Architect Fernando Pages Ruiz’s Book: Building an Affordable House
rockies63
| Posted in General Questions on
I just read a review of the book “A Pretty Good House” and the author mentioned another book by architect Fernando pages Ruiz called Building an Affordable House. I’d never heard of it. Anyone read it?
He has a Facebook page as well.
https://www.facebook.com/BuildingAffordable/
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Here's a great interview with Mr. Ruiz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulYT67e1Vwg&t=53s
His website.
https://www.buildingaffordable.com/
I'll add this to stir up some comments. On the author's page of Mr. Ruiz's website he states that "I still build for about $45 a square foot" (end of paragraph one). I'm waiting to receive his book to see how this is possible.
https://www.buildingaffordable.com/author/
I just finished building a house in Washington, DC, and the pre-construction soft costs -- architect, civil engineer, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, landscape architect, arborist and insurance -- were $50 per square foot. That includes property taxes paid on the land during construction but doesn't include any site prep.
I wrote the book in 2005. The last time I built the same house, it cost me about $125 per sq. ft. Things have changed, but I still beat the area's average price. A second edition fo the book comes out early next year.
https://www.amazon.com/Building-Affordable-House-Fernando-Pages-Ruiz/dp/1641552131/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=P5QOm&content-id=amzn1.sym.cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_p=cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_r=133-5775525-7851415&pd_rd_wg=TD8WE&pd_rd_r=b4ded834-5d86-4d81-9ed8-aa1f9bdd89f8&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk
To answer the original poster, its a very widespread book, and any builder/designer should have a copy on their bookshelf to refer back to. Even if you aren't trying to build as radically pragmatic as Fernando does, it still presents lots of great options for optimizing value. As always, construction costs vary dramatically by location, and he tends to operate in very low cost markets, but the approaches are still valid.
It's great to hear that there is going to be a second edition, I'll go ahead and put in my preorder! I hope the two pictures on the cover are an indication that there will be some specifics addressing townhouses. They represent a great compromise in cost, livability, and sustainability, but don't get a whole lot of attention.
bcade,
"Even if you aren't trying to build as radically pragmatic as Fernando does, it still presents lots of great options for optimizing value."
My question is: Optimizing value to whose benefit? I'm not sure it's the occupants. What he advocates is a completely legitimate way of looking at building primarily to reduce costs - and if that's the goal, there is some great advice. Looking at it from the point of view of the robustness of the house, or its longevity, I'm not as sure.
Malcom,
I'd venture a guess that most readers of GBA are not developers or spec builders, so in this context, the occupants (at least the first ones) would be the ones benefiting from the lower construction costs.
You absolutely have a point that certain elements presented in the book, most notably eliminating eaves, are a compromise. That being said, any competent designer should be able to weigh the risks of these decisions, factoring in variables like the specific assemblies used and local climate.
Even if you skip over every aspect that could have an effect on robustness and longevity, there is still a wealth of information not covered by any other source I’m aware of.
It's an old quote that I need to update. Thanks for pointing it out!
I read it long ago, along with many articles Fernando wrote for JLC and FHB. Many of his tips worked their way into my design ethos. Others I tried and decided they weren't worth the tradeoffs for me. Definitely a valuable resource, though with somewhat different goals than we had with the PGH book.
The second edition of Building an Affordable House is now available. See it here: https://www.amazon.com/Building-Affordable-House-Fernando-Pages-Ruiz/dp/1641552131/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=UHThO&content-id=amzn1.sym.cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_p=cf86ec3a-68a6-43e9-8115-04171136930a&pf_rd_r=145-0192419-8456758&pd_rd_wg=R4g4d&pd_rd_r=aa8e6e4f-54c0-4d22-8539-e43d61c851e5&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk