The Not So Big House- A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live

5 stars (read THIS B4 U build your DREAM HOUSE!!!!) - Every real-estate agents SHOULD read this book! BUY and BUILD how we LIVE and not be sold or told as to how we should THINK we should live! GREAT BOOK...food for thought! 3 stars (Good but Not Great) - Although both "The Not So Big House" and "Creating the Not So Big House" are good books with well-thought out concepts, I think you can find better books on the subject. After reading both books, I felt the information rather evaporated, and I was left without some good, basic practical outlines on how to proceed with the house. Fortunately, I came across "The Home Design Handbook" by June Cotner Myrvang & Steve Myrvang, AIA, where at the end of every well thought out chapter, you found a detailed, practical checklist of major issues that needed to be considered before proceeding with your plans. Everything missing in the "Not So big House"(s) was found in this one book, which offered highly useful information. 1 stars (Would have helped to have known .......) - Just having bought an 1887 house in a small southern town, this book was not what I needed. It was well written, beautiful photography and layout, but not within the price range or geographical range. It might have saved me some money if these items of interest to readers had been mentioned. Also - "mission" or "prairie" is not a dominant theme in this area. ...
Taunton :: House & Home & General :: Space (Architecture) :: Repair :: Psychological aspects :: Interior architecture :: Interior Design - General :: House Plans :: House & Ho :: The Not So Big House- A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live

 

Home by Design- Transforming Your House Into Home

5 stars (An Excellent and very useful book - don't believe the negative reviews) - After reading the negative reviews, I got the book from the library instead of buying it. The negative reviews are really unfounded. It is worth buying. I was able to easily see all of the pictures, even the smallest ones, so the reviewer who complained about the small pictures needs glasses. I get more information from five small pictures on a page than one picture filling the entire page, so I appreciate the denser content. While many of the houses are luxury houses, the design principles can definitely be adapted to more modest houses. One of the houses used granite bathroom tile on the counter - clearly they had budgetary constraints. Many of the unique design features could be added to a modest house with considerable impact. The design principles are simplified into 27 types and illustrated better than any architecture book I have ever seen. In many cases, a second photo is modifed to remove the one isolated design feature being illustrated and it is easy to see the effect that the feature creates when it is missing. Regarding the lack of scale in the floor plans: I am glad there *are* floor plans - most books don't have them at all. It is very easy to create a scale knowing that a kitchen or bathroom counter is 2 feet wide, or that a entry door is 3 feet wide and go from there. A trained designer does this automatically in their head. Many projects are profusely illustrated from multiple angles and each one demonstrates several design principles. This is a very useful resource and an excellent primer on basic design principles. Although the principles explained are very basic, the examples shown are very sophisticated. This book is useful to the novice, and even more so to a trained designer who will see much more than what the text explains. The best design cannot be contained by mere words. All of the projects illustrated are top-notch designs. If you want this kind o...
Taunton :: House & Home & General :: United States :: Residential Interior Design :: Residential Buildings Architecture :: House & Home :: Home Improvement & Construction :: :: Home by Design- Transforming Your House Into Home

 

Concrete at Home - Innovative Forms and Finishes- Countertops- Floors- Walls- and Fireplaces

5 stars (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. 5 stars (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. 5 stars (Mr. Cheng inspires) - Fu-Tung Cheng's latest book "Concrete At Home" is a wonderful journey to what is possible in home design using concrete as the expressive medium. It is full of wonderful photographs illustrating projects underway and in their finished appearance. I believe it's intent was mostly to excite and inspire and not be a step-by-step guide. With so many preconceptions out there about how things "should" look and be constructed, Fu-Tung Cheng has had the patience and inspiration to bring a whole new aesthetic to the discerning homeowner. While many projects showcased in "Concrete At Home" were for those with deeper pockets, I believe Mr. Cheng offers this timeless body of work as a place from which those of more modest means will be inspired to have the b...
The Taunton Press :: House & Home & Design & Construction :: Methods & Materials :: Materials :: House & Home :: Home Maintenance And Repair :: Home Improvement & Construction :: Dwel :: Concrete at Home - Innovative Forms and Finishes- Countertops- Floors- Walls- and Fireplaces

 

Concrete Countertops- Design- Form- and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath

1 stars (Unavailable) - Book was not available. Seller explained that it was no longer available, but they would order it for me. They did not immediately notify me or inform me until I contacted them about the delay. I cancelled and ordered direct from Amazon. 4 stars (Concrete countertop construction) - This is a great guide to the basics of concrete coutertop design and construction. It was quite helpful in getting us started with our project. Thanks. 5 stars (Wiggers Flooring and Design Inc.) - First let me start by saying how much this book has inspired me. After reading it cover to cover I decided to leave my current company platform to include custom counters for my many clients. Of course only after pourung quite a few for my friends and for myself as well. The possibilies are endless when it comes to concrete design. This book has made us realize the full potential of the liquid state of concrete. I have just ordered the newest book the author released recently and am egerly awaiting the arrival. Mr Cheng thank you for changing my life. ...
Taunton :: HOUSE & HOME & Do-It-Yourself :: House & Home & Design & Construction :: Woodwork - Furniture&Cabinetry :: Remodeling & Renovation - Kitchens :: Remodeling & :: Concrete Countertops- Design- Form- and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath

