
    Mike B.
    

    We've decided to add a room onto our house.  Since we can't
    pay anyone to do it, we're going to build it ourself.
    
    Right now we're in the "Find out what to do" stage, i.e.
    how it should be framed, supported, attached to the house,
    etc.  I'd like to read a bit about it before I start
    pestering my knowledgable friends (no, their not *all*
    knowledgable) with dumb questions.  Any reccomendations
    for books on this (or related) topic?
    
    		George

One of the things I've found most helpful in any large project is really 
understanding what you're doing.  I find that watching shows like 
HOMETIME (channel 11 in Manchester, NH) and This Old House (which I hate 
but still watch), provides a lot of useful information.

I think that many of the basic carpentry principles apply to all facets. 
For example, even if you're not going to ever install kitchen cabinets, 
just watching/listening to what's involved could provide helpful tips 
on hanging a door, etc.

Another thing to consider is rather than start big, start small.  Build 
a picnic table, a tool shed, some bookcases, etc.  I promise you'll 
screw it up somewhere.  It's only after you've made the same mistake 
several times that you'll get it right.  No, I'm not saying that if you 
start too big you'll fail, but you may end up re-doing the same thing a 
couple of times.

One of my most frequent mistakes (and I don't think I've done this 
for awhile) --  if I wanted to make a box 12" on a side, I'd cut 4 
boards 12".  For some reason or another, it takes a while to remember to 
allow for the widths of the boards on 2 sides.

and of course we all remember the saying, "measure it twice, cut it 
once".  I wish I had a dollar for every board I cut wrong even after 
measuring it 3 times!

-mark

    Re .17 I joined the Popular Science Book Club and received that
    book for joining (cost $3.95). I had to buy three other books within
    2 years, but it only took me 3 months.

    Try "From The Ground Up" and "From the Walls In," both by Charlie
    Wing.  Also (if you can find it) "Practical Carpentry".  If you
    can't find that one, get "Modern Carpentry".  Sorry, don't know
    the authors of those last two.  Charlie Wing's books will cover
    most everything anyway.

	I don't know where you live but I'm currently going to a vocational
school for the exact same thing. I've already taken an electrical class and
as far as I'm concerned, it was well worth the $140.00. I plan to change
my service in the spring. I couldn't have done this with just a manual to
go by.


						Robert Sarao

    There's a book called "Wood Frame House Construction" or something
    like that available from the Consumer Information Service (the
    government office in Pueblo, CO that provides all kinds of free
    or low-cost literature).  It covers some of the basics pretty well.
    I think it costs a few dollars, but it's worth it.
    
    -db

    Yes, the book is called "Wood-Frame House Construction" (Handbook
    number 73) available from the "U.S. Government Printing office"
    publication dept. in Washington D.C. $7.50. It can be ordered over
    the phone using the plastic. They are a very efficient operation
    with many publications; ask to be put on their mailing list.
    
    As far as the house building books' content:
    
    It takes you from site location and excavation - wall framing to
    ceiling and roof framing all the way to almost hanging pictures on
    the walls,almost. Lots of data and many illustrations.
    
    Mark          

    Re: .14
    
    
    I wouldn't buy anything wider than about 4-6".  Why?
    
    Single pieces of wood tend to warp much more than a bunch of little
    pieces glued together.   Get yourslelf a couple of bar clamps (they're
    cheap) and glue up some 4 or 6" pieces of pine.
    
    
    The only problem with plywood is how to deal with the exposed edges.
    If you mitre the edges, this isn't a problem, but if you're doing
    any other kind of joint, you'll have an edge that is unfinished.
    
    
    -bill
    (who built his out of OAK last year, and is it heavy!)
    
    
    

    re: .20
    
    That sounds like a better idea.  If I glue together the boards,
    I assume that you really won't be able to tell they are many boards
    and not one after staining and finishing??
    
    I'd like to put a back on the unit, so it might have to be closer
    to 20" deep for the back of the TV.
    
    Of to the lumber yard I go....
    
    						Eric
    

    re .11
    
    See the Feburary 1987 of "Practical Homeowner" (my issue arrived the
    other day).  It has an article on building home entertainment centers.
    
    Rich

    Got the address of that Gov't office?

    re. : -1
    
    Was that good timing or what??
    

Modern Carpentry by Willis H. Wagner
�1983 Goodheart-Willcox Co
ISBN 0-87006-408-8

Hudson (MA) Library has it, at least they will after I return it.

-scott

    I have found a good source of books of ALL kinds, covering many hobby 
interests including woodworking, Do-It-Yourself and photo stuff in Newton. 
(This is Newton, Mass. for those out of state.)

    This is not the best kept secret in the world, but darn close to it.
The name of the place is New England Mobile Book Fair, open 9-5 every day 
including Saturdays, although Saturday is a zoo in the place.

    All new books, hardcover, are 20 % off list price. There is a large 
area of distressed books and old books (datewise, not used) that are 
priced according to some formula, although often 1/2 price. Included is the 
Time-Life series of photography books for $4.95 each. 

    The new books, particularly the woodworking and do-it-yourself books, 
are kept by catagory and you really have to search the whole place to be 
sure you have seen every title, but that is the fun of it. Plan on an hour 
or more to browse. You won't think you need it until you walk in the door 
and get lost in the aisles!

They also have paperbacks discounted and more childrens books than you can 
imagine. Calendars for every taste are in stock now too.

