Reviews (4)

Basic legal information is strongpoint
One of many books written by people who share their experiences building a home. In this case, it's a civil engineer who has thoroughly researched the legal and financial issues. The rest is a cursory overview of the building process, with a few self-drawn illustrations. Very readable text with a rare explanation of differing regional methods of surveying land.

A Vague Summary of Home Building Issues
This book is way too vague to be useful to someone actually trying to build a home. There's far too little detail on anything useful. For example, there are three pages on plumbing, two pages on electrical wiring. You can imagine how helpful this is going to be someone bold enough to set off in charge of a building project.

A useful reference
Wasfi Youssef does know much about the legal aspects, the municipal restrictions, the building codes, and contractor & inspector practices in use. This alone may make his text highly useful for the neophyte builder, or the husband & wife turned general contractor.Wasfi Youssef does cover the legal site-prep matters very well, but his text is sorely in need of better detail on the nuts and bolts of home building.He covers the "pen, paper, and permit" aspects very well, but the "hammer, chisel, nail, and stud" parts are inadequate. From reading his book, it should be more appropriately titled, "How to Contract the Building of Your Own Home".I have my doubts that Mr. Youssef actually built it any part of his home with his own hands, and he may have relied on contractor tradesman for the "nuts and bolts" of it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Contracts and specifications    3. Design & Construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. House Plans    8. House construction    9. Specifications    10. DIY    11. Technology / Construction & Construction Trades   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Architecture, Victorian    4. Design & Construction    5. Designs and plans    6. Historic Preservation    7. History - General    8. History - Specific Styles    9. House Plans    10. United States    11. Architecture / General   

Reviews (1)

Log Cabin Dreams
We often romanticize about the small cabin in the woods, by the lake, or atop a mountain- the home that is in tune with nature. ~Robbin Obomsawin
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Designs and plans    4. Domestic    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House Plans    7. Interior Design - General    8. Log cabins    9. House & Home / Design & Construction    10. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    11. Interior design   

Reviews (10)

Not garages exactly
This book and the great mass of the photos relate not to the garage, ie, a covered space where cars are stored or where a hobbyist workshop is located, but converted space or living space above a garage.If you're interested in creative garage layout, workshop arrangement, automobile-related storage, etc., this is not the book.If your desire is to turn a hardworking garage into a granny flat, this is for you.

Isn't a garage a place to store some things, work, park?
The book is almost nothing about the garage you already own.It is about fancy buildings with garage doors to use as offices, dwellings, exhibit spaces, furniture factories, archtectural statements.If you want to keep your car dry, you will need to build another real garage.

Garagenous Zone
Loved "Garage." And for the reader who was looking for the book "Your Garagenous Zone," you can hunt it down at www.garagenouszone.com. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Domestic    5. Garages    6. Home Maintenance And Repair    7. House & Home    8. House Plans    9. United States    10. Home furnishing & decoration    11. House & Home / General    12. Housing & property for the individual    13. Home   

Reviews (3)

no basics
Many of the chapters in this book are written by individual carpenters who "do things their own way". For instance, in the first chapter, the writer says to disregard previous techniques and use his method. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters, the writer talks about using power tools that are either outrageously expensive or not even avilable any more. Further, there is no discussion or summary of basic roof geometry and calculations. The tag phrase "for pros by pros" is quite misleading. It is merely 15 chapters of guys telling how THEY frame a roof. Anyone, even pro carpenters using this as a refresher, should start off with a tutorial on basic roof geometry, design, and construction methods. If you are looking for info on how to properly design and construct roof framing, don't waste your money on this one!

Good reference for stick roofs
In recent years, the roof has become the focal point of many NA homes.No longer content with simple styles, rangy, monstrous roofs are the norm.Additionally many of them are likely to be built with either trusses, or maybe manufactured wood sticks.These techniques shave dollars right into the developers pockets.And frankly have become the norm in the last 5 to 10 years.They aren't much covered in this book. where's the info
The rafter jig idea was great, but there just wasn't enough info and detail to actually build it (I thought).I must admit, I'am not a pro as this book "by pros for pros" claims, but I guess if I was a pro, then I would probably find the information in this book to be too elementary.This book is ok for learning roof basics, but it's not enough info and detail to fully learn all that's involved with building roofs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Construction - Carpentry    3. Construction - Roofing    4. Design & Construction    5. Design and construction    6. Do-It-Yourself - Carpentry    7. Framing (Building)    8. General    9. Home Improvement / Construction    10. House & Home    11. House Plans    12. Roofs    13. DIY   