 

Kaffe Fassett-s Museum Quilts - Designs Inspired by the Victoria - Albert Museum

Kaffe Fassett's Museum Quilts : Designs Inspired by the Victoria & Albert Museum...
Taunton :: Crafts & Hobbies & Quilts & Quilting :: Quilts & Quilting :: Quilt Making :: Hobbies&Crafts :: Crafts & Hobbies :: Crafts & Hobbies :: Liza Prior Lucy :: Kaffe Fass :: Kaffe Fassett-s Museum Quilts - Designs Inspired by the Victoria - Albert Museum

 

Graphic Guide to Frame Construction - Details for Builders and Designers

5 stars (Framing) - This is a wonderful addition to any collection of carpentry books. Good clear explanations, precise drawings, and a great resource for experts and novice alike. 5 stars (EXCELLENT RESOURCE BOOK) - i am a 3rd year arch. student with some minimal understanding of general wood construction.Coming from a design oriented school they dont really teach any practical knowledge of the field but i personally think that i need to know some of it to get myself prepared, even before i graduate.This book helps a lot.It has a lot of information regarding the common practices we find outside with adequate amount of details to make you understand.Picture is worth a thousand words and this book is all about that.You do need to have some basic knowledge though to fully understand.The only con i would consider is that scope is only limited to typical residential wood construction.For project details of bigger size and greater complexity you need to look further. 3 stars (It's Ok, There are Better Books) - It is all about graphics in this book, a method of presenting that I enjoy but it needs some text and why behind those graphs. There are much better references out there on the subject than this book. ...
Taunton :: House & Home & Reference :: Wooden-frame buildings :: House & Home :: Home Improvement & Construction :: Framing (Building) :: Drawings :: Do-It-Yourself - Carpen :: Graphic Guide to Frame Construction - Details for Builders and Designers

 

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction

3 stars ( The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction ) - Not for beginners...The book is beautifully done as far as construction, pictures, binding, etc. but needs a little more about basic tools. E.G. Coping saw is used for coping. O.K.? If your looking for the basics this isn't it. John 4 stars (Just misses 5 stars by a small planet.) - I have nothing but good to say about this book, and concur with all the other positive comments from other reviewers. The reason I can't give it 5 stars is that I COULD put it down. There are other woodworking books, also designed as references, that were just so well done, and so well written, that this one just doesn't quite get there. (Two I'm thinking of are Scott Landis' The Workbench Book : A Craftsman's Guide to Workbenches for Every Type of Woodworking and Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner.) This is a wonderful book that you should buy. Just make sure you get the other two as well! 4 stars (An Excellent book meant to be used in the shop) - This book shows all the techniques that can be used to build cabinets, which is the structure most furniture is built from. It is abondantly illustrated, is not necessarily targeted at accomplished enthusiast (I only own a few power and hand tools, no table saw, jointer, planer, and still do not feel left behind when reading this book), and well chaptered. It is not meant to be read from page 1 to page 300, but rather on a when-needed basis. I would have liked it to be a bit more developped on each subject, but at 300 pages it is already a big book. Recommended for everyone, perhaps especially for those who are rather new to woodworking. ...
Taunton :: Crafts & Hobbies & Woodwork :: Woodworking :: Woodwork - Furniture&Cabinetry :: House & Home :: Furniture making :: Furniture :: Do-It-Yourself :: Design & Construc :: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction

 

Taunton-s Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing Complete Illustrated Guide Series

1 stars (REfinishers need not apply) - In reading information on the author--that he runs a finishing and refinishing business--I thought this book would contain help in boths areas. I was misled and this book is of no use to me. My plans were to REfinish a houseful of oak cabinets and for information on that, I will now have to look elsewhere. For someone wanting to finish new, never before finished wood, this book looks very complete and detailed. 5 stars (Great book, great pictures, super informative) - A great a-z guide on finishing, clear pictures and well written. So much information to absorb, maybe too much. I've reread it many times and use it often as a reference. The best finishing book Iv picked up so far 5 stars (Great for us beginners!) - I have been woodworking for about 6 years now but only as a hobbiest. I loved this book because even though I have several other finishing books this one was much more through. It gives several options on how to do just about every aspect of finishing. I loved the index in this book. It actually has a photo for each of the chapter showing what it pertains to. Another wonderful feature of this book are the step-by-step photos within each chapter. Great "how to" photos. ...
Taunton :: Crafts & Hobbies & Woodwork :: Woodworking :: Woodwork - Furniture&Cabinetry :: Woodfinishing :: House & Home :: Furniture finishing :: Do-It-Yourself :: Crafts & H :: Taunton-s Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing (Complete Illustrated Guide Series)