    Directions:

Take Rt 128 to Muzi Motors exit (56?) east. That is Highland street in 
Needham. Head east towards Newton. The road then becomes Needham St and the 
Mobile book fair is about 2 miles on your right. if you go under rt 9, you 
have gone too far. it is not quite opposite the McDonalds restaurant.
This is a very busy street with lots of driveways and stores, and it only 
has a small sign on the road, so watch carefully. Sorry I don't have  a 
street number for it.

    As you can tell by the areas mentioned above, this will be posted in 
several notesfiles.

Vic H

    I like the ORTHO and similar books you can get in your local NHD
    or hardware store.  These typically cost $5-8 which is not bad.
    They have lots of pictures and helpful suggestions.
    I did a 60' brick walk using one of the masonary books and it came
    out beautifully.  I go into BUILDING 19 x/y and they sometimes
    have these same books for $2 which is cheap enough for me to buy
    several.  They may not have the one you want so you may have to
    go back several times.  I just get the ones I may need in the future
    whenever I'm in the place.  How badly can I lose for $2?  I use the 
    BLDG 19 in Haverhill.
    

 
       I live only a couple of miles from the N.E. Mobile Book Fair and have
    spent a lot of time there and I second the suggestion made by Vic. I
    give books as gifts often and can usually find what I want there.  It
    is also just an adventure to go thru this place.  The employees are
    pretty good at directing you toward the right place and you can count
    on getting side-tracked a few times by something other than the book
    you were first after. 
    
    Vic, your directions are pretty good, but I'd like to clarify in
    a couple of areas:  The exit from RT. 128 is now Exit 19A, since
    the state recently renumbered them all.  I believe the Book Fair
    is probably only one mile from 128, and only 1/2 mile after Highland Ave
    becomes Needham Street.  The town line is right at the Charles River,
    at MIDAS Muffler.  Look for the Mobil gas station on the left after
    McDonalds.  The Book Fair is across the road.

    Don't expect a B.U. Bookstore or Barnes and Noble atmosphere.  It
    is like a warehouse, with wall to wall bookshelves and they are
    distributors to some institutions.  The best selection in calandars
    I've ever seen (Probably over 200). A sample of each is hung for
    display, with a large number which tells you which box or shelf
    to pull a fresh new one from.  The week before Christmas is a real 
    madhouse though, both in the parking lot and inside.
    
    I like it !
    
    
    JPM

    .0:
    
    "Plan on spending an hour"??  That's like planning to spend just
    one hour at Spag's!
    
    Fine place, though.
    
    Dick
    

    This particular book isn't so much about building houses as about
    defining what you want in a house, but it sounded intriguing and
    this seems a good place for it. I was rather surprised not to find
    it referenced elsewhere - but then, this is a big conference.
    
    "A Pattern Language," published in 1977, is "an anatomy of comfortable
    places." I came across this description of it in the July/August
    issue of "Harrowsmith" magazine. The book attempts to categorize
    the patterns that seem to keep appearing as desirable features of
    buildings - and of communities, as well. The authors gave names
    to these patterns to simplify reference, and suggest ways for readers
    to incorporate the patterns they like best into their buildings.
    
    From the article:
    
    "For example, LIGHT ON TWO SIDES OF EVERY ROOM begins with the
    statement, 'When they have a choice, people will always gravitate to
    those rooms which have light on two sides, and leave the rooms which
    are lit only from one side unused and empty.' After several paragraphs
    in which the authors describe how they arrived at this conclusion, they
    end the pattern with a prescription: 'Locate each room so that it has
    outdoor space outside it on at least two sides, and then place windows
    in these outdoor walls so that natural light falls into every room from
    more than one direction.'" 

    There are a lot of patterns, and it wouldn't be practical - or even
    possible - to incorporate them all in a single structure, but if
    they are considered during the design stage it should be possible
    to include those that appeal the most. Many of these patterns ring
    bells for me; just the names invoke a feeling of "Yes, that's right;
    how did they know?" CHILD CAVES, for example, which means small
    places for children to play in - nooks under the stairs, for example.
    
    The Harrowsmith article concerns a family that stumbled upon this
    book and used it to design their house. They had some trouble finding
    an architect who was familiar with the book, but when they did things
    seemed to work out quite well; of course, this is only one case
    history!

    "A Pattern Language" isn't cheap. It is listed at $49.95, and may
    be available in bookstores, or through the publisher:

    "A Pattern Language," by Christopher Alexander and others
        
    Oxford University Press
    16-00 Pollitt Dr.
    Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
    (201) 796-8000

    -b

    "A Pattern Language" is available from the CXO library.
    I believe that this book, or a similar one, was described in 
    "Fine Homebuilding" in an article concerning home design within
    the last year.

>    I believe that this book, or a similar one, was described in 
>    "Fine Homebuilding" in an article concerning home design within
>    the last year.

Yup, it was the same book, and it was mentioned in one of the articles in their 
special issue on home design.  

Paul

I read excerpts from _A Pattern Language_ in an architecture
course that I took in college.  It was very enjoyable reading.
Another good book was Thoreau's book about Cape Cod -- not as
directly relevant, but great to read.

Wasn't there another interesting book on architecture that dealt with ideas like
all corners should be rounded, beds should be caves high in a wall to give a
feeling of noninferiority, and security, etc...  Weird ideas, but lots of them
were interesting, and had plausible reasonings.  The artist (?author?) must have
been the same artist forsome of the "Yes" album covers.

Can anybody recommend any books on "Arcologies", single building communities,
or how I can get my hands on anything written by Paolo Solari, or about "Arco
Santi", a arcology that is being built out west?

