Building By A Builder; Practical And Economical Considerations For The Man About To Build, BY BENJAMIN A. HOWES. PREFACE This little book is addressed to the man who is about to build his own house for the first time. It does not seek to take the place of a popular manual, but aims to answer his first questions, to suggest to him the matters he ought to ponder and settle for himself, and the others on which he will need expert advice. Its principal claim to originality lies in its effort to help him to a defi- nite intelligent choice of possibilities. The one point where the homebuilder calls for aid is the point where he must decide between several courses, all of which invite. Any amount of building lore is spread before him half of it full of detailed application to modern problems, but frankly in the service of specific manufactured articles half of it authoritative, colorless, care- fully impartial - too impartial to be of use. Comparisons are odious yet practical building is impossible without comparing, sifting and re- jecting. No building material and no type of construction is the best in every situation yet for every situation some definite combination is best. The homebuilders anxious question is not, What is there to choose from It is, SVhich should I choose These essays do not pretend to cover all the types of cases but they do aim to indicate some typical problems and solutions, and points of divergence leading to other solutions. The book means, in short, to help the homebuilder to lay his own course in a crowded, shifting fairway. I wish to record, therefore, my gratitude to the architects and fellow-engineers who have gener- ously given me of their experience, and to the manufacturers representatives who have entered with me into frank discussion and exposition of building conditions. B. A. H. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.