Reviews (3)

not more architectual fluff
if you are looking for good, solid, usable information on restoring old barns and the mechanics of their structure, this book is the bible on it.quite detailed and good instructions.the author doesn't just tell you it can be done, but how to do it as well.this book won't help trendy city folk, with no building skills, pick out carpet samples for turning a barn into a home, but it is the number one resource on the structure of barns and making them solid and usable again before changing their purpose.I highly recommend this book.

Excellent Resource
We just purchased a property with an old barn and this book was recommended to us as an initial resource.It has provided a good overview of barn history and guidance for restoration.

The best book on renovating barns!
It's easy to say that this is the best book on renovating barns - it's the only one that I know of. But, this book is very, very good. I'm lucky enough to be able to spend much of my time designing new barns and helping clients restore old ones. I'm amazed and embarrassed by how much I learned from this book. Nick Engler presents a good primer on barn design, and then goes to work, explaining in detail how to repair each and every common problem with old barns. If your barn is leaning, if the stone foundation is buckled, if your pole-barn posts are rotting, if your timbers have splintered, if your roof sways, you'll learn what to do to fix the problem and to keep it from happening again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Barns    2. Conservation and restoration    3. Construction - General    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Maintenance and repair    8. Outbuildings    9. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    10. Outdoor Structure Construction    11. Remodeling & Renovation - General    12. Sheds    13. DIY    14. House & Home / Remodeling & Renovation   

Reviews (2)

What a wonderful book!
This book is a must-have for anybody interested in building treehouses, sheds or small out-buildings of any kind!It is filled with all the information an amateur would need with step-by-step instructions on the building process, tools and materials and inspirational photographs of projects by other amateur builders that will inspire and motivate anybody interested in trying a building project in their backyard.The authors have provided clear, concise instructions and have taken the intimidation out of building.The authors are clearly interested in the reader having a joyful, successful building experience.Our own building projects have all been inspired by Jeanie and David Stiles' encouraging books.Thank you!

The latest and best book by Stiles
Happy to see that David and jeanie Stiles have written yet another book on treehouses and playhouses.We have built 3 structures based on designs and ideas from two of their other books and this new one may inspire us to build yet another treehouse!It looks terrific.More ideas and tips!Can't wait!!! Randy and Jheanelle ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Carpentry    2. Children's playhouses    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Do-It-Yourself - Carpentry    5. House & Home    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. Outdoor Structure Construction    8. Tree houses    9. Architecture    10. House & Home / Do-It-Yourself   

Editorial Review

Beckstrom, a nationally known home-remodeling and improvement expert, has put together an A-to-Z book about pretty near everything one needs to know about planning and building decks and patios: the choices of materials, tools, finishes, and accessories like planters, decorative railings, and benches.Read more

Reviews (1)

Help for the rest of us!
My husband is a construction type but I'm not and the deck was myproject to plan. This book was great! I looked at a couple of dozen deck books and this was the only one that explained how to build a deck in a way that mycontruction-impaired mind could comprehend. Very specific, step by stepbuilding instructions, a thorough review of the planning process andwonderful ideas for extra features. My only wishes are more photograhs andmore information on alternative decking materials. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Construction - General    3. Decks (Architecture, Domestic)    4. Design and construction    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Garden structures    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. House & Home    9. Landscape    10. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    11. Outdoor Structure Construction    12. Patios    13. DIY    14. Greenhouses, conservatories, patios   

Reviews (1)

Great Pool Book!
I borrowed this book from the library (too many pool books are not worth buying), and spent the rest of the night looking at it.Great photo examples of various types of pools that are described in detail, along with chapters on Safety, Design, Landscaping, Materials, etc...One of the best! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Design and construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - Pools, Water Gardens, Ponds    8. Outdoor Structure Construction    9. Spa pools    10. Swimming pools    11. Water Sports    12. Garden design & planning    13. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas    14. Water gardens, pools   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Construction - General    3. Design and construction    4. Garden structures    5. House & Home    6. Landscape    7. Landscape Architecture And Design    8. Landscape architecture    9. Landscape construction    10. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    11. Outdoor Structure Construction    12. Architecture / Landscape    13. Landscape art & architecture   

Reviews (3)

Good choice!
I'm satisfied. More than enough pictures with detailed analysis for each. There is nothing missing.

just looking
This book has excellent photo's of backyard ideas.It is a great book if you are just looking for ideas.I had expected a book with a little "how-to" mixed in.

