Synopses & Reviews
The past has left behind only scattered clues that, on their own, provide little insight into how the people of early America lived and the details of their daily lives. The photographs in this book, the deeply informed narrative that accompanies them, and the eyewitness accounts of daily life that the author weaves throughout, provide a fresh perspective on our early American ancestors and the places they called home. This book is about how their houses and their life in them, from the wealthy to the impoverished, from New York City to the small farms and plantations of the South, from coastal fishing towns to the Western frontier of Indiana and Kentucky. The stories focus on the remarkably vivid differences from one part of the country to the next, class and culture, and the realities of everyday life for American families. These stories twine around a wide selection of HABS photographs of early houses, covering the variety and evolutions of house styles -- not by labeling the style but by explaining the style in the context of everyday life.
Richly illustrated with handsome black-and-white photography of old houses from the Library of Congress Historic American Building Survey (HABS) collection and supplemented with period woodcuts, engravings, drawings, paintings, artifacts, and maps, the book is printed on a 4-color press for a depth of tone. Sidebar excerpts from diaries, journals, and letters inject graphic eyewitness descriptions, adding an additional layer of insight. The book also includes sidebars called Still Standing that traces the history of specific houses, from their origins to the present and includes information on the original family, how the house has evolvedover the centuries, and how it's used today.
Review
'\"Plain talk for restorers, from soup to nuts (and bolts). Here\'s thorough, practical advice that\'s sensitive to both history and budget.\"'
Review
"In his new book, Larkin revisits the architecture of America from 1775 to 1840 and finds the values and dreams of the young republic recorded in wood and stone. Illustrated with amazing photographs from the Library of Congress Historic American Building Survey, the book opens a window on a time before indoor plumbing and electricity, discovering that the good old days, in some ways, were pretty good after all, despite physical hardships." --Kevin Markey, USA Weekend
Review
“If the best writers draw from their own experience, Larry Haun is as much a historian and philosopher as he is a 60-year veteran carpenter. Larry’s memoir would be equally at home on the bookshelves of home building and architecture enthusiasts as anyone on a spiritual journey.” -Brian Pontolilo, Managing Editor, Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Review
"If the best writers draw from their own experience, Larry Haun is as much a historian and philosopher as he is a 60-year veteran carpenter. Larry's memoir would be equally at home on the bookshelves of home building and architecture enthusiasts as anyone on a spiritual journey." -Brian Pontolilo, Managing Editor, "Fine Homebuilding Magazine"
If you are lucky in your life, you are fortunate to encounter people who are passionate about their lives. Joseph Campbell is quoted as saying; "People always say what we are looking for is a meaning for life...I don't think that's what we're looking for. I think what we're looking for is the experience of being alive." Larry Haun is very alive, and has shared with me his passion for building, his passion for community, and his passion to serve. All of us at Habitat have been blessed by Larry's energy, enthusiasm and commitment to his trade. Bert Green, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte The New York Times
Review
If the best writers draw from their own experience, Larry Haun is as much a historian and philosopher as he is a 60-year veteran carpenter. Larry’s memoir would be equally at home on the bookshelves of home building and architecture enthusiasts as anyone on a spiritual journey. -Brian Pontolilo, Managing Editor, Fine Homebuilding Magazine
If you are lucky in your life, you are fortunate to encounter people who are passionate about their lives. Joseph Campbell is quoted as saying; “People always say what we are looking for is a meaning for life…I don't think that's what we're looking for. I think what we're looking for is the experience of being alive.” Larry Haun is very alive, and has shared with me his passion for building, his passion for community, and his passion to serve. All of us at Habitat have been blessed by Larry’s energy, enthusiasm and commitment to his trade. Bert Green, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte
Drawing on a life spent building houses all over the U.S., Haun creates a first person timeline of 20th century American residential architecture by wonderfully combining together two literary styles: the memoir and the how-to book. The former editor of Fine Homebuilding, Haun writes like a carpenter, setting up the foundation of his life story with his childhood growing up in rural, Depression-scarred Nebraska, where people still lived in houses made of sod and straw. This upbringing gave Haun a connection to the land and a disdain for waste that informs his life and beliefs as he builds upon his story with the life lessons learned building houses all over the country. Just like any good carpenter, Haun brings his own artistic flourishes to the job of storytelling, adding prose-poems or ruminations about consumerism that convey his creativity and thoughtfulness. But where Haun’s true personality comes across is when he describes the construction process for the many houses he has lived in and built—from his parent’s 1,000-sq. ft. wood-frame house and the adobe and cob structures of the Southwest to the mid-century pre-fabricated and tract houses, and the more recent Habitat for Humanity homes he has donated his time to help erect. In the final chapter, Haun’s passion for building and his love of “Mother Earth” all come together as he outlines how he built his own “6-ft. by 8-ft.” greenhouse out of salvaged and recycled pieces, which serves not only to bring the story full-circle but also succeeds at furthering the author’s message that less can certainly be more. Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
From the world's leading authority on community home building comes a step-by-step guide to building an efficient, affordable, quality house. 350 color photos. 100 drawings.
Synopsis
..". Larry Haun is as much a historian and philosopher as he is a 60-year veteran carpenter. Larry's memoir would be equally at home on the bookshelves of home building and architecture enthusiasts as anyone on a spiritual journey."
