Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I expected
Review: "Wiring a House" has a very old style: a lot of text and talking, but only a few drawing for illustrations. It does not have even one good color photo, which can show people the real situations. All the photos are in black and white, which are not very interesting and makes me feel like watching a movie made 30 years ago. A good picture is worth of thousands of words, but this book does not offer excellent illustrations. I will have to exchange it for a book with photo guide. I am disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Required reading
Review: After thirty years of buying, remodeling, renovating and selling homes, I have found the book I really needed to understand and effectively perform home electrical wiring and to identify and fix problems. "Wiring a House" takes the reader from the power company to each of the home¹s significant electrical usage points. The book addresses not only the "how to" but the "why". Rex covers efficient techniques, cost aspects and safety - for the installer as well as the actual system. I use this book regularly and recommend it to home buyers, homeowners and anyone in the electrical trades.
Fred Leake, PE -- Owner,
Treetop Inn Historic Bed & Breakfast,
Key West, Florida
Rating:
Summary: Exactly What I Wanted.
Review: Cauldwell not only knows what he's writing about, he also writes very well. It's as if you were sitting down talking to him, listening to him explain all he's learned over a lifetime. He must assume that you know a little, and that's fine; guess everybody's got to draw the line somewhere. I knew what a sine wave was before I opened this book (if you don't, no sweat...pick it up somewhere else.) I had done a fair amount of wiring on my own, but found myself saying, "uh oh," and a lot worse, as I read. I am 54 years old, and am learning to be an electrician (it'll be my 4th career...what of it?) I'm really glad I found this guy. After this book, I'll read everything Cauldwell has written.
Rating: 
Summary: Many strengths, a few weaknesses
Review: Cauldwell's book, overall, is an excellent text for those who are building their own homes and doing the bulk of the wiring themselves. The book's strengths are the straightforward explanations and clear exploded wiring diagrams. Cauldwell does a good job pointing out common safety issues and how to avoid getting zapped. However, the book has some weak points. One is that he doesn't acknowledge that master electricians (and utility company engineers) don't agree on many wiring procedures, particularly in the areas of grounding the electrical system and wiring branch circuits. For example, I followed his recommendation of installing two ground rods -- and was ordered by the utility company to remove one of them before they would wire the meter, as their policy was to only have one rod (I found that utility companies have their own policies for grounding residential electric systems that aren't always the same as the 96 NEC). A couple master electricians disagreed with his suggested procedures for wiring receptacles, although their alternate suggestions certainly weren't easier. They also noted that in my county, placement of smoke detectors is governed by the UBC, not the NEC (smoke detectors in every bedroom, outside BR doors, in living and family rooms, and at the bottom of lower floor stairs). Thus, future editions of the book might remind us to check with our electric utility before getting deeply into the wiring job,to obtain their specific policies and local codes rather than relying only on the NEC. Future editions also might give more information on where to find large capacity receptacle boxes; in order to avoid some of the cable fill violations he aptly describes; and more clearly emphasize to us beginners just how much practice it takes to wire receptacles correctly, particularly in parallel. Otherwise, it's a good book written in a pleasant, digestable style.
Rating:
Summary: Wiring a House
Review: Excellent book. I'm in the process of having a home built and this book explains wiring from service entrance to the light switch in not too technical terms. Explainations of material from "real life experiences" was and is a great benefit when specifying electrical requirements to builder. A great book for the novice and "experienced" alike.
Rating: 
Summary: Book's home page http://www.kylz.com/lytha/rex/ntindex.html
Review: For those who want to see some examples of what is in my book
(both text and art), you can go to my home page listed above. I am
a practicing master electrician...not a desk jockey. This is the way I
wire a house. My book is easy to read and written for both the
novice and the professional alike. For example, I've included not
only how to wire a GFCI into a circuit but how you can be plugged
into one and still be electrocuted. I've filled the book with service
calls and stories of many years of work...and included things I've
done wrong as well as right. I've gotten many phone calls from
people all over the states who called just to thank me for writing this
book. One fan called just to say me he has read it cover-to-cover
twice because he found it so interesting. It's required reading for anyone wanting to know what wiring works and what doesn't.
Rating:
Summary: great resource
Review: I agree with most peoples assesmant that this is not for those without any prior knowledge of home wiring but it does go great with black and decker's book"Complete guide to home wiring"
It does a great job of walking you through the do's and don'ts of electrical work as well as pointing out common pitfalls. It is a must have for anyone who does alot of electrical work and needs a reference for code compliance concerns.
Rating:
Summary: Goes beyond the basics, but has some gaps
Review: I am a homeowner who has done dozens of minor and major electrical projects over the last 20 years.
This book is full of practical tips and details I have not seen in the basic books. I wish I had read it years ago.
Not the best starter book, it's for those who want to go beyond the starter books.
Cauldwell has and conveys a deep understanding of the electrician's work. His many insights and "Above Code" sidebars help you do a better job than your $60 an hour electrician would do.
Heavy emphasis on mechanical tips...fishing, drilling, etc. which is usually the most challenging part.
Excellent photos and illustrations.
I don't give it 5 stars because there's too much missing. How many conductors are permitted in size X conduit? What gauge wire do I need for 50 amp service? What if it's a long 100+ ft. run? Can the ground wire be a smaller gauge? The book desparately needs reference tables for this kind of stuff.
There are no tips for pulling wire through conduit, bending PVC conduit, or outdoor wiring in general.
Too bad, beacuse in many respects this a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Ideal for my needs!
Review: I bought this book after reading some of Rex's work in Fine Homebuilding (my favorite magazine). I really like to get into the details of things, and this book has not let me down.I had accumulated significant wiring experience and tools already, in home projects. But there are many aspects of home wiring that are not intuitive, such as temperature derating, box and cable fill, and many other nuances of the NEC. Plus--something I find at least as important--the book is full of tips from a very experienced electrician that helps prevent costly mistakes and makes the work go faster and easier. I wound up buying this book, followed by the 1999 NEC (an eBay find) and Electrical Wiring Residential by Ray Mullin. The standard I refer to over and over, and recommend to many other people, is this book by Rex Cauldwell. It's a great read, cover-to-cover. To me, it's best-in-class. I just hope that Taunton Press (also the publisher of Fine Homebuilding and Fine Woodworking) keeps it up-to-date with the 2002 NEC. That's the only pitfall of books of this genre--many things are indexed to the current NEC, which means you need to get a new edition every three years. Alas, it's worth doing. This may not be a beginner-level book, but it is outstanding for its intended audience and a must-have for anyone contemplating any home electrical project of any scope beyond the trivial.
Rating:
Summary: A must for the "how to" library
Review: I have built several garages with big power centers and rewired more old houses always thinking my work was to code or better. As I read "Wiring a House", I realized Rex Cauldwell was proving me less than fully informed. Mr. Cauldwell explains theory of distribution centers easily and vividly. (No grounding rods for garages please!). This book is by far and away the best and easiest reading of many differing code and "how to" books I have looked to for help. Well worth the money
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