The Portland Cement Association's Guide to Concrete Homebuilding Systems

I purchased this book in 1995. It was and still is the only book of it's kind. It provides data such as time, cost, quality for a wide range of concrete construction methods. Yes there have been changes since 1994 but actual very little. I have built 12 concrete homes including my personal home of 10 years, using serveral systems covered in this excelent book

As we may note upon reading this tome, it is written primarily for one who is articulate with the construction trade. However it is onomonopoetic in its scope. As you read you find yourself absorbing and understanding far more than seems possible. One gets it quickly and is allowed to dream of design possibilities. I love a good book. Learning at an exponential rate is exhilerating.

This book is an Ugly Duckling for now. Hopefully in the future they will put out a new edition with lots of colour photo's to show us what a finished project can look like. It does seem to cover most systems for building concrete structures. It is written for contractors, but with a little work it could be just as well suited for the potential home owner.

This book is writen for the tradesman, but is easy for a layman to understand. It covers the full range of concrete building products for residential wall systems. It provides extensive comparisons for each system, including relative cost, R-value, impact on other building components,and learning curve. In particular,the Guide covers ICF (Insulating Concrete Forms), mortared and mortarless block, shotcrete, and proprietary systems such as the Hebel areated concrete blocks. The authors interviewed hundreds of builders in the field and share design and installation tips as well as the relative advantages and disadvantages of each system. Guide to Concrete Homebuilding Systems is a *must read* for anyone interested in the latest developments in concrete wall building systems.