The Housebuilder's Bible: An Insider's Guide to the Construction Jungle, 6th Edition: Amazon.co.uk: Mark Brinkley: Books

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Product Description

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EDITION HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE SEVENTH EDITION WHICH IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON ISBN 9780954867447

About the Author

Mark Brinkley, 49, lives and works in the house he built for his family in Cambridgeshire. He worked as a carpenter and a housebuilder for 15 years before he wrote this, his only, book which has now established him in a new career as a writer. He is a regular contributor to the selfbuild magazine, Homebuilding & Renovating and an occasional contributor to many more.

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)

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122 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily the best self-build book I have read, 30 Jan 2007

By	Nicholas D. Lintott "Nick Lintott" (Nottingham UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Housebuilder's Bible: An Insider's Guide to the Construction Jungle, 7th Edition (Paperback)

I have been interested in building my own house for at least 20 years and in that time I have read many books and countless magazine articles on the subject. Initially, most of the stuff I could find was american - often inspiring and very much geared to hands on do-it-yorself types but so far removed from the reality of building in bureaucratic Britain as to be almost useless. I have read books recently, written in this country, of a much more sober sort. They are often written by architects and, although many contain excellent advice on planning and contracts and garantees, there is often surprisingly little about the actual building process.

Mark Brinkley's book is different. It is immediately clear that this is written by a man who really knows about house building, both as a professional and a self-builder. He explains simply how houses are built, what choices there are to be made and what follows from them. Even better he explains why bulders, developers and the various subcontractors behave the way they do.

Building is not rocket science but there are many things that need to come together for it to work. Even if you don't intend to lift so much as a shovel in the process of your house build, you need to know the information in this book. It is clearly presented and easy to follow and cuts through the spin that various intrest groups put 'facts' and figures leaving you in a good position to make informed decisions.

For a book that contains so much information and insight, it is very easy to read and even entertaining in places and on top of that it really gives you a feel for what it is like to build your own house. I am 60% through the process of building my own house and still refer to this book often - if you only buy one book on self-build this should be it.

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104 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading - well written, excellent value for money., 26 Feb 2002

By	langlois@itl.net (Channel Islands, Gt. Britain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Housebuilder's Bible Millennium Edition (Paperback)

If you're attempting a full house build or just extending or renovating, read this book.

It provides practical and objective information about all aspects of house building; it is easily understood by the lay person, without any 'dumbing down', and a useful reference for beginners and professionals alike.

It clearly lays out all the options and costs for each stage of building, allowing you to make informed decisions on how to proceed.

Whether self-building or employing builders, don't consider embarking on any building project without reading it first.

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86 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book you should read BEFORE commencing your SelfBuild, 30 Oct 2001

By	Rick Hughes - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Housebuilder's Bible Millennium Edition (Paperback)

This is probably the first book purchase that any SelfBuilder should make. I speak form experience - I bought the last 2 versions of it.
This title may mislead you to think this is a practical book, it isn't. However it is an excellent book, it has tables which allow you to work out the material and labour costs for just about every individual task involved with building a house. Rates are given in PC sums or as square or cubic metre rates.

I have prepared the detailed costings for my build using Marks tables, and it brings out many things which might have slipped by in my calculations. The cost per lightfitting to the charge per linear metre for scaffolding.

There is a fair amount of background detail to various stages of the build and to who does what and how to organise things. With plenty of examples of the various methods of achieving the results i.e. drylining costs and plastering costs are detailed.

It does take some getting used to, you need to look at the front example build find the relevant chapter and look at the breakdown and then find the relevant table to see the full breakdown of material & labour costs.

A very good book and a must if you want to know what you should expect to pay.

I now have the 98/99 version and the book although not greatly changed remains an indispensable item for those who are Selfbuilding rather than just taking a turnkey package from a company.

Still a little lean on timber frame details, but at least some new data in this version.

I can honestly recommend this book for anyone interested in carrying out a Selfbuild.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Self build knowledge made easy
I am now on my third edition of this info packed builder's bible. For planning, managing and costing a home project there is nothing better. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Mr. M. J. Russell

5.0 out of 5 stars bible review
brilliant a must for all self builders
all the information you should ever need

Published 2 months ago by Julie Green

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading!
I must have bought every edition of this book - its a fantastic reference book. I operate an architectural practice and still find it deals with queries better than many... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Mr. Sj Whitham

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book of its kind
This is the latest edition and my old copy was so useful I decided to get this one which is 5 years on. There have been many updates and additions. Read more

Published 2 months ago by D. Cubbon

5.0 out of 5 stars A tremendous reality check!!
As an owner of a large building plot I have often entertained the idea of building a nice house on it and over the years whenever I feel the 'urge' coming on I get myself a copy... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Nigel

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Guide in Self-Build
As a beginner thinking of a possible self-build construction project, I find the book a very useful guide - plain English, informative and compressive in covering all essential... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Y. Luo

5.0 out of 5 stars A book with "unpredicatbaility"
This book is excellent. It is written in an extremely likeable style and is superbly laid out, with copious photographs and tables and with very good use of colour. Read more

Published 6 months ago by PJW

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely well written insight into house building
I have just finished reading this book and I have been extremely impressed. The writer guides you through the different stages with clear straight forward language. Read more

Published 6 months ago by GymCee

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good
An excellent source of information and reference for any one taking on a self build or self managed project.

Published 6 months ago by Intellectual Bookworm

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
this is a great book, so much useful information in there. in my opinion theres already enough good reviews to convince one to buy it, so theres not really much to add... Read more

Published 15 months ago by paris kennard

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	85% buy the item featured on this page: The Housebuilder's Bible: An Insider's Guide to the Construction Jungle, 6th Edition 5.0 out of 5 stars (24)
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The Housebuilder's Bible: An Insider's Guide to the Construction Jungle, 6th Edition (Paperback)

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