Very helpful book with great ideas
I haven't finished reading it yet but so far love it. It has many photos along with a paragraph about why/how this works - the type of landscape and things to make sure you do/don't do. I am buying a copy for my sister for xmas.
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Subjects:  1. Backyard gardens    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Garden ornaments and furniture    5. Garden structures    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Landscape    9. Landscape architecture    10. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    11. Outdoor Structure Construction    12. Garden design & planning    13. House & Home / Carpentry    14. House & Home / General   

Reviews (15)

A little disappointed
I read all the good reviews and bought this book. I have to say I am disappointed. There are not a lot of content in the book, as you can tell that the author intentionally increase the margin of each page to greatly increase the total page number. The diagrams are sketchy, of low quality.
Definitive Guide To Shed Building
Out of all the shed books I have read, this book stays by my side while I hammer in the yard.The book is well written by what appears to be a non professional book writer (A Good Thing).It reads as if you are getting advise in laymans terms from your neighbor "The Craftsman", a welcome change from the DIY books, that assume a level of expertese.The level of detail is high and discusses gotcha's, advise, and trade "secrets" that could have only come from years of personal experience building sheds.
A great help and great read
This book was great, fun to read too.It gave plenty of ideas and advice.It wasn't the only book I used when building my shed but, certainly was the one I used the most.I recommend this book for anyone who's never built a shed before. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Construction - Carpentry    3. Design and construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Do-It-Yourself - General    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Outbuildings    9. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    10. Outdoor Structure Construction    11. Reference    12. House & Home / Design & Construction    13. Woodworking   

Reviews (10)

Excellent landscaping book.
This book offers many good ideas for landscaping around your pool.
Not a great source for landscaping ideas
Based on the description, I believed this book would be full of design ideas and photos of well-landscaped pools.It isn't. If you are looking (as I was) for examples to show a landscaper (or to do it yourself), you should look elsewhere.

Not so good
This is one of the not so good books for pools like many many others. I don't know may be it is too hard to write for pools. There are inside some pictures but nothing to catch the eye neither spectacular. THis book was suppouse to guide you how to create your own pool but I have see much better books!
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Gardening    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Landscape    5. Landscape design    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - Pools, Water Gardens, Ponds    8. Swimming pools    9. Architecture / Landscape    10. Garden design & planning    11. Water gardens, pools   

Editorial Review

This may not be the snappy tome you take with you to read on vacation, but if you have and maintain a swimming pool, it's a book you will want to have handy. It covers the basic construction of pools of all kinds, cleaning routines, water chemistry and treatment, simple repairs, caring for hot tubs and spas, and even pool safety. Also included are tips on water and energy conservation, a glossary of terms, and a thorough index for quick reference. If you own a swimming pool, you should own this book. --Read more

Reviews (8)

Not for Above Ground Pool Owners
This is very thorough for in ground pools, but has little to do with above ground and certainly knows nothing about winterizing in the Norhteast.

Excellent for selecting and maintaining a pool
This is a book for people who know nothing about swimming pools and who are thinking of getting one or who need to maintain an existing pool. Excellent pool intro
I bought a house with a pool in the backyard and I had no idea what to do with it. This book really helped me become familiar with the general pool maintenance and how filters, pumps, chemicals, etc work. I still had to call in a pool company to help me open the pool for the first summer, but reading this book helped me understand what they were doing and ask the right questions.Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. Maintenance and repair    4. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    5. Reference    6. Swimming pools    7. DIY    8. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas    9. Swimming & diving   

Reviews (6)

Nice book, questionable designs
I will be returning this book.As a licensed professional landscape architect, I find the proportions and design qualities lacking in most of the proposed designs.The designs depict what I would expect to buy from a mass merchandising home center, not such a highly acclaimed book.I was very disappointed.Content aside, the book was nice.I believe actual photographs might have helped tremendously.