Jim.

    Believe it or not, when I started my addition I got the Time-Life
    book "Adding On", it had alot of good info for tha addition I was
    doing, also the book from the government is very good. I'm currently
    doing the finish work on a 14'x18' bedroom with cathedral ceilings,
    I also converted an existing bedroom into a bath....
    
    
    
    Royce

    It's a fascinating book -- it contains ideas for "architecture"
    from the level of city planning down to alcoves.  It also contains
    an interesting design for low-tech house building -- built from
    poured concrete (special stuff, not what you'd make foundations
    from) and pretty much free-form.  It describes construction methods,
    and shows pictures of some test structures being built.  It
    certainly looks easy (although a bit labor-intensive), but I'm
    a bit curious about the design -- you end up with a single
    piece of concrete which forms the entire structure -- floors, walls,
    roof, etc..  There's no expansions joints in it anywhere -- how
    would such a structure survive in a climate with moderate to
    severe winters?
    
    				George

    I WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO ONE OR TWO MAGAZINES TO HELP US WITH
    DIY PROJECTS AROUND THE HOUSE.  THIS MIGHT BE HOME IMPROVEMENTS
    LIKE INSTALLING A BATHROOM FAN, PULLING UP AND REPLACING A LINOLEUM
    FLOOR, AS WELL AS SOME RELATIVELY MINOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS -
    SUCH AS PUTTING A BACKDOOR IN THE BREEZEWAY.
    
    ANY RECOMMENDATIONS?

     I have found that Popular Homeowner is a very good magazine for
    this type of thing. Well written, many articles in each issue, and
    written for homeowners who want to DIY.

    	I subscribe to "the Family Handyman" and find it very informative.
    The magazine contains the following "departments":
    
    	Editorial
        Ask Handyman      
        Reader Letters
        Using Tools      
        Home & Shop Improvements
        Home Finances
        Woodworks
        Handyman Garage
        How To Repair
    	Handy Hints
    
    Cost of subscription is $11.97 for one year (ten issues)
    and $21.97 for two years (20 issues). (Newstand price $1.95)
    
    	Subscription : The Family Handyman
    			P.O. Box N-1980
    			Marion , OH 43306-1980
    
    		Include name and address. Either include subscription
    		cost or request to be billed.
    P.S. - March 1988 issue includes section on 'classiest,fastest,newest
    		wood floors for DIY'ers . Get a copy at the newstand
   		and check it out . If you can' find it , send me mail
    		and I will let you 'borrow' a back issue.
    
     KAHALA::E_Reinert     (Eric Reinert)
    

If you're just starting DIY, you may not be into it, but for the serious DIYer,
Fine Homebuilding can't be beat.  It's actually a magazine largely printed for 
contractors, and has VERY informative and detailed articles, all written not by 
home handymen, but by people who make their livings at those crafts.  What that 
means is that any how-to article contains a number of tips and ideas that can 
only be gained by working at that craft for years.  It can also be humerous
(See note 857).  Sorry, I don't have the address handy, but it is printed by The
Taunton Press in Newtown, CT. 

Paul

    This note was prompted by the discussion in note 2215.* about waterproofing 
basements and the note on radiant heat barriers but I think the information is 
more general.  

     An excellent source for information about new fangled building techniques, 
such as stressed skinned panels, insulating and waterproofing basements, floor 
trusses, laminated I-beams and strand board, is _Progressive Builder_. 
Unfortunately, Progressive Builder is not available at news stands, because it 
is a trade publication.  But many area libraries carry it(I also have all back 
issues through Jan 1987, but not readily available).  

     The advertising emphasizes more of the technical side then the asthetics. 
The articles vary from pitfalls and practices for building state-of-the-art 
homes to dealing with sub-contractors, owners and building inspectors.  My 
favorite articles are the technical articles on things like how to size solar 
panels or air conditioners.  Unlike the DIY publications that just give a  
simple formula for a typical house,  Progressive Builder derives the formulas 
so they can be tweeked to more acurately reflect the environment.

     It is hard to find, but worth exploring to find out the latest building 
techniques.  Remember, things have changed since Joe Contractor learned to 
build houses in 1950.

Brian

P.S.  Progressive Builder was called Solar Age until 1985.

    re: _Progressive_Builder_
    
    Could you please post the subscription info (address/price) for this
    magazine?
    
    -joet

    Hello everyone.  I'm new at the home_work notes, but have recently
    found a need to take interest.  This September I getting married
    to a man that is not one of these " handy man " type people (like
    my father).  I kind of get the impression the any type of "manual
    labor" is just not for him!  Thank God my father's knowledgable
    with just about anything you would want to do with a house.  I guess
    I now become the "son" he never had!  (This is terrifying because
    I would much rather paint my finger nails than the kitchen walls!)
    
    Memorial weekend my father and I cut down a peach tree, dug out
    a massive growth (some kind of bush) and I planted flowers.  Then
    I was shown how to finish striping the kitchen cupboards (which
    Mike started at least 3 months ago--probably with no intention of
    finishing them himself!?!  In the same weekend I learned how to
    balance a washing machine; change a valve for the hot water (we
    are now able to get cold and HOT water to the washing machine--and
    it no longer takes an hour and a half to fill up!)  I was shown
    how to replace an electric wall plug and I labeled the circuit braker
    for the house.  Replaced some kind of bolt in the garage door and
    assisted in nailing up a evestrough (sp?). 
    
    I was glad to come back to Digital Tuesday!!!
    