 

Not So Big Solutions for Your Home

5 stars (Very helpful) - I found this book to be very insightful for me as a new homebuilder. While the book is a collection of magazine articles that Susanka has written in the past, they contain ideas that are refreshing and useful. I have a new direction in the way I think about the design of my house, and I can appreciate the value of maximising space, as well as building the house to suit my particular lifestyle. i would recommend this for any potential homebuilder, or renovator. 5 stars (Bigger is not always better...quality counts!) - Our guiding philosophy and inspiration. An engaging and intelligent defense of building (and renovating) smarter, not bigger. Sarah Susanke has made a career of promoting traditional design principles in a way that speaks to modern situations (many of us can't afford new, huge houses) and responds to the "McMansions" craze that continues to sweep the US. She has a wonderful sense of how to maximize space for personal use. She advocates for built-in furniture, design built around daily activities, and open light-filled design. She had us at "Most architects are afraid to say...'You don't need an addition, you need a cleaning service." She doesn't want to clean out your bank account. She wants you to make the most of what you have...and if you follow her ideas, you will. 5 stars (Useful Information from a Pioneering Voice) - Within a very short time, Sarah Susanka has had a profound impact on the way families approach the design of their home. Eschewing the "bigger is better" model that drives the profits of developers and mass production builders, Sarah Susanka has introduced a new vocablary of user-centered design that focuses on the details that make for a pleaant living experience. Her "smaller is better" philosophy is based on often overlooked details like window size, providing built-in spaces for daily activities, creating "comfort zones" by varying ceiling heights and room lighting, and a myriad of other simple-in-...
Taunton :: House & Home & General :: Interior architecture :: House construction :: House Plans :: House & Home :: Home Improvement & Construction :: Domestic architecture :: :: Not So Big Solutions for Your Home

 

Wiring a House For Pros By Pros

5 stars (Sweet!) - Rex Cauldwell is not only a master electrician, but a good writer too. This book is an informative and pleasant read. Highly recommended to any and all. 5 stars (If you need to wire your house--get this!) - It's a great book. I read it cover to cover and accomplished my projects. I'm even thinking I could wire a house. :) 5 stars (Outstanding book indeed!) - I would not consider this a beginner's book at all, although, a do-it-yourselfer with some inclination towards electricity could and would definitely benefit from having this book as a reference. I enjoyed reading this book because I didn't have to wade through the waters of electrical theory just to pick up tips of the trade from another pro. It's enjoyable and pleasant reading and someone who has worked with electricity (I am a licensed electrian) can enjoy Mr. Cauldwell's "electrical humor" while maintaining respect for electricity. I believe this book is "for pros by a pro, and, in reading it, you might be abe to obtain an overall, different perspective in which to execute electrical installations beginning with choice of tools, color-coding wire, selection of products, or, simply toting your tools around in a little red wagon vs. carrying them on your hip. I also appreciate his "theme" of safety throughout the entire book. There is nothing I didn't like about this book and I received a "red wagon" full of ideas and tips for a more than reasonable fee. Thank you Mr. Cauldwell! ...
Taunton :: House & Home & Reference :: House & Home :: Home Improvement & Construction :: Electric wiring :: Interior :: Do-It-Yourself - Electrical :: Do-It-Yourself :: Rex C :: Wiring a House (For Pros By Pros)

 

The Not So Big House Collection- The Not So Big House and Creating the Not So Big House

