- Contractor Books
- Updated August 2026
- 12 min read
Carpentry and Building Construction: The NASCLA Exam Reference Guide
Carpentry and Building Construction (Feirer & Feirer, 2016 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Student Edition) is one of the approved reference books on the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors — and at roughly 1,120 pages across 35 chapters, it is also one of the largest books you will carry into the testing center.
Because the NASCLA exam is open book, the value of this textbook has nothing to do with memorizing it. It has everything to do with how quickly you can turn a question into a page number. This guide walks through what the book covers chapter by chapter, which sections produce the most exam questions, how to tab and highlight it, and how to practice looking answers up under time pressure.
What Is Carpentry and Building Construction ?
Carpentry and Building Construction is a comprehensive residential construction textbook written by John L. Feirer, Ph.D. and Mark D. Feirer and published by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. It was written for classroom instruction, which is exactly why it works so well as an exam reference: every process is broken down step by step, illustrated, and labeled.
The book focuses on residential construction, but the great majority of its procedures — framing, concrete, roofing, insulation, finishes — apply directly to light commercial work as well. That overlap is the reason it earns a place on a commercial general building contractor reference list.
| Detail | Carpentry and Building Construction |
|---|---|
| Authors | John L. Feirer, Ph.D. and Mark D. Feirer |
| Publisher / edition | Glencoe / McGraw-Hill Education, 2016 Student Edition |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-02-140244-1 |
| Length | Approximately 1,120 pages, 35 chapters |
| Primary focus | Residential construction, with wide application to light commercial work |
| Exam role | Approved reference on the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors |
| Best used for | Means and methods, materials, framing layout, stair and rafter calculations, finishes |
Approved reference lists are edition-specific. A 2010 or 2004 copy of this textbook has different pagination and different content, so a tab set built for the wrong edition will send you to the wrong page. Confirm the edition on your candidate bulletin before you buy.
Why This Book Matters on the NASCLA Exam
The NASCLA Accredited Examination is open book and strictly timed. Every approved reference is fair game, but the books differ enormously in how often they get opened. Carpentry and Building Construction is one of the ones you will open often, for three reasons.
It covers the widest range of trades
Most references on the list are narrow: one book for concrete, one for roofing, one for masonry, one for OSHA. This textbook spans site layout through finish flooring, so when a question does not obviously belong to a specialty reference, this is usually where the answer lives.
It answers "how is it built" questions
Code books tell you what is required. This book tells you how the assembly actually goes together — nailing patterns, rafter layout, stair math, flashing sequence, subfloor installation. Exam questions written around means and methods point here.
Its illustrations are the fastest answers on the page
Many questions are answered by a single labeled drawing or table rather than by paragraphs of text. Learning to navigate to the right figure is faster than reading, and this book is full of figures.
When you practice, note whether each answer came from body text, a figure, or a table. After twenty questions you will see a pattern — and you will start looking in the right kind of content first.
Chapter Breakdown: All 35 Chapters
Carpentry and Building Construction contains 35 chapters, organized in build order — the same sequence a job actually follows. Learning that structure is the single fastest way to find things, because you can reason your way to a chapter number instead of hunting the index. Here is the full chapter list, grouped by construction phase.
| Phase | Chapters | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Industry, safety and tools | 1–7 | The construction industry, building codes and planning, safety and health, hand tools, power saws, pneumatic tools, ladders and scaffolds |
| Concrete and foundations | 8–11 | Concrete as a building material, locating the house, foundation walls, concrete flatwork |
| Materials and structure | 12–14 | Wood as a building material, engineered wood, structural systems |
| Framing | 15–19 | Floor framing, wall framing and sheathing, basic roof framing, hip/valley/jack rafters, roof assembly and sheathing |
| Building envelope | 20–24 | Windows and skylights, residential doors, roofing and gutters, siding, brick masonry and siding |
| Interior finishes | 25–28 | Stairways, molding and trim, cabinets and countertops, wall paneling |
| Systems and specialties | 29–35 | Steel framing basics, mechanicals, thermal and acoustical insulation, wall and ceiling surfaces, paint, finish flooring, decks and porches |
The full chapter list, in order
- The Construction Industry
- Building Codes and Planning
- Construction Safety and Health
- Hand Tools
- Power Saws
- Other Power and Pneumatic Tools
- Ladders, Scaffolds and Other Support
- Concrete as a Building Material
- Locating the House
- Foundation Walls
- Concrete Flatwork
- Wood as a Building Material
- Engineered Wood
- Structural Systems
- Floor Framing
- Wall Framing and Sheathing
- Basic Roof Framing
- Hip, Valley, and Jack Rafters
- Roof Assembly and Sheathing
- Windows and Skylights
- Residential Doors
- Roofing and Gutters
- Siding
- Brick Masonry and Siding
- Stairways
- Molding and Trim
- Cabinets and Countertops
- Wall Paneling
- Steel Framing Basics
- Mechanicals
- Thermal and Acoustical Insulation
- Wall and Ceiling Surfaces
- Exterior and Interior Paint
- Finish Flooring
- Decks and Porches
Memorize the phase groupings, not the chapter numbers. If a question involves a hip rafter, you know instantly it sits in the framing block in the middle of the book — you are already within a few pages before you open the cover.
