"Larry Haun began his building career on the Nebraska prairie, where at 17 he helped to build his first house. In 1950, he began framing in Albuquerque, N.M., and in 1951, he joined his older brother in a Los Angeles building boom that brought about rapid change in tools, materials, and building methods. Later, seeing a need for passing on production-framing techniques, Haun began teaching two nights a week at a community college-and stayed there for 20 years. He retired to Coos Bay, Ore., where he built houses for Habitat for Humanity, wheelchair ramps for poor people, and backpacked in the High Sierras, the Rockies, and the Andes. He is the author of "The Very Efficient Carpenter" (The Taunton Press, 1999) with "three companion videos" on how to frame a house, "Homebuilding Basics: Carpentry" (The Taunton Press, 1999), "Habitat For Humanity: How to Build a House" (The Taunton Press, 2002), and A Carpenter’s Life as Told by Houses (The Taunton Press, 2011). Larry also kept a blog, A Carpenter’s View, where he wrote until a couple of weeks before he died at the age of 80."
I'm sorry I missed Larry Haun's passing (1931-2011) last October on the Birdhouse ~ I was too busy doing what Larry liked to be doing. Each of his books are terrific and should be in all woodbutchers libraries, or work truck.
text & photo: fine homebuilding
