Working Alone: Tips & Techniques for Solo Building

by John Carroll

If your'e working alone, this book will be your second set of hands. You won't have to wait for a helper or pass up a job that seems too difficult to do alone. And if youre a homeowner working on your own house, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. Written by a builder with 30 years' experience, Working Alone is packed with more than 50 innovative tips and techniques. You'll learn how to handle nearly every aspect of home construction alone, from foundation layout to raising walls to building decks. This book, the only one of its kind, offers a myriad of unique solo solutions. A perfect example is the problem of bringing a large sheet of plywood up a ladder. Even with a helper, this is a difficult and dangerous task. But if a large C-clamp is fastened to one end of the plywood, it's easy to pull the sheet up the ladder from behind. Clever techniques like this will have you solving common problems safely and efficiently.

Genres: Nonfiction, Construction, Reference

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Anna]

I don’t need to build a house from scratch on my own, thank goodness. But I still learned a lot about bracing boards and measuring without a helper. And I finally learned what a turnbuckle is, and what it does.

[Don Alesi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good tips for the do it yourselfer.

This book is filled with ideas for someone who for whatever reason has to work alone. I really liked the simple jigs and methods used for lifting and handling heavy materials. It was a bit technical at times and made me wish I paid more intention in basic Geometry. It's reference book that I know I will be going back to time and time again.

[Acc13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book with great ideas for working alone.

Focused on home building, and the rigs/jigs/clamps/tools/methods he uses to replace helping hands.

Chapters include: masonry, exterior, interior, roofs, decks, and floors and walls.

Also some good practical, general tips/hints/info on how he likes to approach layout, and best order for some of these tasks.

Recommend for builders, and anyone interested in DIY home improvement.

[Tiny Shiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a great book when you need to build by yourself. There are many great tips.