Reviews (5)

Basic guide to monolithic dome
Half this guide is dedicated to floor plans of every type.The rest is an overview of what is involved in building a monolithic dome.This is NOT a how to guide.It you are considering a monolithic dome then this book is an excellent starting point with plenty of pictures and illustrations.

Not exactly as advertized
The book claims to be a "guide for planning" a home but really it is an advertizement for the Monolithic Dome Institute which sells them and runs workshops on them.However, there dozens of plans of dome structures that have been built or designed using this product so its a cool book to look at if you love house designs like I do.What would have been better is for each plan to have a picture of the house as it looked built.

A must for those considering dome construction!
Dome Living is mostly for people planning a single family home, though it does touch on the issues of industrial, religious, educational, and recreational construction uses.This book is technical enough to understand exactly what the dome process is about, and if more info is needed, it has plenty of contact information to get your questions answered.Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. House & Home / Design & Construction    3. House & Home / House Plans    4. Blueprints    5. Concrete domes    6. Design & Construction    7. House & Home    8. House Plans   

Reviews (3)

The perfect introduction to timber framing
The plans, photos, patterns and details in this book can be used as a step-by-step guide to building a New England hall-and-parlor house. It's also a designer's guide, a history book and a great introduction to the craft and art of timber framing.

This is great first book on timber frame construction.
This was my first look at timber framing and this book was a great primer.It explains the history of timber framing, the terminology, the how to's of getting started.I wish it would have had more suggestions forfinishing the house after the frame is up, but it definitely gave me a goodfoundation and the confidence to give it try.

The source for learning timber framing
Jack Sobon does a great job walking you step by step in building your own house.It is one of the best sources out there for learning traditional timber framing technique.A must read for anyone interested in learninghow the early framers built the barns and houses we love today. Expecthands on information and thoery for the practical end of getting the houseframe built. Expect a well focused instructiional manual that is light andentertaining to read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Construction - Carpentry    3. Design & Construction    4. Design and construction    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. House Plans    9. Wooden-frame houses    10. Carpentry    11. DIY    12. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (1)

A diverse collection of text and images
"Distinctive House Design and Decor of the Twenties: With Over 500 Floor Plans and Illustrations," edited by Richardson Wright, is yet another in Dover's superb series of architectural reprints. The bibliographic note on this book's copyright page states that it "is an unabridged republication of the work originally published by the Conde Nast Publications, Inc., New York in 1925 under the title _House & Garden's Second Book of Houses_."Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Design & Construction    5. Designs and plans    6. Domestic    7. History - General    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. House Plans    10. United States    11. Architecture / General   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Designs and plans    4. Domestic    5. Log cabins    6. Home & House Maintenance    7. House & Home / House Plans   

Reviews (2)

A Useful Book For All of Us
We are in the midst of planning a major renovation of an antique Texas farmhouse.Through beautiful and engaging photography and prose, this architectural masterpiece has given us the insight into how best to preserve the 'good house parts' while adding the essential modern 'good house parts' seamlessly.We own all the other books of this genre; this by far is our favorite and best.

The pieces that make the whole
I always think about those spaces that I want in a house that makes it me.Like a mudroom with panache.A breakfast nook that makes you want to leave your PJ's on. But what about that home builder who just puts regular wood floors or places windows where there is no view.These are the details or 'pieces' that make a house your home.Read more

Subjects:  1. Building    2. Building Details Finishing    3. Carpentry    4. Design & Construction    5. Details    6. Do-It-Yourself    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. House & Home    9. House Plans    10. Woodwork    11. Woodworking    12. Home & House Maintenance    13. House & Home / General    14. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (2)

Beautiful as Promised
I found this book to offer just what I was looking for! I wanted to find home plans with water oriented views and interesting and fanciful exteriors for my vacation beach home.

Disappointed
I was looking for house plans that had the major rooms on the front of the house overlooking a view.The title led me to believe I would find that type of home in this book.I did not.Also, most of the plans were very complicated with multiple roof angles and expensive building items. ... Read more

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

Reviews (5)

GEODESIC MATH AND HOW TO USE IT, excellent reference book...
Seemed over-technical at 1st, but after about a year has been my reference book on geodesics & making all kinds of geodesic domes... It lists chord factors (lengths of segments before applying radius of dome) on tables to 7 decimals for various domes @ the end of the book if you don't want do calculate w/formulas provided. If your familiar with trigonometry, it will let you jump around chapters that are of more interest.
Geodesic Math
The subject very well presented and in a way that is easy to understand.Gives the underlying math to be able to use our modern computers setting on our desk tops to go far beyond what one person could do 25 years ago.

