Reviews (40)

Informative but not comprehensive
I had the idea that I would make my own very customized concrete countertops, but after reading the book I decided on granite instead.
Concrete a la carte
If you want to see everything that can possibly be done with concrete, this is your book.
Great Book
With out saying too much this book covers everything you need to know about DIY concrete countertops.Equipment to time involved very well worth the money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Concrete    2. Countertops    3. Design & Construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Do-It-Yourself - General    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Remodeling & Renovation - General    9. Remodeling & Renovation - Kitchens    10. Woodwork - Furniture/Cabinetry    11. Building skills    12. Home furnishing & decoration    13. House & Home / Design & Construction    14. House maintenance    15. HOUSE & HOME / Do-It-Yourself   

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Engineering - Civil    3. Reference    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Standards, Engineering    6. Structural engineering    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. United States   

Reviews (18)

Excellent resource when researching builders
I purchased this book as part of my research during escrow on a lot where we plan to build a vacation/retirement home.Even though we would likely not serve as general contractor the information inside is invaluable.It has helped me to understand the right questions to ask during escrow (from surveyors to septic to view to laterals) to ensure the lot, county and sub-division will allow the home we envision.The chapters on foundation, windows, doors, etc are all extremely helpful when it gets down to desiging the home.I'll know what to look out for with the interior and exterior design, drainage and when dealing with the builder.
Great book!
Covering all of the main topics, this book on homebuilding is a must have for any person intent on building his or her dream home.I keep it with me all of the time for easy referral.

Voice of experience--good advice
The best part of this book is its easygoing style. Written seemingly entirely from memory, you'll understand and remember every word. The author skips the commonly available info and writes about the crucial nuts-and-bolts problems of building a house: what do you do if you've drilled a hundred foot well and come up dry? (Keep drilling.) His advice on some details, vapor barriers for example, is OK but you'll want to check the latest thinking on the topic too. Some harmless misinformation is passed along, like that Palladio, eponym for those short-tall-short windows, "invented" them. (He may have invented residential architecture, but those windows date to antiquity. In his day they were known as serliana, after the architect Sebastiano Serlio.) The scientific explanations fall a bit short, and the chapter where he disparages Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's engineering does not show him in a good light. However he does caution you that drywallers, more than any other trade, will try to rip you off with a high materials estimate. Stuff like that you can't get anywhere else. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Construction - Contracting    3. Construction - General    4. Contractors    5. Design & Construction    6. Do-It-Yourself    7. Do-It-Yourself - General    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. House construction    10. Selection and appointment    11. Technology    12. Amateur's manuals    13. Architecture, Domestic    14. Building    15. Design and construction    16. Dwellings    17. Houses    18. Subcontracting    19. Superintendence   

Reviews (8)

Good book
Doesn't give a detailed analysis of anything, but is a great tool for people wanting a basic understanding of green building, energy efficient techniques, etc.

Beautiful, but....
This book no doubt makes a lovely addition to my coffee table. I feel so inspired and now.. how do I do it?? I was looking for more practical advice that addressed all my reasons for wanting to remodel green - protecting my family's health and our planet's natural resources and my financial savings. If the intention was to create a stunning, inspiring book - great job. If it was to really explain what green is and exactly how to do it, I think I'd look to books like "Green Remodeling" by Johnston and Master or read Environmental Building News....

Real Homes that Make a Difference
"A recent poll revealed that an astounding 96% of consumers are willing to pay more for green features in a home, and 91% feel that energy-efficient features in a new home were extremely or very important." Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Design & Drafting    4. Domestic    5. Ecological houses    6. Environmental aspects    7. Interior Design - General    8. Methods & Materials    9. House & Home / General    10. Housing & property for the individual    11. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (1)

Text book study
This book is laid out like a text book course of study, which I like, however one important thing to note is that there is no answer key for the tests.The answer key is a seperate book and I have been unable to locate it.Fortunately I work for a General Contractor and have been able to have my co-workers check my answers for accuracy.But as far as being a good source for systematic learning, this book definitely is. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Drafting & Mechanical Drawing    3. Drawings    4. Dwellings    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Structural drawing    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades    10. Technology: General Issues   

Reviews (6)

Great Story
I liked the fonts used quite a bit, but the story was slow at times. There was almost no charicter development and the plotlines were dated. Still, the surprise ending does what it intends.

Codes are Codes but Your Service is the Best
IRC Codes are as the say "standard". It is good to have a single code book for residential building. However, the ability to go to one location, click on what I need when I need it, and have it delivered at a reasonable price where I need it...is the best.

