Marshall and Worthing's The Construction of Houses

Book Description

The sixth edition of The Construction of Houses builds on the success of the previous five editions. The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles and processes of the construction of houses and their services. As such it is aimed at providing a broad understanding of domestic building construction for students as part of their academic studies and as a useful information source for practitioners.

The existing chapters have all been updated and most of them expanded to take account of changes to dwelling house construction since the last edition and there are new chapters on ‘Modern Methods of Construction’ and ‘Regulatory controls and building standards’. Additionally, many new and/or updated photographs and diagrams have been added.

As with the previous editions, the authors have concentrated on presenting current mainstream approaches to the construction of houses. The detailed, yet accessible, text that is supported by hundreds of coloured photographs and diagrams provides clear explanations of the many complex processes that go into the building of a house. A deeper insight into modern construction is also given by the book’s consideration of historical building techniques from the 18th century onwards in order to illustrate how and why we build houses in the way we do now.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction  2. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)  3. Regulatory controls and building standards  4. Sustainable Homes  5. Thermal insulation.  6. Foundations  7. External masonry load-bearing walls  8. Roof structure  9. Roof coverings  10. Ground floors  11. Upper floors  12. Internal partitions and walls  13. Internal plastering and dry-lining  14. External rendering  15. Internal and external decoration  16. Timber frame system housing  17. Concrete and steel system housing  18. Windows, doors and stairs  19. Ventilation  20. Cold water services  21. Space heating  22. Hot water services  23. Drainage  24. Electrical installations

Author(s) Biography

Derek Worthing BSc, MPhil. (York) is a Building Surveyor and was formerly a Principal Lecturer and Head of the School of Land and Property Management at the University of the West of England, in Bristol, before taking up a research and teaching post at Uppsala University in Sweden. He now works as a consultant, a visiting lecturer and a guest editor for the International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation. He is the co-author of Understanding Housing Defects (also published by Routledge). He is also the co-author of the textbook Managing Built Heritage: The Role of Cultural Values and Significance.

Nigel Dann BSc (Hons), MSc, MCIOB, MIOC is a Chartered Builder and was formerly a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Currently he works as an online academic at University College of Estate Management and as a consultant and builder in France. He is the co-author of two other textbooks: House Inspector and Understanding Housing Defects (both published by Routledge).

Roger Heath FHEA, FRICS is a Chartered Building Surveyor with wide experience in both the public and private sectors. He was a partner in a multidisciplinary practice before running his own building surveying practice as a sole principal. For many years, he has been a Senior Lecturer in Building Surveying at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. He is the co-author of Understanding Housing Defects (also published by Routledge) and two other textbooks.