Geodesic Math And How To Use It... Back In Print!
Well, the time has come for the pirates to take a hike. UC Press is reprinting this book. The information I have indicates both hard and softcover bindings...It will be available this year (2003).Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Geodesic domes    3. House Plans    4. Landscape    5. Mathematical models    6. Methods & Materials    7. Polyhedra    8. Tables    9. Architectural structure & design    10. Architecture / General    11. Differential & Riemannian geometry   

Reviews (2)

Disappointing
When one thinks cottage they imagine a mountain cabin, oceanside bungalow or lakefront getaway.Home Planners Cool Cottages was filled with mostly black and white 'Home Plans', many over 1800 square feet with manicurred lawns.Through the entire book, I only found 3-4 cottages in 800-1200 square foot range showing a unique creative design.The floor plans were even worse.Do people actually build and live in these?What about traffic patterns? Formal dining rooms?Hello!That's what I do when I think getaway college, entertaining.Cool Cottage would have made a good $3.95 magazine in the Home and Garden section of a local newstand.A disappointment at any price.

Not at all what I expected
The description is very misleading.It is a book of 235 cottage floor plans - all black and white (with the exception of the first few).I expected the book to include floor plans, but I also expected it to be a good read and have real pictures.If you are just looking for floor plans, it's a great book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture, Domestic    2. Cottages    3. Design & Construction    4. Designs and plans    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. House Plans    9. United States    10. Gardening    11. Home & House Maintenance    12. Houses, apartments, flats, etc   

Reviews (4)

Outstanding Book for the Modern Loft Dweller
My dream is to own a loft one day and I have been to open house tours and read many books about this subject. I have a very defined taste, concerning how I want a loft to look and how I want to decorate my loft. I have a very contemporary taste in furnishings and I like an open and airy loft. When I first received this book in the mail, I almost quit breathing. It was if the authors had looked into my dreams and thoughts to create this book. This book truly represents the contemporary feel and look that I like so well. I can guarantee you that if you are interested in a contemporary look to your loft, this is your book. I know that I will probably wear this book out, because it is truly an inspirational vision of a modern loft. The photos are beautifully done, the writing is sharp and concise, and the overall quality is outstanding!!

Home, or something like it
Young people today aren't keeping to the small-town or suburban lifestyles of their parents. They're going to the cities to rent studio apartments. Once there, they're likely to end up moving into family-size spaces. One of the best in this class
I've browsed about twenty different contemporary interior books, and I've found this to be most interesting and slightly more inspiring.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Decorating - General    5. Design & Construction    6. Do-It-Yourself    7. Domestic    8. House & Home    9. House Plans    10. Interior Design - General    11. Interior architecture    12. Planning    13. United States    14. Building skills    15. City & town planning - architectural aspects    16. House & Home / General    17. House maintenance    18. Interior design    19. Residential buildings, domestic buildings    20. HOUSE & HOME / Design & Construction   

Reviews (2)

Save Your Money
I found this book a waste of time.Looking for actual timber frame plans, instead I found a bunch of pictures in no particular order or organization.May make a makeshift coffee table book for people to read while you think big thoughts in your completed timber frame home, but it sure won't help you design one.

Dreaming of a Timberframe Home?
As the editor of LivingHome, I have to say that this new book is a real winner. With the popularity of timberframe homes, many of the best companies put out beautiful brochures (some even charging for them), and some have Web sites, but the photos on the Web don't do justice to the soaring spaces and gorgeous interiors of these type of homes. The authors of this book have gathered some of the best photos from some of the best companies. Plus there is good actionable information and resources for those of us who say that some day we are going to build one these beauties, no matter what. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Design & Construction    4. Design and construction    5. Designs and plans    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. House Plans    9. United States    10. Wooden-frame houses    11. House & Home / Design & Construction    12. House maintenance    13. Interior design    14. Residential buildings, domestic buildings    15. Woodworking   

Reviews (4)

no help
I bought this without reading the reviews, it was a mistake.I am designing an addition and need a clear guide from forms to finishing.This isn't it.As meantioned, it is a collection of articles.While informative, there are major gaps in coverage and I am no more ready to design my foundation than before.There is more useful info on foundations in the framing books I purchased.

Disappointment
This book lacks the details for someone who is looking to actually do the work themselves.As mentioned in one of the other reviews - this book is just a composite of magazine article.Typical of magazine articles - shallow with little substance.

Just a compilation
I have a couple of other books in the "for pros by pros" series and they are great.I was disappointed in this one, however.Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - Masonry    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Do-It-Yourself - General    5. Engineering - Civil    6. House & Home    7. House Plans    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Building skills    10. DIY    11. House & Home / Design & Construction   

Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. House Plans    6. Gardening    7. Home & House Maintenance    8. Interior design    9. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (9)

a delightful little book
I came across this book after reading Michael Pollan's excellent _A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder_, in which it is mentioned that the Lester Walker book _Tiny Tiny Houses_ had helped inspire Pollan to build his own little writing cabin.This book, _A Little House of My Own_, is effectively an update and expansion of _Tiny Tiny Houses_.(At the time of this writing, Amazon has paired the two Lester Walker books for its "buy this book with ..." feature; don't be fooled into buying both books!)
I don't think so.
These houses would be interesting to live in, if you don't mind living in houses WITHOUT BATHROOMS! Nice houses to look at, and one or two might be nice to build (two out of the whole 48 could be liveable as a weekend getaway), but if you're looking to buy a housebuilding book to actually build a house, look the other way. Les Walker must be running out of ideas because it's just a reprint of his first book. I doubt HE lives in a 250 square foot house with no bathroom and an igloo cooler for a refrigerator. C'MON LES, SNAP OUT OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't buy with Tiny tiny Houses!!
Unless Amazon made an error these books are exactly the same.I bought Tiny Tiny Houses a year ago and just discovered that the contents of A little house of my own is the same. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Design & Construction    5. Designs and plans    6. General    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. House Plans    9. Small houses    10. United States    11. House & Home / House Plans   

Reviews (2)

Good book, not a great one.
Typical of the books publisher by Taunton, this is a well produced work -- nicely arranged, good photos, and with about the right amount of verbiage for each house.My less than five star rating is because I personally didn't find most of the houses to be that interesting design-wise (you may, 'look inside'), and I also thought too many of the house were either too big (several in the 2300-2400 sq. ft. size, which I don't consider 'small') or too expensive due to site conditions, materials or whatever.It not too hard to build a nice small home if you've actually got the budget for a much larger, more traditional house.I enjoyed the book, it's just not one of my favorites.A side note, all of the houses have been featured in Fine Homebuilding Magazine previously.

Third installment
This book continues the series and sticks to the established formula: articles featured in Fine Homebuilding and written by the homeowners. The houses themselves often follow a formula: nothing ordinary, or novelty for its own sake. There are many examples of extreme creativity unconstrained by common sense, but, then again, such things make for interesting reading. As long as *I* don't have to have a plywood floor in my house :-)Read more

Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Home Maintenance And Repair    5. House & Home    6. House Plans    7. Remodeling & Renovation - General    8. Small houses    9. Home furnishing & decoration    10. House & Home / General   

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. House & Home    4. House Plans    5. Architectural structure & design    6. House & Home / House Plans    7. Houses, apartments, flats, etc   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Designs and plans    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. House Plans    9. United States    10. Architectural structure & design    11. House & Home / House Plans    12. Houses, apartments, flats, etc   

Reviews (26)

If you like lists, you'll love this book
Seven years ago we decided to build a house. I had never, ever heard one person who thought doing so was a good idea. I know the authors of this book seem hooked on horror stories, but it's all to the good because it's all true. In fact, by using the book's suggestions, we not only built a wonderful house, but our builder brought it in at $17,000 under budget. We've lived in the house for seven years and I've recommended this book to countless people. Don't know if it's been updated since I read it and things do change, but if you're a novice at homebuilding and don't want to be taken, this book should be number one on your reading and USING list.

Great Book!
I read three books:Cellers to Ceilings, Build It Right, and Your New House.All were good, but Your New House was by far the best of the three.Your New House was very thorough with information from beginning to end in building (and buying) a new home.Lots of information to protect the consumer and includes websites for additional information and products.Highly recommended reading!

Good Book...All questions were not answered
I am a first time buyer and wanted to make sure that I was getting the best deal at every end of the process.I read this book and although many parts of it were good, it did not apply to my situation. This book is excellent for those that are building a custom built home with a builder.If you are looking to buy a production home (centex, KB, pulte) this is not the book you will want. I found some of the examples to be informative, but overall I will need another book to answer my questions.I hope my review helped. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer education    2. Design & Construction    3. Design and construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Dwellings    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. House Plans    9. House construction    10. Real Estate - Buying/Selling Homes    11. Reference    12. United States   

Reviews (2)

Beautiful Plans for Homes with Porches
I picked this book up when I was looking for a house plan that included porches (which the first reviewer should have known if they'd read the title!).I'd looked through so many house plan books and found the perfect plan in this book!It's great!Lots of color pictures and beautiful house plans.If you're looking for something different, this book is for you.

Inviting Porches
This book has a beautiful front cover and several pages of color photos.However, the vast majority of the book is comprised of house plans, many of which that do not have porches other than small stoops.These house plans contain no specific reference to porches, there are no individual porch plans, drawings or elevations.This is a very disappointing book that utterly fails to live up to it's cover.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating    3. Design & Construction    4. Design & Drafting    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House Plans   

Reviews (1)

A good way to get a feel for what you want.
I found this book useful for narrowing down my choices in what I do and don't want in my new house.Ultimately, we will probably have our house custom-designed by a local architect, so we just used this book to get ideas.It has a wide variety of single story home plans, so after we got a feel for what we DID and DID NOT want based on these plans, we went to a few home plan websites to perform more detailed searches and narrow it down further.Read more

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

Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. House Plans    7. Home furnishing & decoration