In the introduction, the author calls this "Your First How-To Book". The book provides very basic information on how to design and build a house. Connell covers how to evaluate your site, how to develop your program, and introduces you to pouring foundations, framing, temperature and moisture control, roof design, door and window design and placement, thermal comfort, energy for power and heating, and plumbing and drainage.

Obviously, in only a bit over 400 pages (including appendices) the book only provides a rudimentary introduction to those topics. However, the author made that decision intentionally. This book does not aim to teach you how to build a house. There are many existing books to do this (Homing Instinct includes a bibliography). Instead, the author wants to accomplish two things. First, set up a framework on which design/builders can hang additional knowledge. Second, show how every aspect of the design/build process influences every other. The site influences the framing system influences the plumbing influences the power sources influences the site and round and around again.

The book succeeds. I do not know how to pour a foundation, but I now know the general features of a well designed foundation and how it influences my home's ability to stay upright. I do not know how to build a frame, but I understand the basic constraints that traditional stick framing puts on structure.

Even though we are not building our house with our own hands, this book was worthwhile. It provided me with a better understanding as I go into the design process, and it provided me with the beginnings of a vocabulary for talking with my builder. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who hopes to be at all involved with designing and building their own home someday. ( )