    Has anyone written an "All You Want to Know About Owning A Home"-type
    book?  Something that covers a house from ceiling to floor (electrical,
    plumming)--An overview??  This might be a good gift for Mike--and
    really handy for ME to have around the house.
    
    Also when my father and I were down the basement, he mentioned that
    Mike has lead pipes going into his house.  Can anyone tell me about
    the "danager" of water from lead pipes?
    
    Thanks Much!!
    
    Leslie
    
    
    

  >>                                  This September I getting married
  >>  to a man that is not one of these " handy man " type people (like
  >>  my father).  I kind of get the impression the any type of "manual
  >>  labor" is just not for him! 
    
     Reminds me of a comedian who once said: "I discovered at an early
    age that it's better to be useless and inept than to be handy and
    work my A$$ off every weekend".
    
     I don't have any recomendations for books on the subject but I
    do suggest that you read note 1111.
    
    -Jim

Get the water tested for lead levels.  There are a million 
publications on the subject, but find out what you're dealing with 
first.

Good Luck

    Congratulations on the aquisition of your new talents!  Good for
    you.
    A while ago Reader's Digest published a pretty good book that covers 
    all sorts of home repairs.  I've seen it in some bookstores; it's
    got a yellow cover, and is 11x8 1/2 (i.e. it's bound on the short
    side of the pages).  I'd recommend that book for starters.
    And, of course, there is this notesfile, which will give you at
    least three conflicting ways of doing anything you'd ever want to
    do, one of which might even be right! :-)

    Lead pipes tend to be bad, especially if the water is acidic, and
    with the increase in "acid rain", guess what most water is these
    days....
    However, for the short term you can minimize your risk by always
    letting the water run for a long time, to get rid of the water
    that has been standing in the lead pipes,  before you use any for 
    cooking or drinking.  It's especially important in the morning,
    after the water has been sitting all night, but you flush the
    toilet, probably take a shower, etc. so by the time you get to
    breakfast time you've already run a lot of water.
    Or buy bottled water.  The safest solution.  Long-term though,
    I think I'd want to replace the pipes.

    Yes, get the water tested for lead to see how bad it is.  

    	This brings up an excuse for me to share my experence with DIY
    home work. When I was in high school my dad bought a 3 family house
    with a neighbor to fix up and rent/sell for profit. This was my
    first experence with home work. Every free week night and every
    weekend for 6 months was spent working on this house. I never said
    any thing to my dad but hated it. My tenage social life went right
    down the tubes. After selling this place he decided it was time
    to remodel the 2 family we were living in 1 floor at a time. Again
    my social life was none exsitant. Needless to say, I swore never
    to put my kids through this and refused to do any DIY work as long
    as I live. 
    	Well when I bought my first house this attitude quickly changed
    and I now thank heaven I learned what I did when I did. I look back
    and think it was the best and most valuable education I got. It
    has saved me thousands of dollars and made my life easier just knowing
    I can mange a house myself without having to rely on others for
    every little home maintance chore. 
    	Shure you can learn on your own but you save a lot of time and
    mistakes when there's someone else to teach you.
    
    
    	As far as books go; The Time/Life books are a good start but
    are very basic for the more advance people. I find them too simple
    and naive for the stuff I've done before but are a good begining
    for stuff I'm going to try for the first time. The best recomemdation
    is to don't undertake any major (ie several days of work) project
    without the advice (ie notes file) of someone who has been there
    before.
    
    	As a matter of course I try to involve my wife with all major
    projects and even simple ones. Even if its just to show her what
    I've done or am going to do. This way if I'm not around for some
    reason she'll be able to handle some of the basic home emergencies.
    There are many women & men that could not shut off the water if
    a pipe breaks or reset a circuit breaker that has partialy tripped.
    
    
    			Good luck...
    
    	...Dave
    

I agree completely.

Does everyone in the house who is 'old enough' know how to completely 
shut off the electric, gas, and water.

And under what circumstances you should go to the basement and do 
this, and when you should just run like he__ and call for emergency 
help from somewhere else??

The reader digest books that are binded on the short sides are
excellent reference books. They cover DIY, appliances repair,
gardening, hobbies. I recommend that you purchase most of the
books in that series. For the other books, you can probably find them
in the local public library. Some of the better publishers
are Ortho (actually Chevron), Sunset, HP(not Hewlett Packard).
I generally find Time-life books not too useful and the TAB books
of almost no use. I also recommend the books published by Audel;
some of them are quite informative. You may also find
videos about DIYs in the library. As for magazines,
I really like "The Family Handyman".

However, all these are not match to apprenticeship.
The best way is to work with someone who has experience.

It's possible to spend so much money on home maintenance books that you
have none left for home maintenance.  For one-time reference, or for
checking out a book thoroughly before you buy a copy, try your public
library.  (While you're there, check out their collection of Old House
Journals.) 

    I have the reader digest book and have been using it anytime I wanted
    to do something on the house. Its a very good book for someone who
    is not yet an expert of DIY. I am glad I bought the book.

    
    that whatever your problem is, it's not in the book!
    
    Well, not exactly, but I've certainly found that books on carpentry
    and plumbing are of limited use.  When working on an old house
    (mine, anyway), you find that lot's of screwy things have been done
    to it, and you have to use your imagination and reasoning to do
    repairs and renovations.
    
