Pressure on space and changes in planning law mean that loft conversions are now at the forefront in the race to improve the performance of Britain's ageing housing stock. Since 1990, roof space conversions have increased UK housing capacity by more than 200 million square feet - a living area equivalent to a medium-sized city - without the loss of a single square foot of greenfield land.Loft Conversions is the definitive technical guide to the conversion of roof spaces in...

From any perspective, the ideal construction project is one in which the contractor shows up on your doorstep with the right price and all of his tools, people, and equipment ready to start, and builds exactly what you want for the price you want and finish on schedule. Everyone then goes away, happy as clams. This is the ideal, but it never occurs.The world is a competitive place; to survive, contractors must think competitively in order to win work. They must find a way to comple...

This bookis a concise and comprehensive guide to building defects and building inspection. Whether, as a practitioner you are employed in buying, selling, managing or maintaining houses or whether, or as a layperson, you are buying a property to invest or live in, this book will help you make sound decisions and avoid costly mistakes. Written by two highly experienced authors, House Inspector is a general and accessible book which describes how and why house construction has chang...

How long can people really live? We are all taught by family, friends, and our family doctors that we should live into our seventies and eighties then die in the normal course of events.The truth is that there are legitimate records of persons up to hundreds of years old.One only has to do the research.In this book I present extensive records of nine individuals who lived from one hundred thirty to over three hundred years--or more.Read about Li Ching Yun wh...

Build your own outbuildings and enjoy the space to do more of what you love. From simple toolsheds and animal shelters to smokehouses and low-cost barns, Monte Burch guides you through everything you need to know to make your small building projects a reality. Detailed blueprints, easy-to-follow instructions, and expert advice are suited to even the first-time builder. Discover how easy it is to create your own customized spaces that will allow your passions to grow.

Commercial Management: theory and practice defines the role of commercial management within project-oriented organisations, providing a framework for and helping to develop a critical understanding of the factors that influence commercial management practice. It also identifies generic aspects of this practice and provides a theoretical foundation to these activities, by reference to existing and emergent theories and concepts, as well as to relevant management best practice....

The ever evolving technology of waterproofing presents challenges and risks for architects and engineers who do not specialize in the field. The revised edition of The Manual of Below-Grade Waterproofing Systems provides the education and product information to enable designers to take a sound, fundamental approach to these contemporary challenges.Building designers specify waterproofing systems and materials that are often based on limited and subjective manufacturers’ li...

This 5th edition covers the latest practices and processes of various alternative methods for the construction of tall buildings from foundation to roof. The text progresses through the stages of site investigation, excavation and earthmoving, foundation construction, basement construction, structural systems for the superstructure, site and material handling, wall and floor construction, external wall and roof construction. The planning, safety and environmental considerations, methods, m...

The civil engineering sector accounts for a significant percentage of global material and energy consumption and is a major contributor of waste material. The ability to recycle and reuse concrete and demolition waste is critical to reducing environmental impacts in meeting national, regional and global environmental targets. Handbook of recycled concrete and demolition waste summarises key recent research in achieving these goals.Part one considers techniques for managing construction and...

With extensive case studies for illustration, this is a practitioner's guide to an entirely new production system for construction management using flowline scheduling.Covering the entire process of presenting a comprehensive management system – from design, through measurement, scheduling, and visualization and control – its emphasis is on reducing cost and increasing quality.Drawing its components together into a management system, the authors not only include theory and ...

The fourth edition of this well established text brings the subject up-to-date with environmental legislation and provides a thorough understanding of the surface technologies of all materials used for finishes. It also aims to minimise the use of finishes which have shorter lives and hence need renewing more frequently. As the variety of materials used for finishes is so large, they have been grouped into their engineering categories of ceramics, polymers, metals and composites to aid und...

Note: New editions of this book have been published: 2nd edition in 2016; 3rd edition in September 2023.The energy crises of the 1970s, persisting moisture problems, complaints about sick buildings, thermal, visual and olfactory discomfort, and the move towards more sustainability in building construction have pushed Building Physics to the forefront of building innovation. The societal pressure to diminish energy consumption in buildings without impairing usability acted as a trigg...