“Diary of a Mad Builder” is as close as I can remember of the title. I was traveling a while back and in a bookstore when I saw this book. Should have bought in then. Now I can’t find it on a web search. Obviously the title I thought I remembered isn’t the right one. It was a story about a novice builder who started building his own house and got carried away with building things. Anyone ever heard of a book such as this. Of course I cannot recall the author’s name either.
Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
Replies
If he was "mad" it was probably because he didn't get paid on time.
Rez,
If you ever find the name of the book and author, let me know. I remeber reading a book description similiar to yours. Thought about getting the book, putting it off, and then never being able to find it again. The title might be something like Confessions of a Mad Builder, or something like that.
I dont know if there is a way to do it, but try searching the 'Reviews' section of old Fine Homebuilding issues.
Rez, I am in the process of searching WorldCat, and so far what I have found is What It's Like to Build a House: The Diary of a Builder by Bob Syvanen, which is a Taunton book, 1885. Funny I go searching in the world's biggest card catalog, and it leads me back to Taunton.
But that doesn't sound totally like what you are describing, and I will go back and search using M2AKITA's hints.You can choose to be part of the solution, or part of the problem. Or like me, you can be an overachiever, and do both.
Not a book, but I found a pamphlet entitled "Diary of a Mad Home Builder," published by the Indiana Builders Association. http://www.buildindiana.org/Publications.htm The text has even been posted here. http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=20860.1
Edited 7/13/2002 12:04:57 PM ET by Uncle Dunc
Unless what you are looking for is Uncle Dunc's pamplet, which sounds like it might be the ticket, I can't find a "book" whose subject is home construction, and that has "Diary" in the title, except the Syvanen book. I also searched using "mad" and "confessions" and couldn't find anything promising. Sorry. I hope it's the pamplet.You can choose to be part of the solution, or part of the problem. Or like me, you can be an overachiever, and do both.
Nah, the pamphlet's not it. After I re-read rez's post a little more carefully, I remembered reading a review of the book he's talking about. The review was probably in FHB, but I can't remember for sure. And I remember it being in the last 6 or 8 months, but that kind of memory has been off by as much as five years for me. (It all blurs together, somehow.)
The way I'm remembering it now, there was a really high end gazebo involved, but I can't remember if that was before or after the house.
And you guys probably already know about this place, but I didn't.
http://www.buildfind.com/bookstore/You can choose to be part of the solution, or part of the problem. Or like me, you can be an overachiever, and do both.
Thanks y'all. It was a hardback book.I remember leafing thru it and seeing where the author had written about how excited he was about building and just couldn't wait to start another project before he'd finished the one he was on. Now you got me wondering if it was confessions. Mad builder was definitely in the title tho'.Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
I may have found the book: House Dreams: the story of an amateur builder and two novice apprentices and how they turned an overgrwon blackberry patch, ten truckloads of lumber, a keg of cut nails and an antique stiarcase into a real home. It is by Hugh Howard, c 2001. Let me know if this is the one. If so, I am getting a kick out of you guys attributing madness to the author! Just because, when he learns that his wife if pregnant he decided to build a family home without anything but two summers worth of experience as an electrician's apprentice.....
I'm going to get that book you mentioned since it sounds entertaining, but it's not the one I'm seeking since I saw it on the shelf back in 98 or 99.
Hugh Howard huh? didn't he build a big airplane or somethun'?Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
Ever find it?Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. [Theodore Roosevelt]
>> Ever find it?Never found the Mad Builder book. The one I was thinking of was the Michael Pollan book that Huck cites in message #14. I got it from the public library about a year ago and enjoyed it very much.
I found one called A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder
this is a review from Amazon.com
While some rave about the prose of Anne Rice and Michael Ondaatje, I rave about Michael Pollan! In A Place of My Own, Pollan has crafted a beautifully written book laced with intelligence, humility and humor. Attempting to escape his own "mid-life crisis," Pollan decides to build a cabin in the woods--a place where he can work undisturbed that also serves as a "shelter for daydreams."
During his 2 1/2 years of building, Pollan comes to reflect on many things such as the meaning of "work" in our highly technological society, the sacrifice and celebration of nature and the borders between nature and culture. In the end, Pollan comes to the conclusion that there really is no clear division between matters of the material world and those of the spirit.
A warm, witty and wise story told in prose as crystal clear as a bright winter's day. I'd gladly give it ten stars if I could.
CaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
I'll read it.
Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. [Theodore Roosevelt]