    I have found books useful for reference.  I also talk the owner of 
    the local plumbing/heating supply store.  I bet he knows more about
    plumbing (and code) than most plumbers.  Sometimes, hardware store
    managers are also good people to talk to.  And if I call a carpenters
    to do work for me, I often get a lot of useful information by
    conversing with them.  But be wary of the BSers.
    
    Most importantly, remember that however well you plan a project...
    
    1.  It will usually cost you 1.5 to 2 times as much as you've planned
        (usually to buy tools and replace/repair stuff that you didn't 
        realize needed it until you're already 1/2 way through the project).
    
    2.  It will take 10 times longer to complete than you expected.
    
    3.  You always need more materials than you planned on.  
        Note that this is a major contributor to rule number 2, since you 
        can't do something until you need a part, and (especially if it's 
        plumbing), it's probably Saturday evening and the plumbing store 
        closes Saturday at noon for the weekend.
        
    Happy Homewrecking!
    
    -tm
    

    If you have any children under age 5 or pregnant women in the house,
    please take care of the lead piping quickly.  In NH you can call
    800-852-3345 ext 4507 for excellent info on lead.  The paint industry
    has been even more successful than the tabacco industry in keeping the
    insidious dangers of lead a secret.
    
    -Bob

    To return to an old subject, A Pattern Language is the basis for
    a feature article in the December issue of Metropolitan Home.  Some
    nice excerpts from the book illustrated with shots of a real home.
    
    (I must read the book!)
    
    Sherry

    I found that buying the $5 book on the topic I am currently working
    on better than buying a general cover all topics book.  As mentioned
    earlier, most seem lacking in detail once you have done the task
    and over simplified if you have not.  
    
    re. lead pipes.
    Check to make sure they are lead before you get too excited.
    Galvenized iron pipe is sometime confused for lead.  The water test
    is the best way to tell.  Plumbing is not that difficult if you
    are replacing an existing system.  I replumbed my house ( 1 bath,
    1 kitchen, water heater, and washer) in 2 weekends by myself with
    copper.
   

    "A Pattern Language" is a *great* book!  Thank you for mentioning
     it here.  We just moved to a new house, and it is giving us lots
     of good ideas.
    

    Also mentioned in December issue of Practical Homeowner.
    Includes pictures but no excerpts - just concepts.

    Here are a couple of stories I thought were semi-appropriate in Home_work.
They come from a book I actually found on the side of the road in front of our
house.
    The book, by J. D. Sleightholme, is _Old Harry's Bunkside Book_ and it's
sub-title is "A collection of the 'Old Harry' stories originally published in
_Yachts and Yachting_ and _Yachting Monthly_".
    Although the man writes about boats and yachting and what-not, in these
couple stories, if you substitute any number of diy projects with the boat
maintenance he writes about, you may be able to identify.


standard rewop goes here (re-printed without permission).
Spelling mistakes are mine (or his - DECSpell didn't like some of his, so maybe
each story should be preceded with a [sic]).

    The annual application of paint is hailed as a laughing frolic in the sun
by the paint manufacturer.  He supplies little cut-out yachts with his colour
cards as a spur to the imagination of owners, who flit from "Eau-de-nil" and
"Buff" back to "Tropic Blue" with the mounting desperation of worker bees
right out of pollen and doing the rounds of the plastic mimosa with a half-hour
to go to sunset.
    "What do you reckon she'd look like in "Dawn Flight Pink"?" queries our
worried owner, peering through his cut-out like a prisoner at the grill.  His
converted lifeboat, with a wheel-house like a confessional on a handcart, would
acquire the sort of distinction accorded to a stray Liberty Bodice in an Yves
St. Laurent Spring Collection.
    Despite the popular belief that "This new stuff will stand up to anything
you care to do to it", the mystique attached to applying paint dies hard.  Let
your drama student look to the yachtsman for an exposition of sheer naked
emotion.  Just let him get half-way along his topsides with the old epoxy when
the first drop of rain falls.  He can't believe it at first and gives a shrill,
mad laugh.
    "I thought for a moment it was raining!" he mutters wildly, taking a fresh
dip in the pot.  No courtier in mid-bow noting the bounding flight of a trouser
button across the parquet, could straighten up in greater haste than our man
upon feeling the second cooling droplet.  The emotions chase one another across
his face like an Operatic Society Figaro working up steam for the sob sequence.
    Painting holds no terrors for Old Harry.  Cherishing no brief for any paint
that isn't pure lead and which can be lifted with one hand, the Workhouse Brown
and Town Hall Green of his present colour scheme puts him down an inch on his
marks per coat.  Prior to the acquisition of his present stocks - a nocturnal
cash encounter with a man with close-set eyes and narrow nostrils - he had
hitherto mixed his own paint.  Applied with bucket and Long Tom, this healthy
nostrum had amazing coverage, and returning owners of neighboring craft - like
motorists meeting a milkvan approaching backwards on the wrong side of the
road - greet their speckled topsides with cries of rueful laughter.
    It is an over-rated pastime in any case.  "Let all the family help!" jeer
the You-Do-It-Yourself-Then articles, goading an already harassed owner.  We
have seen this loveless little scene - young helpers armed with brushes of
oak-like solidity hopelessly rapping their way along the ballast keel like
convicts seeking some faint means of communicating while mother savagely anoints
soft rolls with hard butter using a penknife and frozen fingers.
    Father meanwhile has started his topsides with dedicated care.  Unlike Old
Harry who prepares for painting by doing a quick circuit swiping off barnacles
with his cap, our man has rubbed, filled and primed to perfection.  Laying on
enamel with a new brush and undaunted by the acreage ahead or the sudden
dribbles of water that snake down from each deck scupper as he passes it, he
works on with the plodding devotion of a master mason starting work on a
cathedral.  Somewhere along the line comes a dramatic change.  By dusk he is
slapping paint over the rudder pintles as if he were disinfecting a fowl-house.
His wife if waiting in the car with her jaw set like an Easter Island statue
and the kids, having whined their way into back-seat incarceration, have begun
unravelling their jumper sleeves - a preliminary to the belt round the ear which
rounds off yet another day of healthy fun in the open air.