Know the book before exam day
Our online NASCLA prep course walks you through Carpentry and Building Construction chapter by chapter, with video navigation, printable study guides, and quizzes for every book.
The Highest-Value Chapters to Master
You cannot study 1,120 pages evenly, and you should not try. A handful of chapters combine dense technical content with tables and drawings that answer questions directly — those deserve the bulk of your time.
Stairways (Chapter 25)
The stairways chapter illustrates every common stair type and labels each component: riser, tread, run, partial tread, stringer, nosing, and more. It also includes a table that calculates the number of risers from floor-to-floor height, tread width, and total run, worked in six-inch increments from 8'0" to 9'6". Stair math questions are common precisely because that table makes them clean to write and easy to verify.
Basic Roof Framing and Hip, Valley, and Jack Rafters (Chapters 17–18)
These chapters cover roof styles — gable, hip, lean-to, gambrel, and others — and name every part of the roof assembly: rafter, ridge board, tail, valley rafter, hip jack rafter, and the rest. A detailed cutaway drawing shows where each member sits, and the text explains how to lay out and cut rafters based on run and intended pitch. Between terminology questions and rafter-length calculations, this is some of the highest-yield material in the book.
Floor Framing and Wall Framing (Chapters 15–16)
Joist spans, headers, bridging, sheathing, stud layout, and corner assemblies. These chapters supply the vocabulary that later questions assume you already have.
Concrete and Foundations (Chapters 8–11)
Concrete as a material, foundation walls, and flatwork. Note that the reference list also includes a dedicated concrete guide — know which questions belong to which book before exam day.
The chapters that contain tables and calculation examples — stairways, roof framing, floor framing, insulation — are worth two passes. Everything else needs one careful pass and a good tab.
How the Book Handles Building Codes
Chapter 2 covers building codes and planning, and the construction methods throughout the book are written to be code compliant. That makes the illustrations a useful visual translation of requirements that the code text states in words only.
It does not, however, replace the code. For any question that turns on a specific code requirement, the governing document is the applicable code adopted in your jurisdiction — typically an International Code Council publication such as the International Building Code or International Residential Code. Use the textbook to understand the assembly; use the code book to answer the code question.
Codes are amended on a cycle and adopted state by state, and approved reference editions change with them. Always confirm the current code edition and reference list with your state licensing board and the candidate information bulletin for your exam date.
How to Tab and Highlight This Book
You are permitted to bring prepared reference books into the NASCLA exam, but you cannot prepare them once you are inside. Everything — tabs, highlighting, handwritten notes where allowed — has to be finished beforehand. Verify what your testing provider permits, then build your system early enough to actually use it while you study.
Reference book preparation checklist
Tabbing every chapter of a 35-chapter book and nothing else. Uniform tabs give you no signal — you still have to read all 35 labels. Tab by topic and question type instead, and make the high-frequency tabs visually distinct so your hand finds them without your eyes.
If you would rather not build a tab set from scratch, our pre-printed NASCLA exam book tabs are cut to the approved reference list, including this textbook.
Practicing Lookups Under Time Pressure
Preparation for an open-book exam is a search-speed drill, not a memorization drill. The difference between a prepared book and an unprepared one is measured in seconds per question — and across a full exam, those seconds decide the outcome.
| On exam day | Unprepared book | Tabbed and highlighted |
|---|---|---|
| Time to locate a topic | Often 60–90 seconds | Frequently under 15 seconds |
| Where you start | Index, then guesswork | Tab, then figure or table |
| Correct edition confirmed | Often assumed | Verified before ordering |
| Questions completed in time | Rarely all of them | Consistently, with time to review |
| Stress level | High | Manageable |
A four-step lookup method
- Classify the question. Which trade or phase does it belong to? That names the book and the chapter block.
- Go to the tab, not the index. The index is a fallback. If you are in the index more than occasionally, your tab set needs work.
