5 comments about Fireplace Decorating and Planning Ideas.

1. This book was everything I was hoping for & more! So much practical information and ideas. This book had ideas no matter where your fireplace is located or what your style is.



2. Like another reviewer said, The Fireplace Design Sourcebook by Melissa Cardona is a much better choice. Why he gave this book 5 stars anyway I can't figure out. I have over 20 postits marking pages in the other book and not a single one in this book. Not a single idea for the stone, mantle, or anything worth using. Way too much filler writing that didn't apply to anything, describing styles and types that are never applied in real world designs.
   
   "The Inglenook is a charmingly old-fashioned idea and the word itself is equally quaint. Ingle is a British word for..." Well, you get the idea.
   
   I can see the point that this book has a good decorating focus, but I still don't think it is a great book even for that and if you are just looking for fireplace ideas I think you will find this lacking.



3. The Better Homes & Gardens book "Fireplace Decorating & Planning Ideas" is an excellent book. We are building a new home, and were looking for fireplace designs for ideas. There is also a lot of "how to" information, in which we weren't particularly interesed, but the book gave us some good ideas. An even better book, for our application, which we ordered at the same time, is a Schiffer Book by Melissa Cardona entitled "The Fireplace Design Sourcebook" It has more photographs, and an enormous variety of fireplace designs to peruse.



4. This is the best fireplace book I have seen. First of all the book has hundreds of beautiful and varied fireplace pictures. The pictures are great because they show the fireplaces in the home, decorated, and with the home furnishings around them. They are all warm and inviting although very different. The text of the book flows well also. First it helps even a novice decorator find the styles that work with your personality and home. Then it breaks down fireplace ideas by the different living areas in the house.



5. My wonderful brother built a beautiful fireplace mantel and surround for me. I got my inspiration from this great book. I also use it for ideas for decorating the mantel - I love to change the look often.

2 comments about New Classicists: Ken Tate Architect, Selected Houses Volume Two.

1. good and nice book unfortunately it wasn't properly protected and it arrived a bit damaged like some of the other books that came in the order
   Hope next time I receive an order with better handling and shipping



2. The projects shown are extremely well executed.
   
   The book combines photographs and drawings in a way that allows the reader to actually learn something about residential design.

5 comments about The Doors of San Miguel De Allende.

1. There is no doubt that this book contains fine photography of a very interesting subject. I just wish, however, I paid more attention to the product description: Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches. This is not a coffee table book, and each photograph is 4.25 x 6.5 inches. So don't expect a book of the dimension that usually does justice to these types of photos. Let's just say that I wish I had a much larger format with which to enjoy the author's work.
   
   That said and out of the way, the author/photographer hits the mark exactly with a very intriguing facet of Old Mexico and the charming colonial city of San Miguel de Allende. Cities like this have an ancient patina to them, something that only history and time can impart. Like most art, you either get it or you don't, and this author gets it.
   
   The book isn't a metaphor to life inside the city, it is exactly what the title states - a collection of beautifully photographed handcrafted doors. But there is more; even if you have not made the journey to Old Mexico, you begin to know it by the faces of these doors. Much like human faces, there is embedded in each a perspective of a life lived and served, and serving, such that the reader/observer begins to wonder about the depths of the soul of each residence.
   
   I have been to San Miguel de Allende on one of several motorcyle journeys through Mexico. It is a land of enchantment, wonderful history, lively tradtions, excellent food, and most of all, a rich culture and some of the most vibrant, friendly people in all the world. They literally open their hearts - and doors - to all who travel and visit with humility and respect.
   
   This book deserves a larger footprint to display the author's work. But since it does not, I hope it serves as a teaser to those who have never been to San Miguel, or Guanajuato, or Zacatecas and the like - to go and see, and open, doors both literally and figuratively to a world so close yet so far away. Viva Old Mexico!



2. but if not, you'll be bored senseless.



3. This book was purchased as a gift for me. I am a subscriber to International Living, and San Miguel is a long-time favorite of theirs.
   
   I mentioned this, and the way the city had piqued my interest, to a family member. She then promptly went online and ordered this book for me.
   
   It is for this reason that I issue the following warning: the title should be taken LITERALLY, not figuratively.
   
   It could be read either way, but this book is NOT about opening the metaphorical doors to life in San Miguel. You will not look in these pages and then find the metaphorical doors to San Miguel thrown open to your understanding and appreciation. You will not learn about expat or local life in this historical city. And you will not find yourself frequently referring back here as you plan your trip or your move.
   
   What you WILL find, seriously, is heaps about the actual physical doorways on buildings in San Miguel.
   
   If you WANT the world's premiere photo-essay collection about the doorways in San Miguel, then this is a five-star tome all the way. Look all you want, you won't find better. If you want info about the city and culture of this red-hot expat community, look elsewhere.



4. If you are looking for rustic colonial or American Southwest doors then this book is a must buy. - jim



5. If you are looking for information about San Miguel, this book does NOT provide it! Very little written...too many door photos!

3 comments about Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service Through Architecture.