4 stars (Unique Slant) - It's evident Ms Susanka has fashioned a niche for sleek, tasteful and refined living. She seperates style from fashion with a keen eye set for timeless architecture. She stresses quality over quantity in square footage. I was pleased with the quality of these books. 5 stars (These books will NOT save you money.) - It's not about that. If you're looking for information on building a smaller, lower cost home, these books won't help much. In general, the author's message is to spend MORE per square foot, and learning to get more use out of a smaller space. On the other hand, if you like your neighborhood, but feel you need a bigger house, these books may give you some ideas on remodeling (instead of moving) - which could save you a lot of money by not buying a bigger home that you hate just as much as your old one. I think these are fantastic books. Excellent photos and floor plans illustrate each point in a crystal clear fashion. The author starts with a few basic concepts and shows their execution in various ways in different houses. A great tool for anyone planning to buy, build or remodel. In the editions I received, both books have 10" x 10" pages. Excluding the Introductions, Afterward, etc... First book: 187 pages; probably more photos than text; medium-large, easy-to-read print. This covers the basic concepts with dozens of examples. Second book: 250 pages; probably more photos than text; medium print (a bit smaller than the first book, but still easy to read). This book focuses on 25 different homes, highlighting the key features of each. 5 stars (GREAT FOR BUDGET and IDEALISTIC MINDED! yes, both.) - Building a home: GET ALL YOUR DETAILS IN THE CONTRACT PRIOR TO STARTING, (INCLUDING PRICING OUT YOUR ALLOWANCES TO ENSURE THE BUILDER HAS PUT ENOUGH ALLOWANCE IN CONTRACT), MAKE A BUDGET-Detailed, and get these books: These books have been the cornerstone of our building project. True, she has advice that is for both large...
Taunton Press :: House & Home :: Domestic :: Do-It-Yourself :: Design & Construction :: Architecture :: Sarah Susanka :: :: The Not So Big House Collection- The Not So Big House and Creating the Not So Big House

 

Understanding Wood - A Craftsman-s Guide to Wood Technology

5 stars (a craftsman's guide to wood technology) - This book gives a great account of all the properties of wood and even shows why different woods are better for different applications. I was able to select the best wood for an application in which I was using wood for a bearing surface. This is a great book. 5 stars (New Edition combines the best of several Undergraduate txt.) - As a professional Wood Scientist, I wholeheartedly recomment this updated book for wood identification of softwoods, domestic and exotic hardwoods(colored side by side photos), basic engineering princilpes, utilization, and general wood principles. For my oral exam in graduate school, I was advised to memorize this book and neglect all others. The advice was good! 5 stars (The theory of woodworking) - I can honestly say that this book is for everyone who works with wood, from the occasional home whittler or handyman to the professional creating engineered lumber. It covers every aspect of the material, starting with the way a tree's growing environment affects the lumber product. Hoadley gives a variety of different points used in identifying the wood's species. He then discusses the effects of cutting green wood in different ways, drying it (how-to, how long, when it's done, etc), and machining it. Hoadley doesn't discuss woodworking machines per se, but gives a lot of attention to the interaction of blade and material. He shows the details of how cutting tools affect the visible surface of the wood, and the problems that can come from poor edges, blade angles, pressure, and other factors. He also discusses joining pieces of wood, gluing them, and finishing them. There is so much here that it's omissions are more noteworthy. It discusses glue joints, but says very little about specific adhesives. That's fair - there are so many, for so many purposes, that the topic deserves an encyclopedia of its own. Also, the adhesives and bonding techniques used commercially are very differ...
Taunton :: Crafts & Hobbies & Woodwork :: Woodworking :: Woodwork - General :: Woodwork :: Wood :: House & Home :: Hobbies&Crafts :: Crafts & Hobbies :: R Bruce Hoadley :: :: Understanding Wood - A Craftsman-s Guide to Wood Technology

 

Insulate and Weatherize - Expert Advice from Start to Finish Taunton-s Build Like a Pro

5 stars (Essential reading for every homeowner!) - Insulating your house is fraught with dangers and there are lots of sharks out there only too delighted to take your money and ruin your house. Although I am still learning this stuff, I'm still confident that I know more than most of the insulation contractors that have come through my door. Scary, isn't it? The dangers of doing it wrong aren't just a waste of money. There is a real risk of mold in the short term and rot in the long term. Read this book, but let it be your first step. See the Taunton forums at their web page, the Building Sciences Corp web page, and do your homework before you let anyone do anything to your house. I agree with a previous reviewer that a weakness of this book is its lack of step-by-step guides, and as a complete novice on house construction I had to look elsewhere for some of the terminology. But I'm still giving it 5 stars just because it has so much important information, to counteract all the misinformation and misconceptions out there. 3 stars (Very useful overview, but not a step-by-step manual) - This was one of the first books that I bought after purchasing an older, leaky home. And not having insulated a house for ten years or so, and knowing many people with rigid-insulated McMansions, it was a relief to see a book that treats insulation as something to be planned, like any other infrastructural component, not just done ad hoc. Like other Taunton publications, this one is nicely laid out and designed. However, as an amateur, I wanted to see a game plan that I could follow, including which tasks I could be expected to do reasonably well myself, and which things should be left to a professional. Sure, this advice is scattered in the content, but having something like a checklist and timetable would make this a great reference, not just a great overview. 5 stars (Clears up common misconceptions about insulation) - I am very pleased with this book. In addition to covering...
Taunton :: House & Home & Reference :: Sealing (Technology) :: Repair :: Insulation :: House & Home :: Home Maintenance And Repair :: Home Improvement & Construction :: Dwelli :: Insulate and Weatherize - Expert Advice from Start to Finish (Taunton-s Build Like a Pro)