- Scan figures and tables first. In this book the answer is frequently in a drawing or a table rather than in the paragraph above it.
- Mark and move. If it is not found in about ninety seconds, flag the question and come back. Never let one question eat three.
Time yourself on twenty mixed questions using only the books. Record how long each lookup takes. The three slowest lookups tell you exactly which tabs to add next. A timed NASCLA practice exam is the cleanest way to run that drill.
Which Reference Book Answers Which Question?
Reaching for the wrong book is one of the most expensive mistakes on an open-book exam. Carpentry and Building Construction overlaps with several other approved references, so decide in advance where each topic lives.
| If the question is about… | Reach for | Where in this book |
|---|---|---|
| Framing layout, rafters, stairs, trim, finishes | Carpentry and Building Construction | Chapters 15–28 |
| Jobsite safety rules and citations | OSHA 29 CFR 1926 | Chapter 3 for context only |
| Contracts, liens, estimating, project management | NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management | Not covered |
| Concrete mix design, placement, curing standards | The Contractor’s Guide to Quality Concrete Construction | Chapters 8–11 for basics |
| Roofing systems and estimating detail | Roofing Construction and Estimating | Chapter 22 for basics |
| Accessibility clearances and dimensions | ICC A117.1 | Not covered |
| Specific code requirements | The code adopted in your jurisdiction | Chapter 2 for context only |
For the complete set and descriptions of each title, see our NASCLA general contractor books page, or read our companion guides to the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management and the OSHA 29 CFR 1926 book . If you are still deciding where to get licensed, check the current list of states accepting the NASCLA exam .
A Three-Week Plan for This Book
This plan assumes you are studying the other approved references in parallel. It is written specifically for getting Carpentry and Building Construction exam-ready.
Getting exam-ready with Carpentry and Building Construction
Working through the book with structure also pays off long after the exam. The installation methods, span tables, and detail drawings you learn here are the same ones you will use to check a framing crew's work or price a job correctly.
Treat your first timed practice exam as a diagnostic, not a grade. Its only job is to tell you which chapters and which tabs get your attention for the next two weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Carpentry and Building Construction required for the NASCLA exam?
It appears on the approved reference list for the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, and most candidates carry it into the exam. Because reference lists are set per exam and per jurisdiction and are updated periodically, confirm the current list on your candidate information bulletin before ordering.
Which edition of Carpentry and Building Construction do I need?
The 2016 Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Student Edition by John L. Feirer and Mark D. Feirer is the edition commonly listed. Older editions have different pagination and content, so a tab set built for another edition will not line up. Always match the edition named on your candidate bulletin.
How many chapters does the book have?
Thirty-five chapters across roughly 1,120 pages, running in build order from the construction industry and safety through concrete, framing, envelope, interior finishes, and decks and porches.
Can I tab and highlight the book before the exam?
Prepared reference books are generally permitted, and preparing yours is one of the biggest time savers available to you, since you cannot mark books inside the testing center. Rules on tabs, highlighting, and handwritten notes are set by the testing provider, so verify the current policy before exam day.
Is the book only about residential construction?
Its focus is residential, but most procedures — framing, concrete, roofing, insulation, and finishes — apply directly to light commercial construction, which is why it supports a commercial general building contractor exam.
Does this book replace the building code?
No. The book is written to be code compliant and explains assemblies clearly, but any question that turns on a specific requirement should be answered from the code adopted in your jurisdiction, such as the International Building Code or International Residential Code.
Which chapters should I study first?
Start with the chapters that carry calculation tables and labeled drawings: stairways, basic roof framing, hip/valley/jack rafters, and floor and wall framing. They produce the most answerable questions per page of study time.
Do I still need a prep course if I have the books?
The books contain the answers; a course teaches you where they are and how to find them under time pressure. Our online NASCLA prep course provides video walkthroughs of each reference, printable study guides, chapter quizzes, and timed practice exams.
The Bottom Line
Carpentry and Building Construction earns its place on the NASCLA reference list by covering more of the build than any other single book on the list. Its step-by-step procedures, labeled drawings, and calculation tables make it the book you will reach for most often — provided you have prepared it properly.
Know the 35 chapters by phase. Tab by topic, not by chapter. Practice lookups against the clock. Do those three things and this textbook stops being 1,120 pages of reading and becomes what it should be: a fast, reliable answer key you already know how to navigate — on exam day and on the job afterward.
Licensing requirements, approved reference lists, and passing scores vary by state and change over time. Always verify current requirements with NASCLA and your state licensing board before scheduling your exam.