Reviews (2)

Cookie Cutter
Very disappointed. The designs are simply ranch style homes with barrel-tile roofs.The book is divided into four sections: Italian, French, English and Spanish but they are literally the same plans in all sections with just simple modifactions to the front facade.Worse yet, most designs mix elements from all styles. You get a simple floor plan with a watercolor elevation that is often not completely reflective of the design.I particularly noticed that most designs had very large garages that are not rendered proportionally.If you are looking for unique designs that are true to the architecture of Europe this is not the book to buy. If you just want a "Spanish Look" to a ranch design this book offers nothing different than what you can find in the check out line of the local super-market.There is nothing unique or authentic in this book.

European Excitement!
This book of European home plans is what I've come to expect from The Sater Design Collection, absolutely fabulous home designs! The attention to detail of each plan offered was clearly evident. I paticularly liked the open flowing floor plans. The designs seemed to bring the best of classical exterior styling with modern amenities.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating - General    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House Plans    6. Study & Teaching   

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. House & Home    4. House Plans    5. Interior design    6. Residential buildings, domestic buildings    7. USA   

Editorial Review

If envy is an issue with which you struggle daily, you may want to avoid Read more

Reviews (13)

My favorite kitchen book
I'm a coffee-book junkie if they're about house design. Most new books I order each month are tired re-treads and get a little stir of interest and then are donated to the local library. I won't part with this one. I took it to read on vacation, and it was gold for 800 miles of a long car trip. My husband was entertained by excerpts I read to him and fab photos I flashed him on boring stretches of desert highway. He's not into kitchen design (probably because he's done so many real projects) and even he found it interesting. The photos are top rate. The bottom line is that every kitchen is personal, and this book brings that message home better than any other kitchen book I've seen.

Great book about great kitchens!
Architect and author Colleen Mahoney hit a grand slam with this book! We just finished remodeling our own kitchen and this book was indispensible. The only thing missing was Colleen's expertise. We highly recommend visiting her website before you begin your project.

A great "Go By" book on Kitchens, but watch for pot holes!
I really like this book alot!Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Design & Construction    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. House Plans    6. Interior Design - General    7. Remodeling & Renovation - Kitchens    8. Food & Drink / Cookery    9. Home furnishing & decoration    10. House & Home / General    11. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    12. USA    13. Home   

Reviews (1)

Sample Some Modern Homes
The 25 houses are featured with photos, architectural drawings and site plans.The homes are varied to fit the sites and to match the personality of the owner.
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Subjects:  1. Architect-designed houses    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Design & Construction    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Domestic    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. House Plans    9. Residential Buildings Architecture    10. Small houses    11. United States    12. House & Home / General    13. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    14. Interior design   

Reviews (4)

A colorful celebration of Victorian homes
"Victorian House Designs in Authentic Full Color," edited by Blanche Cirker, is a visually delightful tribute to a memorable era in home architecture. This volume reprints plates from "Scientific American--Architects and Builders Edition," originally appearing from 1885 to 1894. A BREATH-TAKING WALK INTO A TIME LONG GONE
Here is an amazing collection of victorial architectural buildings fromthe 1800s taken mostly from the New York Tri-State area.The full colorthree dimensional views given by these plates allow one to experience asense of the real thing as it had been.The floor plans with scaledimensions can even help to wonders to the memory in understanding thesemagnificent works.It is also quite detailed and useful for someone whomay even wish to reproduce any of these buildings!Even if you don't haveany intention of reproducing an entire victorian building, there arecertain styles that you can copy for your own home or farmhouse etc.Thisbook gets my full recommendation.

Absolutely Fantastic
If you are looking for explicit instructions on how to build a Victorian House this may not be the book for you, BUT, if you LOVE Victorian houses as much as I do, this is definitely the book for you!Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Architecture, Victorian    4. Design & Construction    5. Designs and plans    6. Domestic    7. History - General    8. History - Specific Styles    9. House Plans    10. United States    11. Art / Clip Art    12. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    13. House maintenance    14. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. House Plans    7. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (5)

well written, very informative
I have read all the major timber frame books on the market, including both titles from Jack Sobon.Benson's book is packed with information on how to build a timber frame and has an index in the back that allows one to figure out what size timber is needed.This book is one of, if not, the best on this subject.

