Habitat for Humanity
How to Build a House
Step By Step Guide to Building A House

Larry Haun

A complete guide to building a house

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 Larry Haun, the world’s leading authority on community homebuilding.

Presented in a documentary style, each process is illustrated with full-color photos shot exclusively for this book and accompanied by clear, authoritative and friendly text. Whether you are a beginner or more experienced builder, this book covers everything you need to know about building efficient, affordable, quality homes.

Chapters include information on building codes, building inspections, energy efficiency, professional building techniques, and tools and materials.

The Taunton Press sponsored the building of the house featured in this book, and 15% of the net sales of this book will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

"Written by master builder Larry Haun, this essential instruction manual is destined to be as enduring as the Habitat For Humanity mission: building decent, affordable homes."

-- Tedd Benson, author of Timberframe and The Timber-Frame Home

"Covers all the basics of how to build a solid home, quickly and confidently. This book provides a wealth of information for anyone involved in building a house -– from those actually wielding the hammers to the sidewalk supervisors."

- Dean Johnson, “Hometime”

About the author
Larry Haun worked as a carpenter in southern California for four decades, teaching apprentice carpenters at night school in a community college for more than 20 years. He has lived in coastal Oregon since 1996 where he continues to write and build houses for Habitat for Humanity. Larry is the author of The Very Efficient Carpenter (book and video tapes) and Homebuilding Basics: Carpentry, both published by The Taunton Press.

Introduction:

I was born and raised in a wood-frame sited high on the short-grass prairies of western Nebraska, that huge inland sea of grass where the only constant is the wind whistling across the snow-covered, sagebrush hills. Aged, warped, unpainted clapboard siding hardly slowed the wind and cold. It was an uninsulated farmhouse with no central heating, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and windows that let in more wind than light. Just 3 ft. from the iron stove in the kitchen, it was freezing. In our bedrooms, even when Mother warmed the sheets with her flat iron, the temperature never got much above what it was outside. Wallpaper, as the saying goes, was used not for decoration, but for insulation.

After high school, I headed south. The first framing job I worked on was in Los Angeles in 1950. There were lots of carpenters, all wearing white overalls, cutting different pieces of wood with sharp handsaws and nailing them together with 16-oz., curved-claw hammers. The pace was slow and methodical. A wall chalkline would be snapped on the floor. The bottom plate was nailed to the line. Corner posts were then set and a string pulled taut over posts from corner to corner. The length of each wall stud was measured from that string. Once the studs were cut and toe- nailed to the bottom plate, we would stand on ladders and nail on the top plate. It took a month or so to frame a house.

Six months later, I was one of a small crew, all wearing jeans and nail aprons and wielding long-handled, 20-oz. framing hammers. GIs were returning from the war by the millions and the post-war housing boom was under way. We were framing tract houses, one every couple of days. Those were affordable housing units, decent homes in decent communities, two and three bedroom houses with about 1,000 sq. ft. of living space. They were definitely not mansions. In 1951, my brother Jim moved into one of those houses with his family. It cost him $400 down, with monthly payments of $63, which included taxes and insurance. Fifty years later, those houses are still standing, and they have seen more than one generation of children grow up, move on, and start families of their own. We do know how to build affordable housing.

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) is one group that not only knows this to be true but also is doing something with that knowledge. All across this country, in hundreds of towns and cities, people like you and me are working with our neighbors to build decent, affordable housing. In the past 25 years, more than 100,000 affordable houses have been built in America and in other countries by HFH affiliates. Families that otherwise would not have even dared to dream of owning their own home have been given a "hand up" to a dwelling that they can actually afford. But make no mistake: This isn't charity--the houses are not given away. Rather, in addition to shouldering a modest mortgage, the new homeowners put in around 500 hours of "sweat equity," working with volunteers who help them build their house. In the few years I have lived here in Coos Bay, Oregon, we have built eight houses that have become homes for the families who worked with us. Because of all the volunteer labor, we are able to build these houses for about $30,000 to $35,000, plus land, which results in a mortgage that even low-income families can handle.

If HFH can build an affordable house, why can't anyone? First of all, others are doing it. More than 175,000 owner-builders create new housing units each year. It takes a significant amount of courage, effort, and time, not to mention a piece of land, some money, and help from friends -- but it can and is being done. How to build a simple house is not a mystery. It's rather like putting together Lego blocks or Lincoln Logs, one piece at a time. Many of you already have the basic skills needed to build a simple house. Just look at the thousands of people who flood places like Home Depot and Lowe's to buy tools and materials for working around their homes.

If you're considering building your own home, keep in mind that it is also possible to build a home that is beautiful but, in the long run, is neither decent nor affordable. Decent housing, for example, doesn't have leaks that can cause mold and rot, compromising both your health and your home. Neither is decent housing full of toxic fumes, which can come from paint, carpet, and a host of other common, seemingly innocuous, materials. A decent, affordable home is energy efficient, well ventilated, and comfortable; built from safe, health-preserving materials; and requires a minimum of upkeep or maintenance. It can also be built from forest products and other materials that are sustainable, so that we don't further lay waste to our homeland. Building such a home isn't impossible, but it does take some careful planning.

So, where do you start? There is an old saying, "You can hear a lot just by listening." Talk to neighbors, contractors, carpenters, building inspectors, and the staff at your local building-supply store. Contact your local Habitat affiliate or HFH International for information. Read the how-to information that comes with many building materials; study this book and others; check out the numerous how-to-build sites on the Web. Ask questions, work out details and ideas on paper, and gradually the big picture will start to get clearer. Although no single book can answer all the questions you're likely to have on the subject, it's my intent to provide a step-by-step guide that will take you from basic planning and design through the actual construction of a simple, decent, affordable house.

Preview:

Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House: Foundation Fundamentals Establishing a sound connection between the house, the foundation, and the earth is crucial. These foundation fundamentals can help get you started. by Larry Haun Open or download the 2-page PDF file below.   Foundation Fundamentals.pdf (approx 2 min. on 56K modem) All across this country, in hundreds of towns an cities, people from all walks of life are working with Habitat for Humanity to build decent, modest housing. In the last 25 years, more than 100,000 affordable homes have been built in America and in other countries by Habitat for Humanity affiliates. If Habitat for Humanity can build affordable homes, why can't anyone? In Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House, Habitat volunteer and Fine Homebuilding contributor Larry Haun provides step-by-step instructions for building a house from the ground up. For beginners and professionals alike, the book is filled with tips that come from Larry's four decades of experience. In this excerpt from Chapter 3: Firm, Flat, Level, and Square -- Foundations and Floors, you'll learn how to form and pour footings and how to build the foundation walls.

Building an Affordable House

Remodeling
Carpentry
Construction
Painting
Building Codes
House Check
Code Check Series
Inspection Related