Around the yards winter covers are being rolled back and owners, contemplating
the cardboard boxes of rusty rigging and the rich toupee worn by the frying pan,
are wondering how they can contrive to disguise in fitting out the fact that
they didn't actually lay up.
    The rip-out is the answer.  Rip out the whole accommodation and put back
again like shaking the dog's bed.  Later - and catching your eye as it feasts
upon a row of halving joints that look like the Devil's Causeway, they beg
your indulgence.
    "I'm afraid we had to do a rush job this year," they apologize, implying
that given time they could make Chippendale look like a home handyman.
    Denied plumb-bob and spirit level, the yachtsman must work by eye - a
process which rewards him with enough sawdust to stock a circus and a galley
drawer which has to be prised open with a fork.
    "It'll get easier in time" he forecasts optimistically as he somersaults
backwards with the rich chuckle occasioned by a pickle fork up his trumpet.
    The bolt on the inside of the heads door which never quite shoots home
(watched by an alert and anxious inmate) is another product of the calculating
eye.
    All over the country, yachtsmen are lifting the lids of their tool boxes -
an abortive move this since the tools have long-since been absorbed into
kitchen dresser and attic or suspended on little racks in the shed from which
they drop like a stick of bombs everytime you slam the door.
    Nevertheless there is the handsaw, aptly named since the owner must force
its shuddering passage through the plank with both fists and a well-placed
boot.  The tenon saw, embedded after two strokes like King Arthur's sword and
the pad-saw which has to be straightened out before use like a carnival nose,
complete his main armoury.  Cutting tools, on the other hand, are nearer to his
heart.  The plane, fresh from the ironmonger and its annual sharpen-up
encourages him to all manner of exquisite work and the illusion of working with
a keen edge persists long after the stage has been reached when each lunge
raises a jagged weal which couldn't be bettered using a mace.  Only when the
tool is stuffed solid with splinters, gorged to repletion, is it laid aside with
a sigh.
    Old Harry, who fancies his arm with the adze, is given a clear field by
neighboring yachtsmen.  He owns the only vessel I know with battlements and a
foredeck like a clock-golf course.  His offer to "Dub your topsides smooth as a
china jug" is met with the hasty headshake.  The hornet whine of flying chips,
each the size of a young pullet, tells its own tale and the toe-caps of his
seaboots, severed during earlier fitouts are rapidly becoming prized collector's
pieces by antiquarians.
    Down in the timber yards where leather-padded maties, swift of foot, double
round and round the stacks merrily evading the customer, we find the yachtsman
(with his chitty from the office for six foot of 1 x 1 1/2in. pine) in full
command of the situation.  Yard foremen in cloth caps powdered like a shop bun,
quail before his expert knowledge.
    "Why yes sir" they laugh, fanning their forelocks, "of course I can cut that
little straight piece our of the middle of the plank".  Their voices tremble
with eagerness to please.

    Is "A Pattern Language" available in bookstores or, at least, more
    conveniently than ordering from the publisher?  Sounds like a very
    worthwhile book to get a hold of. 
    
    Gary

In this month's issue of Fine Homebuilding (Issue #51), they announced a series 
of six hard-cover books on homebuilding.  They are collections of articles from 
the first 50 issues of the magazine.  The six books are:

	Homebuilding Tools
	Framing Carpentry
	Stairs and Walls
	Concrete, Brick, and Stone
	Doors, Windows and Skylights
	Kitchens and Bathrooms

They sell for $23.95 each, you sign up for the series and they send you one 
every six weeks.  In addition, when you order the first one, you get a 256 page 
book of "Construction tips" taken from the tips column of the magazine.

I forgot to bring in the card with the address, but I'll try to remember 
tomorrow - or if anyone else has the current address for The Taunton Press?

Paul

I've had the card in my pocket for two days now, and just today someone sent me 
mail asking for the address, so here it is:

The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street
Box 355
Newtown, CT
	06470-9989

The series is called the "Builder's Library", and the first book is "Tools for 
Building".  Price is $23.95, but includes some shipping, so just send in and 
they'll bill you.  You have 2 weeks to decide whether to keep each book.

Paul

    Got my copy today. Bookstore was out so it was a 3 week wait while they
    got it from the publisher. Cost: $42.
    
    							Trace

    Thanks to all for calling my attention to this *wonderful* book.
    If you're doing anything from rearranging your furniture to planning
    a city, A Pattern Language has some useful and stimulating ideas
    for you.
    
    The book is one of three parts.  The other two are The Timeless
    Way of Building and The Oregon Experiment.  Does anyone know anything
    about the other two?
    

     
    Looking for a Popular Mechanics dated in 1941...?  
    
    Story goes like this:  my late grandfather made me a large toy chest 
    modelled after a sea chest.  According to family legend, the design 
    was from PM.  Further questioning of my family leads me to believe 
    that he would have seen the design, ordered the plans, gone to the 
    lumber yard, purchased the materials and taken them home and built 
    it (rather than having the plans/idea for a long period of time).  
    I was born in December of 1940 and he passed away in November of 1941.   
                     