Great Book...early work on Timber Framing
This book is one of the classics on Timber Framing for those who want to get into this type of construction or build their own house. It is a very easy read. Though sometimes the author tends towards to much philosophy about life, construction and wood working.
Building the Timber Frame House
This is a fantastic book.I purchased it for my husband, who is a very accomplished wood-worker. After spending a winter studying it we have spent the summer raising our timber frame addition. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - Carpentry    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House Plans    6. House construction    7. Houses    8. Wood Construction    9. Wooden-frame houses    10. Architecture / General    11. Building construction & materials   

Reviews (1)

Budget Smart House Plans
This book has a broad range of floor plans which can accomodate any homebuilder,who is building on a budget. The plans are up to date with contemporary designs that are open and clean cut. I would highly recommendthis book to anyone who is going to choose a new home to build. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Design & Construction    4. Designs and plans    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. House Plans    8. United States    9. Home furnishing & decoration    10. Houses, apartments, flats, etc   

Reviews (4)

How integrated design works with planning
The house of your dreams needn't be unaffordable: integrated design and construction methods can help in the planning process and can result in much savings, and LIVING HOMES: INTEGRATED DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION is the perfect guide to that process. Chapters cover everything from calculating energy usage and efficiency to considering water supply and waste system options, bonding walls, and more. Black and white photos throughout reinforce instructions on how to cut construction costs along the way. LIVING HOMES deserves ongoing recommendation as an excellent choice for any who would pay attention to cost-efficient design.
K. Wilson
Touches on a variety of "green" living homes.Not too many specifics on each type of construction. Good for an overview of options available.Not for the builder who has a particular form of construction already in mind.Good for starting the research process of green living.

Looking for Slipform (slip form) stone masonry info?
While the author is a knowledgeable on the subject, if you are looking for a book that covers the topic in greater detail then check out Tomm Stanley's book "Stone House: A Guide to Self-Building With Slipforms".The material is covered in greater detail and in a well thought out manner. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself - General    4. Domestic    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home / Design & Construction    7. House Plans    8. Construction - Masonry    9. House & Home    10. Solar energy    11. Stone houses    12. Straw bale houses   

Reviews (4)

Enlightening and enjoyable!
This book, aside from the introduction, is comprised of reprints of articles, with photos and blueprints, on bungalows originally featured in the magazine "The Craftsman" from 1903 through 1916.Although only a couple of the homes described therein were actually designed by Stickley, the whole book was a delight.In their day, the cost to build these homes ranged from $2000 to a whopping $4000!The homes are from a simpler time, when closets were tiny and bathrooms were few, but the woodwork and stonework are inspiring.Important features of these homes include use of materials indigenous to the area so the home harmonizes with its surroundings, living porches, sleeping porches, fireplaces, and open floorplans.Not only is this book a delightful trip through the history of this style of home, it is also quite educational and contains many timeless ideas which would could be incorporated beautifully into today's homes as well.

Craftsman Bungalows : 59 Homes from the Craftsman by Gustav
As a Professional Interior Designer enamoured with Craftsman style homes I use this book as a resource almost daily. It provides inspiration for details that give period charm yet are very practical in todays interiors. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to organize and unclutter their home and add charm and create value while doing so. Craftsman details have roots in Asian and Shaker periods when life was less cluttered. The built-in millwork allows us to conceal the electronics required in this day and age and provide us with a more peaceful view of life.

Good Reference..
This was a good reference for those looking to restore their Arts & Crafts, or Craftsman style home.We utilized this book to assist our architect in the design and final detailed drawings. It was worth theprice. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Bungalows    3. Craftsman (Eastwood, Syracuse,    4. Design & Construction    5. General    6. House Plans    7. Houses    8. Small houses    9. United States    10. Architecture / General    11. DIY   

Reviews (13)

Bare bones Basics...
This book is the very bare bones basics of common lock type overviews and theories on how to open them. After purchasing it I found other websites out there that had published this book on the net. Book can be read in an hour or so, save your money or search it on the web.