Dissapointed
The book is nice but didn't have what we needed. We are looking for a plan for a corner pool house big enough to accomodate a billiard table and there is nothing like that in the book. Also, the exteriors are mostly too contemporary, nothing that would blend with our brick Georgian home. In a word, DISSAPOINTED. Had I seen the book at a bookstore, I would not have bought it.

Nice book
I was looking for design ideas/plans.This one has nice ideas but it is a book in which you can then proceed to order plans.Not what I was looking for.I was looking for ideas, measurements, planning etc..that sort of thing.If that is what you are looking for this book would not be the right fit for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture / Design & Drafting    3. House & Home / Design & Construction    4. Cabanas    5. Design & Construction    6. Design & Drafting    7. Designs and plans    8. Garden structures    9. House & Home    10. Outdoor & Recreational Areas    11. Swimming pools   

Reviews (6)

Simply Beautiful
This book was really fun to browse through and look at all the different styles.I'm sure I saw some of the fences in the book when on vacation in colonial Williamsburg.In the end, we decided on a pretty simple picket style and used some of the techniques suggested in the book to add interest by using varying heights and accents on the gate posts and gate itself.It turned out beautifully and the book was a big help in finding the style.

Wish I would have found this book first
This book is great!I've never seen a book with so many styles of fences that would go with so many different types of architecture.I also like how the material and illustrations are presented to allow the reader to easily see and compare the many different styles.The first fence books I bought had a few nice photos with trees and flowers, but, the fences themselves were not that special.
If you don't have a Victorian, forget this book
It's a very nicely drawn & explained book but if you have any other style home other than Victorian, there are limited styles that would match. Also, you have to order patterns separately. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Design and construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Fences    5. Gates    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Landscape    9. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    10. Outdoor Structure Construction    11. Carpentry    12. Woodworking   

Reviews (1)

caveat emptor
The organization is excellent; the presentation of a series of sample projects makes the information very accessible to the novice, while providing some flexibility in how you can use the book.If one of the projects is exactly what you want to do, just read that section and plunge right in.If you don't know what you want to do, or want to do something a little different from what is described, read the entire book and get a good understanding of both basic principles and the variations that are possible.I had nothing bad to say about this book immediately after reading it (several times), but imagine my surprise when, while researching concrete pavers online, I ran across a familiar photograph - from this book - at a paver manufacturer's website.Reading the acknowledgements and copyright info for the book confirmed it - a number of the supplemental photographs are marketing materials provided by manufacturers.No wonder that this book seems to imply that pre-cast concrete pavers are the greatest thing since sliced bread!It seems obvious in retrospect that the book is biased by this manufacturer input.For this reason, if you are hoping to save a lot of money with DIY, this may not be the book for you.It doesn't cover the cheapest patio/walkway options (gravel and concrete), and the emphasis is more on saving money on labor so that you can spend extravagantly on materials.If you already know that gravel and concrete aren't quite right for you, then this might be just the book you need. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Design & Construction    3. Design and construction    4. Do it yourself work    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Do-It-Yourself - General    7. Garden walks    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. House & Home    10. Landscape    11. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    12. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - Patios & Decks    13. Outdoor Structure Construction    14. Patios    15. Garden design & planning    16. House & Home / Design & Construction    17. House & Home / Do-It-Yourself    18. Landscape gardening   

Reviews (1)