Building Code - 2003
Very good reference book for understanding the details of what the building inspector is using for acceptance criteria.Not for the novice, unless you have a good dictionary available.It does leave some of the minute details in the referenced industry standards (National Electric Code, ANSI standards, etc.).Provdes an excellent way to communicate specifics with the general contractor/builder. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Directories    3. House construction    4. Reference    5. Standards    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades   

Reviews (2)

Look no further!
This is the best book currently available on roof cutting.It is enhanced through the authors extensive experience and inspirational passion for his craft.It is written for those who already have an understanding of framing and would like to grow in their knowledge.The layout makes it an easy to use quick reference guide for the particular aspects one might wish to inform themselves about on any given day.
Only book you need
I have been in construction for about 5 years, and almost all of the roofs I have worked on are truss roofs. I am interested in getting into roof cutting/stacking, so I have been buying a few books. But this is the only book you need. Everything is explained very well, with a lot of pictures. And he gives a lot of techniques that can be used. The author himself used to be a production roof cutter, one of the best in the business. Out of all the roof framing books, the only other one I have bought that I plan on keeping is the roof framer's bible. It is a very handy little book to have. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architect-designed houses    2. Construction - Carpentry    3. Design and construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Framing (Building)    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Remodeling & Renovation - General    9. Roofs   

Reviews (24)

Prolific Excellent Sewing Room Tips
Being in the process of creating a sewing space, I am thrilled to find a book so filled with wonderful suggestions! There are things I'd never thought to consider but are vital to the creation of a wonderfully functional sewing space. The reader will love the personal touch the author brings to her writing, drawing the reader into each page filled with great tips and brilliant ideas. Buy this book!!
A little unimpressed
Maybe the word dream confused me I was expecting a little more creativity in the spaces. The spaces look very outdated and did not offer a lot of variety as far as alternatives to having a lot of cabinetry in your sewing space. It did, however, have some great storage ideas in the book. Overall I am a little disappointed because I was looking more for ideas onsewing spaces and did not end up with any.

Great Book
This book was great, it was extremely helpful in helping me find more space in an area that I thought was hopeless. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Design and construction    4. Equipment and supplies    5. General    6. Hobbies/Crafts    7. Remodeling & Renovation - General    8. Sewing    9. Workshops    10. Handicrafts    11. Home & House Maintenance   

Reviews (10)

Less is most definitely more
In this astonishing book, which is filled with wonderful ideas, as well as being a beautiful coffee table book, we are granted an inside look at a truly new concept in home design in our age of teardowns and mega-mansions, a concept that smaller can be more satisfying than larger, if properly done. Here we are presented with something seldom viewed these days, how to make a house a home. There is something for every taste herein, and it is even multi-cultural, with oriental viewpoints as well on both furniture and flow of the home. Spend some time with this excellent book to see how every size home can be made more personal and beautiful, no matter what the budget.

Great as always!
Sarah books are a staple in my books of design collection. I refer to them frequently. She has a wonderful sense of design as it relates to organization, usefullness,and asthetically pleasing. I wish more designers and architects would use her sensibility and we would not be over run with all the hideous, vapid,mac mansions everywhere. I would reccommend all of her books without hesitation.

Inside the Not So Big House
I love this book and read through it often.It's a wonderful coffee table book but also has real concepts you can apply to your own remodel or decorating.It has given us our inspiration for remodeling our family room.Check out her other books as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architectural Detail    2. Architecture    3. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    4. Design & Construction    5. Details    6. Do-It-Yourself    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. House & Home    9. Interior Design    10. Interior Design - General    11. Interior architecture    12. Room layout (Dwellings)    13. Small houses    14. DIY    15. Home furnishing & decoration    16. House & Home / Design & Construction   

Reviews (12)

Best Bungalow Book
Together writer Jane Powell and photographer Linda Svendsen create the best bungalow books on the market.Whether you are thinking of remodelling your kitchen, changing a few details, or just want to understand the history of your kitchen, this is the book to buy.