A Little Book... A Lotta Secrets
Steve Hampton writes with a nice and easy conversational style and leads the reader through the basic tools and locks. And along the way he offers his advice on this or that. For example, Hampton's favorite tool is the diamond pick.He also likes to make tools from everyday items. On page 18 he shows how to pick a five-pin tumbler lock with a modified screw driver and a safety pin. My favorite tools are the Magic Keys which Hampton shows on pages 34 and 35. I sometimes astonish my friends with how fast I can open their warded locks without a key. This little book has a lot of secrets on lockpicking that won't be secrets anymore to anyone who reads it.

A Little Book... A Lotta Secrets
Steve Hampton writes with a nice and easy conversational style and leads the reader through the basic tools and locks. And along the way he offers his advice on this or that. For example, Hampton's favorite tool is the diamond pick. He also likes to make tools from everyday items. On page 18 he shows how to pick a five-pin tumbler lock with a modified screw driver and a safety pin. My favorite tools are the Magic Keys which Hampton shows on pages 34 and 35. I sometimes astonish my friends with how fast I can open their warded locks without a key. This little book has a lot of secrets, but if you read it, they won't be secrets anymore ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Hand Tools    3. House & Home    4. House Plans    5. Lock picking    6. Personal & Practical Guides    7. Reference    8. House & Home / Reference    9. Household appliances manufacture    10. Household hints    11. Housing & property for the individual   

Reviews (1)

Great Resource
Excellent home plan book for anyone looking for luxurious mini-estate home plans.This book covers a wide variety of styles but mainly concentrates on homes in the 4,000 - 6,000 square foot range, although there are several plans featured that reach close to 10,000 square feet.The forward section contains color photographs of a few homes featured in the book.This is a great resource for anyone looking for ideas to help in the creation of their dream home or for someone with a general love of architecture. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. House Plans    6. Remodeling & Renovation - General    7. DIY    8. House maintenance   

Reviews (3)

A practical-minded resource for creating a livable modern home
Now in an updated and expanded new edition, Build Your Own Low-Cost Log Home is a solid, in-depth guide to a venerable and neglected art. Chapters cover log preparation, needed tools, site and cost considerations, sample designs, accommodating heating systems and other utilities, the differences between manufacturer's kit homes, maintenance of one's log home, and much more. Black-and-white diagrams and photographs illustrate this methodical, easy-to- follow instructional. Build Your Own Low-Cost Log Home is a practical-minded resource for creating a livable modern home, packed cover to cover with tips from firsthand experience.
Buy this book!
While no one book will make you an expert builder this book will show you that you can build your own Log Home. Roger Hard has written an easy to understand How To Guide with topics like tools needed, chain saw mills even alternative power sources. I especially liked the tree species map of the US and Canada and the insulation value chart of the different species of wood. A classic how-to
This update of the classic 1977 book will help you choose a site, plan your cabin, find a kit or build from scratch. Easy to read text, illustrations, plans and details of a pretty 24' x 40' hillside cabin can be a do-it-yourself guide or can serve as your inspiration for other cabindesigns. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - Carpentry    2. Design & Construction    3. Design and construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. House Plans    8. Log cabins    9. Log cabins and houses    10. DIY    11. House & Home / House Plans    12. Housing & property for the individual   

Reviews (3)

Beautiful houses, great interior ideas
This is a reprint of a house plan catalog from 1909. These books are actually exact reprints of original plan books from the turn of the century (1880-1925, roughly). Dover adds little or no modern explanations, just presenting the catalog as it was. So when one looks to review these books, one isn't really judging the modern-day publisher, or editing, or writing. The only modern element is the accuracy of reproduction- in some cases, if pages in the originals that Dover found are damaged or torn, that page is reproduced in the original with the tear, smudge, blot, or hole showing. So to judge the books, one has to compare each one to others of its kind, and then to decide whether the material in it is thorough and complete according to the standards of its time. Since there are several dozen of these catalogs published by Dover, we have the basis for such a comparison. Another good reference...
This book assisted us in the redesign of our home in the craftsman tradition.A good reference for us to formulate our ideas, and for our architects to see what we liked.Worth the price

Cradtsman architecture
A series of articles with illustrations from the original "The Craftsman" magazine. Includes both houses and furnishings. A must for Arts and Crafts enthuisiasts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1858-1942    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Arts and crafts movement    5. Designs and plans    6. Domestic    7. General    8. House Plans    9. Stickley, Gustav,    10. United States    11. Architecture / General    12. Stickley, Gustav   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Domestic    5. House & Home    6. House Plans    7. Interior Design - Style Books    8. Reference    9. Residential Interior Design