Masonry Heaters

Masonry Heaters is a complete guide to designing and living with one of the oldest, and yet one of the newest, heating devices. A masonry heater’s design, placement in the home, and luxurious radiant heat redefine the hearth for the modern era, turning it into a piece of the sun right inside the home. Like the feeling one gets from the sun on a spring day, the environment around a masonry heater feels fresh. The radiant heat feels better on the skin. It warms the home both gently and efficiently. In fact, the value of a masonry heater lies in its durability, quality, serviceability, dependability, and health-supporting features. And it is an investment in self-sufficiency and freedom from fossil fuels. The book discusses different masonry heater designs, including variations extant in Europe, and explains the growth of their popularity in the United States beginning in the late 1970s. For the reader who may be familiar only with open fireplaces and metal woodstoves, Masonry Heaters will bring a new understanding and appreciation of massive heat storage and gentle-but-persistent radiant heat. Masonry heaters offer a unique comfort that is superior to that from convection heat from forced-air systems, and more personal than that offered by “radiant” floors. As Matesz demonstrates, the heat from the sun or from a masonry heater is genuine heat instead of just insulation against the loss of heat. Those who are looking to build, add onto, or remodel a house will find comprehensive and practical advice for designing and installing a masonry heater, including detailed discussion of materials, code considerations, and many photos and illustrations. While this is not a do-it-yourself guide for building a masonry heater, it provides facts every heater builder should know. Professional contractors will find this a useful tool to consult, and homeowners considering a new method of home heating will find all they need to know about masonry heaters within these pages.

Since 1932, the ten editions of Architectural Graphic Standards have been referred to as the "architect's bible." From site excavation to structures to roofs, this book is the first place to look when an architect is confronted with a question about building design. With more than 8,000 architectural illustrations, including both reference drawings and constructible architectural details, this book provides an easily accessible graphic reference for highly visual professionals. To celebrate seventy-five years as the cornerstone of an industry, this commemorative Eleventh Edition is the most thorough and significant revision of Architectural Graphic Standards in a generation. Substantially revised to be even more relevant to today's design professionals, it features: An entirely new, innovative look and design created by Bruce Mau Design that includes a modern page layout, bold second color, and new typeface Better organized-- a completely new organization structure applies the UniFormat(r) classification system which organizes content by function rather than product or material Expanded and updated coverage of inclusive, universal, and accessible design strategies Environmentally-sensitive and sustainable design is presented and woven throughout including green materials, LEEDS standards, and recyclability A bold, contemporary new package--as impressive closed as it is open, the Eleventh Edition features a beveled metal plate set in a sleek, black cloth cover Ribbon Markers included as a convenient and helpful way to mark favorite and well used spots in the book All New material Thoroughly reviewed and edited by hundreds of building science experts and experienced architects, all new details and content including: new structural technologies, building systems, and materials emphasis on sustainable construction, green materials, LEED standards, and recyclability expanded and updated coverage on inclusive, universal, and accessible design strategies computing technologies including Building Information Modeling (BIM) and CAD/CAM new information on regional and international variations accessibility requirements keyed throughout the text new standards for conducting, disseminating, and applying architectural research New and improved details With some 8,500 architectural illustrations, including both reference drawings and constructible architectural details, Architectural Graphic Standards continues to be the industry's leading, easily accessible graphic reference for highly visual professionals.

Taunton's Best of Fine Homebuilding series collects and organizes the most useful articles from FINE HOMEBUILDING magazine by subject. Each book is filled with step-by-step articles written by professional builders who share their expertise to help readers achieve quality results. Here 31 articles by master masons explain the best ways to build with brick, stone, and mortar from stone walls to flagstone to fireplaces and chimneys.

A complete guide to designing and living with one of the oldest, and yet, one of the newest of heating devices.

The residential construction market may have its ups and downs, but the need to keep your construction knowledge current never lets up. Now, with the latest edition of Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction, you can keep your practice at the ready. This edition was expertly redesigned to include all-new material on current technology specific to residential projects for anyone designing, constructing, or modifying a residence. With additional, new content covering sustainable and green designs, sample residential drawings, residential construction code requirements, and contemporary issues in residential construction, it’s a must-have resource. And now it's easier to get the information you need when you need it with references to the relevant building codes built right into the details and illustrations. These new "smart" details go beyond dimensions with references to the International Residential Building Code—presenting all the information you need right at your fingertips. New features and highlights include: Loads of previously unpublished content—over 80% is either new or entirely revised Sustainable/ green design information in every chapter—a must today's practicing building and construction professionals Coverage of contemporary issues in residential construction—aging in place, new urbanism, vacation and small homes, historic residences…it’s all here. Coverage of single- and multi-family dwellings—complete coverage of houses, row homes and quadraplexes as dictated by the International Residential Building Codes.

Don't let your jobs be held up by failing code inspections. Smooth sign-off by the inspector is the goal, but to make this ideal happen on your job site, you need to understand the requirements of latest editions of the International Building Code and the International Residential Code. Understanding what the codes require can be a real challenge. This new, completely revised Contractor's Guide to the Building Code cuts through the legalese of the code books. It explains the important requirements for residential and light commercial structures in plain, simple English so you can get it right the first time.

Passive solar heating and passive cooling—approaches known as natural conditioning—provide comfort throughout the year by reducing, or eliminating, the need for fossil fuel. Yet while heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved. Now Dan Chiras, author of the popular book The Natural House, brings those principles up to date for a new generation of solar enthusiasts. The techniques required to heat and cool a building passively have been used for thousands of years. Early societies such as the Native American Anasazis and the ancient Greeks perfected designs that effectively exploited these natural processes. The Greeks considered anyone who didn't use passive solar to heat a home to be a barbarian! In the United States, passive solar architecture experienced a major resurgence of interest in the 1970s in response to crippling oil embargoes. With grand enthusiasm but with scant knowledge (and sometimes little common sense), architects and builders created a wide variety of solar homes. Some worked pretty well, but looked more like laboratories than houses. Others performed poorly, overheating in the summer because of excessive or misplaced windows and skylights, and growing chilly in the colder months because of insufficient thermal mass and insulation and poor siting. In The Solar House, Dan Chiras sets the record straight on the vast potential for passive heating and cooling. Acknowledging the good intentions of misguided solar designers in the past, he highlights certain egregious—and entirely avoidable—errors. More importantly, Chiras explains in methodical detail how today's home builders can succeed with solar designs. Now that energy efficiency measures including higher levels of insulation and multi-layered glazing have become standard, it is easier than ever before to create a comfortable and affordable passive solar house that will provide year-round comfort in any climate. Moreover, since modern building materials and airtight construction methods sometimes result in air-quality and even toxicity problems, Chiras explains state-of-the-art ventilation and filtering techniques that complement the ancient solar strategies of thermal mass and daylighting. Chiras also explains the new diagnostic aids available in printed worksheet or software formats, allowing readers to generate their own design schemes.