Independent Builder: Designing & Building a House Your Own Way (Real Goods Independent Living Books)

The illustrations bear particular attention. The (black and white) photographs are well composed, and have high contrast to clearly delineate the features that are supposed to be of interest. The line drawings are rather funky looking (in part because Clark appears not to own a ruler), but nevertheless do a very good job of illustrating what the text is talking about. This is the case for three reasons: (1) they were created by the author, who knew EXACTLY what part of the text needed visual aids; (2) their rulerless nature means that Clark can emphasize particular features rather than focus on strict scale drawings; and (3) each one is sized independently to take up as much space as is required to depict the subject matter, without worrying about "wasting" some page area. The end result is that the text and illustrations fit together well to make a unified whole.

For more detail on the Building part of creating a house, I'd recommend "Do-It-Yourself HOUSEBUILDING" by George Nash. But because Nash's book doesn't come close to Clark's for clarity, I'd first read Clark's book cover-to-cover. Then I'd keep Sam Clark's book open to the same subject area so that you can step back and get a clear overview as you get confused in the details of the Nash book.


an excellent resource for the builder on a budget   January 12, 1999
61 out of 61 found this review helpful

Clark does a great job of taking into consideration the needs of people who want to build a good quality home in the most economical way possible. Unlike most homebuilding books i've read, he manages to explain things thoroughly without talking down to the reader or covering only the most obvious things. He assumes that the reader is interested in energy efficiency and environmental issues along with aesthetics, ergonomics, and accessibility. An extremely helpful and realistic book.Includes useful charts and cross-sections of building systems.


Our Housebuilding Course textbook   April 25, 2000
Will Beemer
46 out of 47 found this review helpful

After offering our course in owner-building at Heartwood for over twenty years, we've found Sam Clark's book to be the ideal textbook. It's not just a carpentry book, not just a design book, not just an engineering book. It's the most concise yet comprehensive guide to all the systems and decisions that go into a home and its creation. In this age of a super-heated economy and opulent excess in trophy homes, it's refreshing to find a resource for building a truly economical and liveable house.


Our Housebuilding Course textbook   April 25, 2000
Will Beemer
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

After offering our course in owner-building at the Heartwood School for over twenty years, we've found Sam Clark's book to be the ideal textbook. It's not just a carpentry book, not just a design book, not just an engineering book. It's the most concise yet comprehensive guide to all the systems and decisions that go into a home and its creation. In this age of a super-heated economy and opulent excess in trophy homes, it's refreshing to find a resource for building a truly economical and liveable house.


Covers every topic you need in a friendly manner   December 9, 1998
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

This book covers everything you need to build a house! It's especially useful for country homes and has many practical tips on energy efficiency. The drawings and descriptions are very friendly, letting you enjoy doing one of the most fullfilling things you can do: build your own home!

My sister's professor gave it the highest marks by ordering several for his classroom.