- Brian Pontolilo, Editor, Fine Homebuilding Magazine
The unforgettable memoir of a legendary builder. You don't have to be a carpenter to appreciate this fascinating book that Publishers Weekly calls, "a first person timeline of 20th century American residential architecture... combining ...two literary styles: the memoir and the how-to book."
A moving story of that place we call home. An early advocate for building lean and green and an avid blogger, Larry Haun tells his unique story in terms of twelve homes - built over the last 100 years. These are homes he knows intimately, drawing the reader in with detailed descriptions and thoughtful observations.
"Just like any good carpenter, Haun brings his own artistic flourishes to the job of storytelling.... But where Haun's true personality comes across is when he describes the construction process for the many houses he has lived in and built--from his parent's 1,000-sq. ft. wood-frame house and the adobe and cob structures of the Southwest to the mid-century pre-fabricated and tract houses, and the more recent Habitat for Humanity homes he has donated his time to help erect."
Publishers Weekly, 6/13/2011
A delight to read. A great gift. This engaging memoir will appeal to anyone who appreciates a well-told story. A Carpenter's Life As Told in Houses explores our love of home - feelings so deeply rooted that they go far beyond wood and plaster and shingles. Share the author's deep connection to the natural world, his yearning for simplicity, and respect for humanity - and see why he believes that less is more.
Synopsis
Available for the first time, Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House is a complete, step-by-step guide to building a house from the world's leading authority on community home building. Presented documentary-style, each process is illustrated with full-color photos shot exclusively for this book and accompanied by clear, authoritative and friendly text. An ideal book for beginners as well as more experienced builders, Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House covers everything you need to know about building an efficient, affordable, quality house.
-- Habitat for Humanity has built more than 100,000 houses, through 1500 affiliates worldwide
-- Includes information on building codes, building inspections, energy efficiency, professional building techniques and tools and materials
Synopsis
Since its founding in 1976, the non-profit Habitat for Humanity International has built more than 255,000 houses for more than one million people and families in need world wide. First published in 2002, "Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House "has helped thousands more build simple, energy-efficient homes of their own by helping guide them from foundation to roof, through all interior finishes and fixtures. Written by long-time carpenter and Habitat volunteer, Larry Haun, this extensive revision features up-to-date information on residential codes, construction methods, and materials -- as well as an updated design inside and out. Haun also provides new sections on tools, siding, ventilation, and landscaping. With Clear information on everything from obtaining a site and permit to finishing touches like installing door locks and cabinets, this is the best single-volume resource for the beginning homebuilder.
Synopsis
A complete course in basic framing, including information on tools, plans, codes, permits, lumber and materials.
Synopsis
For those who love to live in old houses or want to invest in one, this completely revised and updated book levels no stone unturned. From evaluating a property to making foundation repairs to adding on a porch, it's a comprehensive guide to every aspect of making renovations and repairs--whether you already live in, or are contemplating buying, an older home.
Synopsis
Tracing the evolution of the American home from the American Revolution to the Industrial Revolution, this book includes more than 400 photos of old houses from the Library of Congress Historic American Building Survey (HABS) collection, supplemented with period woodcuts, engravings, drawings, paintings, artifacts, and maps.
Synopsis
From one of "Fine Homebuilding's" best-loved authors, Larry Haun, comes a unique story that looks at American home building from the perspective of twelve houses he has known intimately. Part memoir, part cultural history, "A Carpenter's Life as Told by Houses" takes the reader house by house over an arc of 100 years. Along with period photos, the author shows us the sod house in Nebraska where his mother was born, the frame house of his childhood, the production houses he built in the San Fernando Valley, and the Habitat for Humanity homes he devotes his time to now. It's an engaging read written by a veteran builder with a thoughtful awareness of what was intrinsic to home building in the past and the many ways it has evolved. Builders and history lovers will appreciate his deep connection to the natural world, yearning for simplicity, respect for humanity, and evocative notion of what we mean by "home."
About the Author
Larry Haun began his building career on the Nebraska prairie, where at 17 he helped to build his first house. In 1950, he began framing in Albuquerque, N.M., and in 1951, he joined his older brother in a Los Angeles building boom that brought about rapid change in tools, materials, and building methods. Later, seeing a need for passing on production-framing techniques, Haun began teaching two nights a week at a community college--and stayed there for 20 years. He retired to Coos Bay, Ore., where he built houses for Habitat for Humanity, wheelchair ramps for poor people, and backpacked in the High Sierras, the Rockies, and the Andes. He is the author of "Habitat For Humanity: How to Build a House, Homebuilding Basics: Carpentry, The Very Efficient Carpenter, " and three companion videos on how to frame a house. Larry also kept a blog, A Carpenter's View: http: //www.finehomebuilding.com/blog/a-carpenters-view, where he wrote until a couple of weeks before his death at age 80 in October, 2011.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Intro
1. The Soddy
2. The Straw Bale
3. The Old Frame House
4. The Dugout
5. The Pre-Cut House
6. The Adobe
7. The Manufactured House
8. The Quonset Hut
9. The Tract House
10. The Habitat House
11. Small Houses, Small Spaces
12. The Greenhouse
Afterword