Beautiful Book of Striking Pools
Infinity pools, sometimes called infinity edge pool is a pool that has one or more edges of the book being submerged below water level so that the water surface merges with the horizon, providing the illusion of an infinite plane. As seen in this book this effect is particularly impressive when the invisible edge is set against a larger body of wter such as the ocean, or perched on an elevated so that the sky becomes the backdrop.
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Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. House & Home    4. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    5. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - Pools, Water Gardens, Ponds    6. Residential Interior Design    7. Swimming pools    8. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas    9. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Features

• Unabridged

Reviews (2)

Lack of information
I would think if you were going to provide a book and list the pool companies you would also list the material contractors and possibly the artisans.
Beautiful Book
This really is a beautifully inspiring book.While many of the products in the book are out of reach for the individual with an average income, it offers some great ideas that you can incorporate into something that is a little more within your reach. The details are very nice and descriptive.It will also serve well as a nice coffee table book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Domestic    3. Reference    4. Swimming pools    5. Water gardens   

Subjects:  1. Architecture, Domestic    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - Patios & Decks    8. Outdoor Structure Construction    9. Porches    10. Space And Enclosure Design    11. Sunspaces    12. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas   

Reviews (1)

must have
Book is very informative and give several plans.Also explains how to make your own cargo net (if you can find the materials) and a really cool spider-web climbing net ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Do-It-Yourself - Carpentry    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    6. Outdoor Structure Construction    7. Sports & outdoor recreation   

Reviews (3)

Helpful, usable book for screened room design/building
This book has good information, nice pictures and usable designs for building screened rooms.Excellent "how to" methodology along with lumber specifications, loads and design detail.Best book I've found for screened room subject matter.

Screen Porches
A great book,Many picture, giving great ideas and also many helpful notations for builind one.

A good manual for the intermediate DIY-er
This book helped me to understand that there is much more involved with building a screened porch than I could handle myself. The directions were clear enough that I think any do-it-yourself-er with some experience under her belt could do a fine job.Not as many examples as I would have liked to have seen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Do-It-Yourself - General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. Outdoor Structure Construction    8. Residential Construction   

Reviews (4)

Inspirational and Substantive
Detailed analysis of a few each of several different types of pools: lappools, "natural" pools, indoor pools, famous pools, etc., all inCalifornia.Not a construction manual, but full of details worthconsidering when designing a pool.A must for anyone considering getting apool on a difficult or very special piece of land.

A must for landscape designers and architects
This excelent book is focused exclusively on design. Very inspiring and unique. Do not expect to find anything about maintenance, it is a book meant for designers. A must for landscape designers and architects.

A topnotch swimming pool anthology
The photography is fabulous. Many of the pools were designed by the author, but this does not detract from the book.It is well balanced.The chapters include:the natural pool, lap pools, infinity edges, indoorpools, historical pools, among others. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Domestic    3. House & Home    4. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    5. Outdoor Structure Construction    6. Swimming pools    7. Architecture / General    8. Public buildings: civic, commercial, industrial, etc   

Reviews (7)

Good on building, lacking on electric.
While the sections on planning and construction are quite helpful, I was disappointed in the section on electricity. A barn is considered an outbuilding, and local electrical codes may be different for residences and outbuildings. Barns are often used to house livestock or poultry, but the book does not address the different requirements for farm wiring.
building ,audio,studio from, scraching
References to buil an audio studio in the simplest fom me by home archetitural process.

practical barn building
A useful book on the various practical aspects of building a simple (or not so simple) barn. Useful to a do-it-yourselfer, or as a reference to someone using contractors. Recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Barns    3. Construction - General    4. Design and construction    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. General    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. House & Home    10. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    11. Outdoor Structure Construction    12. Building construction & materials    13. House maintenance   

Reviews (1)

Makeover Your Patio
This guide, with instructions fully illustrated in color, will give you many ideas about how to plan the right patio, whether you build it yourself or hire a contractor to do the work. It could even be useful for ideas about adding plantings and minor improvements to existing patios." (summary by South TX Library System)
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Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Design and construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    8. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - Patios & Decks    9. Outdoor Structure Construction    10. Patios    11. Garden design & planning    12. Greenhouses, conservatories, patios    13. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas