Written by
Connie Valliere
Illustrated by Bob Quick
Written by Connie Valliere
SkilledToBuild
MICHIGAN FOUNDATION
Illustrated by Bob Quick
LANSING, MICHIGAN
www.skilledtobuildmichigan.com
© 1997, 2019 Connie L. Valliere
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published by
SkilledToBuild
MICHIGAN FOUNDATION
LANSING, MICHIGAN
WWW.SKILLEDTOBUILDMICHIGAN.COM
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Valliere, Connie.
Billy the Builder Bear builds a house / written by Connie Valliere ; illustrated by Bob Quick. – Lansing, MI :
Skilled to Build Michigan Foundation, 2020.
p. ; cm.
Summary: Billy the Builder Bear takes you step by step through the building of a house.
ISBN13: 978-0-9600967-0-1
1. Bears--Juvenile fiction. 2. House construction--Juvenile fiction. I. Title. II. Quick, Bob.
PZ10.3.V35 2020
2019918555
[E]--dc23
Project coordination by Jenkins Group, Inc.
www.BookPublishing.com
Printed in the United States of America by EPI Marketing Services, First Printing, January 2020
24 23 22 21 20 • 5 4 3 2 1
For Linsey Lee
This book is a gift from:
Billy the Builder Bear is a licensed Builder
Bear who has been building houses for a
long time. Billy also belongs to the Home
Builders Association.
Billy is dreaming about the kind of house
he wants to build on this beautiful lot.
He also is thinking about the family that
will someday call it their home.
Billy the Builder Bear has much to do
before he can begin. He must develop a
site plan, survey the property, and request
a building permit.
Billy needs a map to help him know where
all the rooms go. This map is called a
blueprint. Blueprints are very important,
and Billy will look at them many times
while building the house.
Billy must work safely, wear head and
eye protection, and have safety equipment
handy. There are many safety regulations
that Billy must follow.
He will begin by first digging a hole for
the footings of the house. Some houses
have basements and some do not, but
all houses need footings to support the
foundation. The foundation will support
the walls of the house.
Billy the Builder Bear will now place the
floor joists, that sit on the foundation.
The subfloor is put down, on the joists,
and Billy will be able to walk around the
house and build the walls.
Billy will begin to build the walls. This is
called framing in the house. Billy stops
to think about how important trees are
to all of us. Billy is grateful that every
time a tree is harvested, many more are
planted in its place, so we will never run
out of trees or the products that come
from trees.
Billy the Builder Bear will now build
the walls of the house, leaving openings
where the windows and doors go. After
Billy secures all the walls, he is ready
to put a roof on the house.
Billy sets huge rafters called trusses on
the outside of the walls. The trusses hold
up the roof. How many nails do you think
Billy has used so far? He will use about
80,000 nails to build just one house.
10
Billy nails big sheets of wood onto the
trusses that will become the roof. Over
the wood will go a thick, black paper and
then the shingles. The shingles will keep
out the rain, snow, and even the heat of
a hot summer sun.
11
Billy the Builder Bear covers and insulates
the outside of the walls. He will put on
siding, brick, or other material. Billy sets
the windows and doors and finishes the
trim and soffits. The exterior of the
house is nearly complete, but there is
much to be done inside.
12
Billy now runs all the electrical wires
throughout the house. Electricity is very
important. It provides power for all the
lights, appliances, and many other items.
Without electricity, it would be very dark
and not much fun. Just think of all the
things you use each day that are powered
by electricity.
13
Billy is ready to do the plumbing, the
pipes that will bring water to all of the
faucets, tubs, and toilets. One of the
pipes will take water to the water heater
so the family will have warm water. Some
of the pipes will take the used water out
of the house and to the septic or sewer
system.
14
Billy the Builder Bear installs the furnace
and all the duct work that will take the
warm or cool air to each room. Some
houses have a fireplace. He will need to
build a chimney for the fireplace.
15
Billy will put drywall on the framing,
smooth out all the cracks, and paint the
walls. Wood trim will be cut very carefully
to fit around all the windows, doors, and
floor. The cabinets are put in place along
with the sinks and countertops. The house
is starting to look like a home.