Expert: Daniel Humphrey - 12/28/2007

Question
I am planning on building my home out of cinder blocks.  I live in Lake County colorado at about 11,000 ft.  I have worked with wood construction, but have no experience with Concrete.  I am looking for a good "How To" book to make this happen.  We just want a 40 ft by 40 ft square and then we will frame in the windows.  What are your thoughts?
thanks
Dustin

Answer
Dear Dustin,

You sound fairly ambitious, and that's a good thing!

Finding a good book on the subject will be a great start for you, but even more than simple instructions, you should get a book that has a general plan you can adhere to. My specialty is in timberframe construction; so I'm not familiar with the books concerning block laying.

But the oddity I noticed from your question is that your planned footprint is 40 feet square! A simple wood truss roof for a building this wide would be pushing the limits of trusses that could be easily built, shipped, and handled; so residential buildings this dimension ordinarily have more complex roofs and rely on interior structure to do some of the supporting. A house designed for a homeowner to build from blocks would likely contain somewhat narrower open spaces and have dimensions more on a human scale.

Look for a plan that comes from a local building vernacular. That way you won't be re-inventing a house design that has had centuries and many generations to evolve.

--Dan