Oh man, more than just a pretty picture book
This wonderful book also has great vintage photos and a HISTORY of why the small kitchen was such a big deal and how it evolved! Lots of good detail and information for the old house aficionado.
Cool Kitchens
This book contains an excellent collection of photos of Arts & Crafts period kitchens.It discusses the philosophy of design Gustav Stickley and others advocated and shows you the results, which are still beautiful, even after all these years.It is a little short on detail, if you wanted to reproduce the look of the Arts & Crafts kitchen, but it does spark the imagination.The examples of various kitchens is broken down by designer, so it is easy to pick out their specific design influence.I found this book an inspiration for some of the designs I would like incorporate in my own home, and combined with some other books of design details, it is excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. History    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Kitchens    7. Reference    8. Remodeling & Renovation - Kitchens    9. United States    10. Architecture / Decoration & Ornament    11. DIY    12. Home furnishing & decoration    13. Interior design   

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Science/Mathematics    3. Technology    4. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Reviews (12)

If you have the time, you will save money
If you have the time to be your own general contractor, you will save money on your house construction, according to author Smith. This is true; I know two people at least, maybe more, who built their own house in a pricey market and got better results for a lot less. But...they had the time to be a full-time or nearly full-time general contractor.
All the tricks of the trade in one book!
A step by step plan to constructing and saving on your dream home.This book helps to make your dream home even better, by saving money you can put more into it!We can't wait to start our project, and use this book as our guide!!!

Great Motivator
This book was an easy read and really motivated us to contract our home on our own.Has some great suggestions on saving money and planning a home build.Read it before you get too far on your project.Very enlightening. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - Contracting    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home / Design & Construction    6. House & Home / Remodeling & Renovation    7. Technology    8. Building    9. Building construction & materials    10. Construction    11. House    12. House & Home    13. Housing & property for the individual    14. Remodeling & Renovation   

Reviews (15)

good pictures but short on how-to
The pictures were great and the book needs more of them.The technical side of how to create the looks needs much more material and better presented.

CONCRETE as a work of art...
BEAUTIFUL...to find out what can and is being done with concrete. I knew that it had potential to be a beautiful art form, but did not understand how wonderful concrete could be until looking at the many photos in this delightful book.
An excellent guide to incorporating concrete's positive qualities into a home
Fu-Tung Cheng and Eric Olsen's Concrete At Home may sound like an unlikely mix for a home environment, but when used property, concrete can look and feel soft and warm while retaining extra durability. Cheng demonstrates how to mix colors and textures for this effect, from achieving a translucent effect to using thermal foam insulation to provide insulation to concrete, which typically has no insulating qualities to speak of. An excellent guide to incorporating concrete's positive qualities into a home. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Building fittings    2. Concrete Construction    3. Concrete products    4. Construction - General    5. Design & Construction    6. Do-It-Yourself    7. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    8. Dwellings    9. Home Improvement / Construction    10. Home Maintenance And Repair    11. House & Home    12. Materials    13. Methods & Materials    14. Architectural structure & design    15. House & Home / Design & Construction   

Reviews (12)

Courtyards: Aesthetic & Function
"Courtyards: Aesthetic, Social, and Thermal Delight" begins with a brief history of courtyards including itemized accounts of such topics as placement within a building, orientation, exposure, and the promotion of temperature conditions within a courtyard.
Couryards: Interacting with nature
I got this book several years ago on an inter-library loan from NDSU.It's a great book.The only problem is that it's relatively expensive -- $60 or so.
Honest Reviews?
Were all the reviews written by the author? Give me a break! The fact that every review sounds the same will keep me from ever purchasing this book. In that case, I guess all the reviews helped! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture And Energy Conservation    3. Architecture And The Environment    4. Architecture and climate    5. Courtyard gardens    6. Courtyard houses    7. Design & Drafting    8. Garden Design    9. General    10. Landscape    11. Architectural structure & design    12. Architecture / Design & Drafting    13. Garden design & planning    14. History of specific subjects   

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Real Estate - Buying/Selling Homes    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Technology    5. Technology & Industrial Arts    6. Building construction & materials    7. Study Aids / General   

Subjects:  1. Building Codes    2. Construction    3. Construction - General    4. Construction - Plumbing    5. Mensuration    6. Plumbing Technology    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades   

Reviews (33)

Great
Love Nate and really like the book. I watch Oprah and regularly see Nate on the show. The only down side for me was that he features alot of the make overs from the show. This may be a positive or a negative depending on what you want. There wasn't too much info to absorb but enough tips to help stylise your home. I look forwrad to his next book and will keenly purchase that too.

A great gift for brides and grooms!
Help your favorite bride- and groom-to-be decorate their future home in style with Nate's terrific advice and examples. Sure, you could get them the proverbial blender for their shower gift, but they'll LOVE you for getting them this helpful and inspiring book for their home design. Their home is the center of their life together, after all, and even if they lived together before marriage, decorating their home for after the wedding marks the big transition in their lives. I've always suggested that brides and grooms prepare for the marriage, not just the wedding, and this book is one of my favorite ones to recommend to brides and grooms (and to guests looking for the perfect shower gift). Nate has a wonderful talent for color and room functionality, and this book is beautifully produced. The bride and groom will be very excited to unwrap this one!

