Get a job on a local construction crew. They’re desperate for help. Hands on is what is needed to make theory into actual understanding. You’ll learn far more than you ever will from paper and electrons, and get paid for the priviledge.

Wish I had time Sophie - thanks for your opinion. I also want to learn the "correct" ways of doing things...not the reality, which I am sure varies.

Thank you Virgil. We have completed all steps but the last three, so that is where I am focused.

The Journal of Light Construction is an excellent resource. I believe they have a searchable online archive of every article ever published in the Journal. Fine Homebuilding is also good.

The swing of a hammer. The slash of a marking pencil. The lift of a rising wall. The downward cascade of weight. Much depends on facts and figures and study, but dance gives them life. Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity. Build a dog house.

The Michigan Building Code is the best cure for insomnia I have found.

See anything and everything from Dr. Joe Lstiburek and the building scientists at Building Science Corporation. BTW, there is no more one "right way" to do virtually anything in light construction than in any other human endeavour. (Other than breathe in, then out.)

Yes, H4H. For sure, most people can find a weekend to do that. If you don’t have time to start a second career in construction, one of the best hands on experiences you can have in your life will be with H4H. You’ll do things you never thought you would, with other people stretching their abilities as well.

It’s a really rewarding experience for everyone. I can’t tell you how good it feels to help provide basic shelter needs for someone working along side you to earn that for themselves. It puts a lot of things in perspective. And you occasionally get to rub shoulders with bigwigs. Jimmy Carter is a beast on a construction site. Rosalyn is too.

H4H just built it’s 500th home here locally, all with FedEx volunteers. We’ve been doing that since 1983. I no longer swing a hammer on a job site, but I do still volunteer once a week in other ways.

Skil367

. Much depends on facts and figures and study, but dance gives them life. Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity. Build a dog house.

Nicely said. We do build, quite frequently. Made a dog house -12 years and still going strong...- more recently a goat shelter for my boys, increased the size of our pump shed and enclosed a third side of our barn. We are no strangers to hammer and nails. Ask my husband about me buying a range that was the perfect width and 2" too deep for our peninsula counter, lol. he worked some magic with the 3/4" wood paneling and it looked like it had always been there.

Mark - haha. True for pretty much any code I think. probably more healthy that the Cider I have to wind down in the evening.

worthy - See anything and everything from Dr. Joe Lstiburek and the building scientists at Building Science Corporation.

I have many of his articles bookmarked. good information and easy to follow for the layperson.

Sophie - I love the service that H4H provides and have worked on houses before I had children. It is hard to become involved in anything that organized right now because of childcare constraints. We have many opportunities close home though thanks to Harvey. There are still so many people living in trailers or gutted homes trying to finish a little at a time on shoestring budgets. I consider our whole family demo experts now!! And we have frequent opportunities to help rebuild as well. Helped a cub scout family replace a beam in the kitchen last week. My middle child saw my neighbor's birthday on the calendar. He proposed a family workday to help them with their house as a gift - so that is what we are doing. likely hanging sheetrock or building out a bathroom.

Cyndy:

I like an educated customer, but I will not tolerate an argument between me and a customer with an internet video. I may violate your manufacturer's installation instructions, but I'll never so so lightly, however, I will dare your manufacturer to argue with me.

My customers get when, where, why, and what. I keep how and who. This is nonnegotiable.

You can't learn everything and there are often excellent arguments on each side of a particular construction debate. Find a general contractor and trust him, please.

Also, most manufacturers have videos or literature on proper installation of their products. Tyvek for instance, has information on how to properly flash a window and install Tyvek. It's often done wrong.

Joseph, I have no intention of becoming an argumentative know-it-all. I do have a contractor who is bringing our home to dry in. I don't see anything wrong in trying to learn as much as I can about the process since this is a major investment. I have zero expectations that I will become an expert in anything. I hope to be able to recognize things being done correctly and if I see things that are questionable or I don't understand I will ask about them.

Summit - thank you for the reminder. We are using Hardie Siding and I know that is commonly installed not following the manufacturer's guidelines. I have researched their website and also our state Windstorm requirements. I will educate myself on house wrap as well.

Window and door flashing may be some of the most common construction tasks done incorrectly.

Backfilling is also often done on the cheap, with unsuitable soils or improper compaction.

summit- we are building pier and beam with an open crawlspace. my neighbor is a dirt guy so he did all of our pad prep. i trust him. we built on the site of our old house, so just bumped it up with select t fill and graded it out.

Interesting comments. 5 years of college, 3 years of internship, 4 years with a contractor, experience on residential and commercial construction crews, 35 years as a licensed architect, and I still have a lot to learn! Plus, I find there are as many opinions on how to do a task correctly as there are people to give their opinions. And there are many people who will tell you how to do it completely wrong. Good luck!

In addition to the ones you listed, I really like a couple/ three You-Tubers...

Essential Craftsman

DFWCrown--The Finish Carpenter

and, good basic beginner how-to from See Jane Drill.

See Jane Drill? She ROCKS.

Sophie, let's build a house. If you bring Dwight Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter, I'll buy the beer and lumber.

@OP - Looking for help with house. Please help with all things house-related. For free. Go.

Hi, Cyndy,

Like Joseph Corlett, I don't mind an educated customer. The more a prospective customer knows about the right way to build a home, the more likely they are to choose my company to build it.

It's sounds like you've done a lot of "home work" to date, which is great. To the extent that your home is now under construction, everything you want in it should be captured in the approved plans and the builder's contract. If not, you're at risk of opening the dreaded can of change order worms. Which leaves me wondering: What is the point of additional studies of construction materials, details, and systems? Are the professionals you hired lacking expertise? Will the information you learn supercede their learning and real world experience?

Charles -

To the extent that your home is now under construction, everything you want in it should be captured in the approved plans and the builder's contract. If not, you're at risk of opening the dreaded can of change order worms.

We have hired someone to bring the house to dry in- we will be finishing and/or contracting out the rest. We are working with the structural/windstorm engineer and contractor to hammer out final framing details.. A good friend happens to be a board certified construction attorney. He has offered to look over any documents we create and offer advise. Don't see any change orders coming.. mostly just dealing with clarifications and small field changes due to material lead times (ie. just altered a beam size slightly to avoid a 16 week delay).. Any additional work will occur in separate smaller contracts.

What is the point of additional studies of construction materials, details, and systems?

Studying the details is what I do to feel comfortable with this whole process. Neither my husband or I ever planned or consider ourselves the 'type' to custom build. We are thrifty by nature, completely comfortable with older, not-perfect homes, and don't place a huge value on the 'look' of things like a house. A flood made our home unlivable and it made more sense financially to build new than repair a 1960 home that was built low in a 100 year flood plain. So - this is an unplanned build using a small (relatively speaking) insurance settlement by two experienced DIYers trying not to go broke and keep our priorities straight.

Are the professionals you hired lacking expertise? Will the information you learn supercede their learning and real world experience?

Well I sure hope not. :) You hear horror stories every day though. The people we have hired are very local, get work mostly by word of mouth and stay very busy. My husband is a mechanical engineer ( PE) with HVAC, plumbing and electrical experience. I feel like we have done a lot to protect ourselves. Don't think reading up on correct procedures/install methods, manufacturer's recs can really be a bad thing.