    The chest is made of pine. Stained grey with phoney metal-work made
    from linoleum.  The four sides splay up at eighty rather than ninty
    degrees.  The top is arched from front to rear.  It measures about
    46" across the top.
    
    I am just finishing up a scaled-down version for my new nephew.
    The new unit is cherry rather than pine and measues 39" inches across
    the top (to fit at the foot of a twin bed).
    
    Bill Gordon DTN 297-3787 CARTUN::GORDON (also entered in 
         WOODWORKING_AND_TOOLS)

    
    
    I would guess that most magazines from that time by now are on
    microfilm. One thing to check is with a local library that is part
    of a consortium, has lists of all other libraries holdings. You
    might find it that way. Or you might even call PM and ask them where
    you can get a look at 1940 mags. Maybe they have them all on film
    that you can buy for a price.
    
    Good Luck !  Sounds like he was a great grandfather !
    

       You might want to try The Brattle Book Store in boston. Give
    them a call and ask for Ken Gloss. They have THOUSANDS of old
    magazines.                        
                                     Denny

    I don't know if it's just me, but the magazine racks (and sweepstake
    listings) seem to be filled with new house-related magazines. "Home",
    "Homeowner", "Practical Homeowner", etc, etc. I just got an offer in
    the mail for "Fine Homebuilding", which looks interesting.
    Due to this apparent flood of new home-related jags, home about
    using this note to offer opinions? Does anyone read Fine Homebuilding?
    
    Thx.
    John

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Paul [Moderator]

Anybody know of a book with tables with the strength of different woods, and
tables or formulas with which one can determine how big a piece of wood you need
for a given length, spacing and load for floors, walls, and rafters?

I've looked in a dozen books, and they all have bits and pieces that don't
tell me what I want to know, and they are inconsistant, so I can't piece
it together.

Jim. 

>        <<< Note 3826.0 by MCDONL::BARANSKI "Neomaniac on the loose!" >>>
>                       -< structural information book? >-

>Anybody know of a book with tables with the strength of different woods, and
>tables or formulas with which one can determine how big a piece of wood you need
>for a given length, spacing and load for floors, walls, and rafters?

    Jim,

    Try the Massachusetts Building code book (assuming you reside in Mass, 
I don't recognize the node location) or a book called BOCA (?) one and two 
family code book. This is the residential version of the building code book 
used in many states. both should have tables for various species of wood 
and the loading characteristics of each. See you town building inspector or 
town library for copies. The state building insp office in Boston at One 
Ashburton Pl will also sell you a copy of the 1-2 family res code book for 
less than $20.00.

    Vic H

    There's a book called (I think) "Simplified Design of Structural
    Timber" or some such.  At one time it was available through (I think)
    the Charrette Co. in Boston, or Brighton, or Newton, or wherever
    they are.  It tells anything you'd ever want to know.  Not cheap,
    but it's very good.

I've looked in the BOCA book.  The book itself does not have the information,
or at least the copy I looked at didn't.  Instead it refered to other standards:

National Forest Products Association:  

Design Values for Joists and Rafters
Span Tables for Joists and Rafters
Design Specifications for Wood Construction

There is also the American Institute of Timber Construction standard: 

Heavy Timber Construction Standard.

The Library doesn't have these standards, and the building code is useless
without it.  I haven't been able to find the complete information anywhere else.
I could send away and buy the standards, but that would be ~50$ right there, and
I'd rather not have to do that... 

RE: .2

Is that the same Charette as the orange stores you see around?  Does the book
actually have the design data, or is it Yet Another Post and Beam book that
doesn't actually deal with structural design? 

PS I live in Norwich CT  I've called the town building inspectors a couple
of times, and they seems nice enough...  I should probably just go down and
show them the plans and let them answer my questions.

I've talked to a couple of Post & Beam outfits too.  Boy do they clam up in a
hurry when you finally admit that you can't afford their prices.  :-) It's not
like I wanted to waste a lot of their time either...  One guy literally told me
that he wasn't going to give out any of his "secrets".  I would have died
laughing if he wasn't serious... 

Jim.

    Re: Charrette
    I don't know about "orange stores," but it's the drafting/art supply
    outfit.  I'm pretty sure I ordered my copy through them.  
    I'd get you the exact title and book number, but we're remodeling
    the living room and all the books from the bookcases are piled here
    and there and in boxes, on top of and under and behind all the other
    stuff that had to come out of the living room.  I have *no* idea
    where that particular book is at the moment.
    
    It tells you all you need to know, though.  It has tables, it has
    formulas, the works.

    I live in MA.  and have been asking the same sorts of questions
    recently (just raised the ridge beam for our addition last night).  I
    have a copy (1980) of the MA building code...it's all in there, if you
    can figure out some of the arithmetic.  Also, the local building
    inspector is extremely helpful...and doesn't mind the questions.  
    
    tony

    Does anyone subsribe to the Journal of Light Construction? I understand
    it's pretty decent. Used to be called "New England Builder". It's
    produced out of Burlington, VT, I think.
    
    Thanks,
    John

I subscribe to the Journal of Light Construction.  I like it better than
any house construction mag I've tried.  Fine Homebuilding is too much
oriented toward professionals to be of much use to me.  And besides, 
some of their house plans serve as examples of why we should *not* let
architects design our houses.  In one article, an architect described
a house he built for himself, in which the kitchen is placed in a hallway,
with the refridgerator 25' from the oven, along the main path (55' long)
from the children's bedrooms to the door.  Right.