1. This is my first "review" of a book I didn't read because the print was too small. I'm hoping more people who share this issue will complain via their reviews and publishers will get the message.
   
   I order most of the books I read from the library, so I don't know if a book is "readable" till I get it. I don't need "large print" books, but there's no excuse for a 6"x9" paperback book to use print this small.



2. Bell's book neatly encapsulates all the best thinking being done on the cutting edge where architecture meets social consciousness. Probably nobody in the United States is more qualified to address the subject of architecture for the less-advantaged, and its potential for positive impact in their lives. As a young man, Bell left a highly prestigious position in New York to live in a cold-water cabin in Pennsylvania and formulate ideas about the role architecture might play in the lives of those not traditionally served by good design. Bell gained influence as the founder of Design Corps and a teacher at the Rural Studio, and has since become a sought-after lecturer. "Good Deeds, Good Design" collects the best thinking about socially-conscious design in one compact book. It should be required reading for both students and practitioners interested in this burgeoning area of architecture.



3. Good Deeds, Good Design challenges the reader to re-think, or at the very least further refine his perspective on architecture for those who cannot afford an architect. While all the essays promote the premise that the enhancement of life by good design should be made available for those who can least afford it, they approach the "how","what" and even the "why" questions from very different perspectives.

   Bell has done an excellent job of compiling these very different points of view in order to make the reader think. I have thought about some point or other from the essays almost every day for the past two weeks, and may well mull many of them over for years.

   The great stories told by the case studies, like the elderly native american woman who moved from living in a school bus to a home, or the village which was given a place to gather and to worship, inspire the reader to take up the cause and act. This book should be required reading for every student of architecture (and probably for every public policy wonk as well).

No comments about Brannigan's Building Construction for the Fire Serivce Student Workbook.

5 comments about Modular Mansions.

1. The book was a very basic overview of the modular construction process with a few pictures to supplement. It was not worth the money.



2. Modular Mansion is a great book for prospective homeowners to see what can be done with modular (system built) construction. System built homes are the way to go. It's faster, better, and more energy efficient than on site construction.
   
   My hat is off to Sheri for the great book she put together. First class well done.
   
   Jerry Rouleau
   Terryville, CT



3. Sheri Koones' book shows proof of the benefits, customization and capabilities of modular construction and has been a great publication for this growing industry. As the Executive Director of the Modular Building Systems Council of NAHB, our members have felt a lot of pride in the success this book has had, and the notoriety it has brought to the industry. It is a great book for builders and homeowners alike, whether you own a modular home or are considering purchasing one.



4. I purchased this book along with another book about "modular" homes by the same author titled "Prefabulous: The House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh from the Factory". I am terribly disappointed by both the books and I am leaving this same exact review for the other book as well.
   
   The book is nothing more than pretty pictures. It offers very little in substance. While the book does profile several large houses constructed in a modular fashion, the author seem to have neither the inclination nor the construction background to discuss the meat and potatoes issues. The book is sprinkled with platitudes and how various home owners chose to decorate their homes. I would have liked to see discussions about how the actual construction was accomplished, what the pitfalls have been, some rudimentary floor plans etc. An in-depth profile of at least one of the houses including perhaps a sit-down with the architect as to how the pieces fit together would have been better than the sheer fluff that fills the pages.
   
   It seems the author was exposed to the modular way of building homes rather by accident and while she seems genuinely enthusiastic about this method, she does not possess proper education/training/experience to guide a reader properly. Instead, she chose to produce this coffee table book that is pretty to look at but offers little else. I was suckered by the promise of modular homes into ordering both the "coffee table" books by this author at the same time and both are equally disappointing.
   
   Modular type of construction does offer some promise in very specific cases for an educated home owner/builder that can take advantage of the efficiencies of this method while avoiding the various pitfalls. But do not buy these books expecting to be educated. You are better of researching somewhere else where true professionals offer advice in this area.



5. probably, the writer doesn't have any background of architecture. i am very disappoited.

5 comments about The Home Decorator's Bible.

1. If you have any quetitons about interior decorating, this book will give you the answers. Some of the pictures seem a little outdated, but all in all it's a great book. There are wonderful examples and explanations of the "technical" part of decorating. I'm very pleased to have this book in my personal library and will refer to it often.



2. The book covers just about everything but I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.



3. I tell you this is one of the best books about interior design I've ever seen! Just grab it and be inspired of all the ideas!



4. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone who intends to decorate or remodel their home. As the slipcase states, it is an unrivaled visual sourcebook with almost 1,000 color photos and illustrations.

   It is not just full of prety pictures of someone else's house decorated by experts, but full of projects you can do yourself as you are led through the steps, details and directories of where you can obtain the materials.

   I've had this book since it came out and have shown it to many friends who have gone out and bought their own copies. An indespensible book for anyonew thinking of undertaking a project themselves, or to afford them the ideas and knowledge to have others do the work for them.




5. This is the most informative decorating book I've come across. It tells you how to do and make everything you could possibly need for your home with easy to follow instructions. It's inspirational!

