The American Cottage Builder 1883

I found a free  Google Book "The American Cottage Builder" 1883 John Bullock

In it are advanced stick framing techniques that save wood if that is your style, but there is lots of information on alternative building - pise walls, mud walls - cob walls, alternative floors etc.

http://books.google.com/books?id=TMG3AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+American+Cottage+Builder,%E2%80%9D+John+Bullock&ei=dYWIS662B5iskATujv2ZDQ&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Lots of interesting old info there.

Download it to your computer in PDF form from the link at the top right of the Google online book.  It's free.

Glenn

Interesting stuff, thanks for the link.

My pleasure.  I think it is nice that we can now electronically get copies of books full of this old useful information and print out any of it that is useful to us.

Many times the old ways were simpler and easy to implement in modern day country life.

The stick  framing methods in this book are now being promoted as good modern day building practices to save lumber.

The Troglodyte wrote:
The stick  framing methods in this book are now being promoted as good modern day building practices to save lumber.

Post and beam saves even more, stick frame is just about the worst there is resource wise.  It just doesn't require as much craftsmanship but then it also doesn't last as long.  Some of the techniques are useful though.

True to a point.  In code areas, post and beam requires engineering so the cost difference for plans may negate savings at least money wise.

An architect friend mentioned that it may be possible to do a brace section at each end of a beam in conventional small house construction meeting the code requirements that way then using infill under the entire length of the beam .  A possible way around the engineering issue. 

If you are not concerned with meeting codes for permits then there is not as much of a problem except to build safely.

I'd like to know if anyone else knows of any permie related free downloads?

chris

I would suggest going to Google Books and searching pertinent topics as they may have been named in the old days.  Lots of complete free book downloads there if they are out of copyright.

I may have missed it being relatively new here but is there a "links" list associated with the forum.  Useful links could be categorized and posted there with a brief description.

Max