I liked Practical Homeowner, but I was looking more for information on how
to build for myself than P. H. provides. The J. of L. C. has a nice mix of
techniques for the pros and basic information that I can use, either to do
work myself or understand what ordinary cparpenters are doing and why.
Plus the advertisements are on average for more practical items than in
the other two.  For a subscription, write to

	The Journal of Light Construction, 
	P.O. Box 686
	Holmes, PA  19043
	800-345-8112

Rates: $27.50/year, $45/2 years, $60/3 years.  Published monthly.

	Enjoy,
	Larry

Announcing:

A new Bookstore for the Construction Industry and Building trades:

I got a flyer last week stating that BNi Building News Bookstore was opening 
in Needham (Mass) on Feb 4th, 1991.  Some of the details on the flyer:

For ALL construction professionals in Mass, NH & Rhode Island

	Architects � Engineers � Contractors � Subcontractors
	Facilities Managers � Building Owners � Designers
	Real Estate Professionals � Developers � Public Building Officials

Over 2000 titles available

 � Building Codes
 � Construction Standards
 � References
 � Estimating Costbooks
 � Videos
 � Software
 � Documents
 � Forms
 � Construction Dictionaries
 � Design Manuals
 � Installation Manuals
 � Specifications
 � Plan Books


New Location:   77 Wexford St
		Needham Heights, Massachusetts 02194
		(617) 455-1466
	    FAX (617) 455-1493

	Take Route 128, exit 19A (toward Newton) 
	1st left onto Wexford St.
	They are 300 yards in in the right


	Hours: 8:30 - 5:00  Monday - Friday
	       9:00 - 1:00  Saturday

re .5

	Handbook #73's current price is $13. The number to call in
Peublo, CO is 719-544-3142. They were happy to take plastic and send the
book 4th class mail at no extra charge.

Erik

    	I have a duplicate entry in DIY notes conference, I have read notes
    	(678, 1505, 2384) in this conference.
    
    
	Hi everyone, I am thinking of joining the POPULAR SCIENCE book
	club. I like to do things myself and there is a couple books they have 
    	that I am interested in:
	
	"Complete Guide to HOME APPLIANCE REPAIR"

	"DO IT YOURSELF PLUMBING"

	"DO IT YOURSELF YEARBOOK"

	"BASIC HOUSE WIRING"

	"BUILDING SMALL BARNS SHEDS & SHELTERS"

	I was wondering if anyone of you are book members and have ordered
	these books and what they thought of these.

	Also would you happen to know of other books that cover the above
	topics that are GOOD that they would recommend.
    
 

I suggest that you go to your town library -- there are a lot of such 
books (e.g. the Sunset series and maybe the ones you mentioned, too)
that you can find in libraries, and later find in bookstores if you 
decide that they are worth buying.  

	Larry

    
    
    	Thanks for the reply, the library does have some of these books
    	but older versions. In general I have found them usefull and will
    	most likely join the club.

    Re: .1
    
    "A Pattern Language" is no longer available from the CXO library.  The
    person who 'borrowed' it last has been terminated.  Unfortunately, no
    one checked to see if he had any books out before he left so I guess he
    gets to keep it.
    
    							John

    I just called the number in -.1 and they said that Handbook #73 is
    out of stock and out of print. ie. No longer available.
    
    

    
    
    There goes summer, and this year's projects (office, in case of TFSO
    and nursery, because of new baby) are over.
        
    Not being a New Englander, Ol' Man Winter tends to catch me out every
    year because I'm ill prepared for it.  Last year the snowblower broke
    down. I forgot to check that all the storm windows were down.  We had
    no matches to light the wood fire with when the power went.  Not that
    the absence of matches mattered much because I'd stupidly stacked the
    wood so far from the house that only a dog sled team could reach it. 
    By the time I went to buy ice melter there was none left so we used
    about kitchen salt & kitty litter.
    
    Has anyone come across any publications that have a good checklist on
    preparing for winter?  If not, this might be a useful new topic.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Colin

Gee, Colin, you sound like you could write it!

But seriously, why don't you start a note on preparing for winter in New
England?  I'm sure it would collect helpful hints fast.

Elaine

    	Two things that usually go up in price real soon are oil/gas burner
    servicing and chimney sweeps. For that matter, it's probably a good
    time to get the oil tank filled before the prices start going up on
    that too.
    
    	Ray

    
    Squirrel away a good book for those snowed-in weeks.
    

    Have large free standing, as well as candle stick candles on hand in
    case your batteries are dead in your flashlights.
    
    Having all electric appliances (stove, oven, microwave) I made sure I
    had a few canned goods in case I lost power for more than a day.
    
    Ditto on having good reading material on hand - kept my sanity 2
    seasons ago when I had no power for most of the day.
    
    Jt

Hi Colin,

Keep a regular check on your windshield washer fluid level in your cars.  And
keep a spare gallon in each trunk!

I got stuck in a snow storm once without windshield fluid.  Sometimes you
can't even get to the next gas station safely.  Alot of salt is used on
roads and highways.

And if you water it down at all in the summer -- stop NOW.  This will freeze,
and you'll be in worse trouble.

Lauren

    If you experienced problems w/ ice damns last winter, as alot of us
    did, the fall is a good time to get the heater cables/wires on the
    roof... and NOT when it's 20 below, in the dark, w/ sleet pelting
    down on your face!
    
    Ugh... old man winter is just around the corner.