1 comments about Toward a New Regionalism: Environmental Architecture in the Pacific Northwest.

1. This just was not what I expected to get from the attached description. The book is not bad just not what I was looking for.

5 comments about Roofing The Right Way.

1. Like many roof texts, this one is helpful if you are installing plain 3-tab shingles to a simple gable roof with maybe a valley and a dormer.
   
   If you have a hip roof or hip roof section, or if you are installing shingles other than a plain 3-tab type, this text won't help you much.
   
   I'm a chronically addicted do-it-yourselfer for everything. I learn everything by gathering multiple texts on a subject: electronics, mechanics, carpentry, among others ... and now roofing.
   
   I think that no single textbook tells you all you need to know about anything so I have to recommend that you not rely on just one text for your roofing project. With that in mind, let me say that this text I'm reviewing titled "Roofing the Right Way" is helpful towards broadening your roofing knowlege base but it's not comprehensive enough to be your "bible."
   
   As another reviewer has said, this text feels, to me also, a little dated. However, if you are installing plain 3-tab shingles or plain roll roofing to a simple gable roof, you might be able to rely on this text alone. Not many of us fall into that category, however. If you are installing dimensional shingles on a hip roof, you'll definitely need other texts besides this one.



2. This book does a decent job of explaining roofing to the novice. It covers all the basics of planning, tear-off, prep, and installation, including a variety of specific types of roofs and sections. It felt a bit dated to me as it has very limited coverage of laminated (architectural) shingles and use of power nailers. There is a greater amount of detail on hand-nailing and alternative traditional materials than you see in some other books. The pictures are all in black-and-white which makes it very hard to tell what is supposed to be conveyed. More drawings or color photos would make things easier, particularly given that some of the methods are complex and the descriptions aren't always written clearly. All-in-all this book is adequate to the task for most do-it-yourselfers, but may not be ideal depending on your specific project.



3. This book is loaded with helpful pictures to assist any DIY with a roofing project. I gave it only 4 stars because the BUR section is too brief with no cold app section and the use of cap nails is pictured but not in text for BUR. The book was still helpful in many areas that are part of BUR. If you are doing shingles, buy this book. If you are doing BUR, buy this book and consult your manufacturer's website and technical division for installation instructions and questions.



4. This book has much info on traditional roofing methods, but if you want useful, up to date info on applying metal roofing, forget it! In this whole book, there are only a handful of pages dedicated to metal roofing( and even they appear outdated). I was very disappointed ...had nothing useful on metal roofing!



5. Because to date 25 of 26 people found misleading comments submitted by a "reader from upstate New York" to be "helpful," I would like to respond. I assure you that the upstate New York reader's comments are completely without merit. Apparently, this individual never actually took the time to read my book. No text, caption, or illustration in my book promotes "poor roofing techniques" or "directs you to flash with roofing cement." My book describes accepted roofing-industry practices and proven techniques. Such standard industry practices includes the appropriate, limited application of roofing cement to enhance the weatherproofing of metal or other roof-surface flashings. For unbiased comments about my book, please see the many posted editorial reviews from sources such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and Midwest Book Review.

3 comments about XS: Big Ideas, Small Buildings.

1. This book is about creativity and innovation; not just small-house-designing, but compact-space-creation. It contains not only residential projects, but also public facilities (e.g., bus stops) and objects (e.g., stunning tents), plus some "think-outside-the-box" structures for extream weather (e.g., north pole), remote locations, unusual situations (e.g., floating on a river) and pure entertainment (a pocket-size [before use] inflatable space). It also includes all the information about the architects and designers and the prices (generally very cheap, the inflatable space only costs about 5 franc!). However, I would like to have more informatin about those designs, maybe more pictures or text to get a more complete 3D feeling of those spaces.
   
   I discovered this book in a bookstore. After skimming through it, I immediately decided to order one copy. If you want to find some recent architecture and building cases, you'd better get some other books or buy some magazines. But if you want to know how far architecure and design can go and want to experience some intellectural stimulation, then get this book. You will be enlightened.



2. I found this book while doing a newsstand project for my studio class. I was interested in seeing how other designers had tackled the high level of detail that becomes necessary when creating a small structure (and get some inspriation for my own project along the way). I wasn't disappointed. Although I usually like to see more process sketches in architecture books (Xs is completely lacking in this regard), the variety, creativity and inventiveness of the projects exhibited won me over. The different uses of materials are especially diverse and inspiring. The photographs are thoughtful and do a good job of showing much of the detail that makes these structures interesting in the first place. The text is well-written (I consider any architecture writing not filled with euphemisim and jargon a godsend), and the quotes from the designers is insightful. I started showing Xs to other architects in my firm and it quickly became a hit. It is, above all else, an accessable, fun book.



3. This is a nice little book, well put together, of some unique projects you might not otherwise see because they are so small. It isn't very indepth on any of them, no more that 3-4 pics usually. Contains a lot of projects with novel use of materials, most are built pretty cheap too.
   It is good general book and worth... I think.