Nate's Viewpoint
Although Nate obviously comes from an affluent background, he, for the most part, is reasonable in changing environments and finding the right combinations . . buying at yard sales andauctions.Being a nature lover, I love how he uses readily available bits of nature to brighten up and enhance a room.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. Decoration & Ornament    5. House & Home    6. Interior Design    7. Interior decoration    8. Psychological aspects    9. Remodeling & Renovation - General    10. House & Home / Decorating   

Editorial Review

When describing a favorite room in the house, do you find yourself using terms such as "expansive," "formal," and "spacious"--a marble foyer or a formal dining room perhaps? Or do the words "cozy," "intimate," and "warm" come to mind--a cheery little breakfast nook or a window seat complete with plenty of pillows and a breathtaking view? More than likely, you--like thousands of other homeowners--are drawn to the more personal spaces in your home, where comfort, beauty, and efficiency meet. In Read more

Reviews (121)

Quality over quantity
This book is a great resource for anyone wanting a home that places quality over size. There are numerous tips on how to make smaller spaces work smarter and for adding quality touches in simple yet elegant ways as well as hundreds of inspiring photos. In our effort to design a reasonably-sized log home that truly reflects and enhances our lifestyle, this book has given us many ideas for making small spaces work. In the age of 3000+ sq. ft. homes, it is refreshing to see a return to the principles of the Arts & Crafts movement. In fact, you will notice many of the houses pictured have many Arts & Crafts influences. That made the book all the more relevant to us as we plan to incorporate some of those elements in our design.
this book is about HUGE, non-urban custom houses in the rural midWest -book is irrelevant to small urban homeowners
I am puzzled by the title and the contents.
The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live
Fascinating book, I am reading it from cover to cover. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture, Domestic    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    3. Design & Construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. House Plans    8. Interior Design - General    9. Interior architecture    10. Psychological aspects    11. Repair    12. Space (Architecture)    13. Home furnishing & decoration    14. House & Home / General    15. House maintenance    16. Housing & property for the individual   

Reviews (15)

BEST BOOK EVER!!
One of my friends had this book and after using it multiple times on all kinds of home improvement projects I decided to buy a copy for myself.

A must have for new homeowners
My wife and I just recently purchased a home and I know enough about home improvement to get little jobs done, but we had decided to re-do the bathroom before we even moved in.I had no idea what I was getting into so I figured I'd take a chance with a home improvement book.This book will help you understand the basics of doing literally everything in your house, big and small.With full color pictures, there is no guesswork.An absolute MUST HAVE for anyone looking to be a do-it-yourselfer...

A great reference book.
What a great visual tool!I am taking an NKBA course in kitchen and bath design and have found this book to be a valuable reference both in text and photos. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Dwellings    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Houses    8. Pictorial works    9. Remodeling    10. Remodeling & Renovation - General    11. Home & House Maintenance    12. home improvement   

Reviews (9)

Interesting book
The book is wel written and very beautifully photographed. The history is interesting, but would have liked to see more current info.

Interesting overview of prefab homes, past, present and future
In PREFAB, author Allison Arieff presents an interesting overview of "prefabricated" buildings, past, present, and future.Yet, I would not recommend this book to average modular home consumers, as many of the projects described in PREFAB are highly customized, somewhat eccentric, and generally impractical for those looking to save time and money by utilizing prefab construction as opposed to regular, stick-built construction.Some of the buildings aren't even single-family dwellings, but apartment buildings.Nonetheless, PREFAB is a helpful resource for those who'd like to learn more about the history of prefabricated buildings, as well as the current state of affairs, and in which unusual directions the industry will be headed in the future.
so-so
ok, if you're looking for more of a coffee table book than a serious research source.arieff does provide a brief history of some selected prefabricated ventures, but the other 3/4 of the book is of more modern attempts, all of which are not described or displayed as thoroughly as i had hoped.most of the designs are also of doubtful marketability, and the pompous attitudes of some of the designers is off-putting.some pretty pictures, however. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Domestic    2. Interior Design - General    3. Design & Construction    4. Architecture / Methods & Materials    5. Interior design    6. Residential buildings, domestic buildings    7. Architecture    8. Architecture, Modern    9. 20th century    10. Buildings, Prefabricated