5 comments about The Treehouse Book.

1. I really liked the whole book, but I especially liked the part about kids treehouses. Some of them were homemade, and some of them were built by an artist. Before I read the book, I was wondering what different treehouses look like. I thought the treehouses with a loft and a ladder would be lots of fun to explore. Some of the treehouses were hotels. One of the treehouses was built by a robber! He had used it as a place to store his disguises. I thought it was a very good book.



2. This is the third book from Peter Nelson of Treehouse Workshop. His previous two delved in depth into treehouse construction. This work is more a survey of the many wonderful treehouses to be found throughout the world. It is crammed with quality color photographs and, unlike a previously reviewed work, has a unifying narrative throughout.
   
   Peter starts you off with a very useful section entitled "Choice of Tree". There he briefly touches upon suitability of various tree species to treehouse construction and provides a mini sketch of each tree species with a treehouse. Immediately after comes some very accurate arboriculture advice from Jonathan Fairoaks. It's nice to find a treehouse book that gets this part right for a change.
   
   For me, the real value of this book is in the tour it takes you on of many notable treehouse. I bring this book to meetings with clients so they can see the many incredible things possible. And for those who've never considered it possible that a treehouse could be any more than a small, roughly built box, this book will blow their minds.
   
   What this book lacks is building advice. It's not a "how-to" book. There really is no great "how-to" book out there. Even so, highly recommended.



3. This book has the best pictures and if your looking for ideas
   and inspiration, this is the book to buy.



4. This book along with Treehouses of the World are inspirational page after page. If you are a fan of treehouses, this book is a must in your collection.



5. This book is just as good as the front cover picture suggests: pie-in-the-sky treehouses. The kind that you dreamed about as a kid? Its obvious from this book that some adults still think about and make their dreams become beautiful structures in reality. If you ever wanted a pictoral book of treehouses representing your wildest imaginations, this is the book for you!

5 comments about Bungalow Style: Creating Classic Interiors in Your Arts and Crafts Home.

1. My wife and I appreciated this detailed book and incorporated many ideas we found in our new (old) residence



2. I was very excited to get this book as we plan to incorporate some craftsman style elements into the 1970s bungalo we're buying. The interiors in the photos were not terribly attractive and leaned towards kitschy. Unless you want to turn you house into a museum to 20th century cheasiness, don't buy this book.



3. This is a good book if you are looking at remodeling a craftman type home or if you are planning to build one. I did like some of the idea's and the pictures.



4. If you are planning any kind work where you are going using allot of wood this is a great book, it is full of ideas. The photos have great detail. One of best books I have on Craftsman/Arts& Crafts interiors.



5. So you've bought a bungalow--now, what do you do with it? Maybe it's a fixer-upper; maybe it's too small, or doesn't have enough storage space; maybe you're just not sure what kind of furniture to get. This book is a great start toward deciding where to go next. Illustrated with hundreds of full-color photographs, it shows not only many of the features by which you can tell an Arts & Crafts house when you see it (I was surprised to learn that the big old foursquares such as my grandparents lived in for 40 years are included in this classification), but gives actual ideas carried out by other homeowners, even unto before-and-after floor plans. The author's advice is thoughtful and well suited to the houses she writes about, too. And if you just like to look at pictures of vintage American homes, this would be a good volume to add to your collection.

5 comments about Concrete at Home.

1. In CONCRETE AT HOME, concrete designer Fu-Tung Chen does just this, sharing with his readers the many creative uses he's found for concrete over the years. Floors, walls, countertops, sinks, fireplaces - Chen covers them all, with a decided flair for the fanciful.
   
   I approached CONCRETE AT HOME as a first-time homeowner who was toying with the idea of ripping out all of my home's flooring and staining the concrete slab underneath. And, I should specify, hiring a pro to do so, since I'm not the DIY type (at least not when it comes to the single largest investment of my life). It was with this newbie curiosity that I devoured CONCRETE AT HOME.
   
   Though I found CONCRETE AT HOME to be somewhat helpful and very enjoyable, it didn't totally quench my thirst for all that is concrete. Chen can't quite seem to decide on an intended audience in CONCRETE AT HOME; while he aims to explain the basics of concrete to average Janes like myself, he also includes advanced instructions for professionals. As a result, the book has a kind of schizophrenic quality. Although Chen does take the time to explain some of the fundamentals, it's not as complete or in-depth enough to qualify CONCRETE AT HOME as a Concrete 101 text. On the flip side, I imagine that concrete professionals will be equally dissatisfied with the brief instructions Chen includes for complicated concrete projects - such as working with forms and building walls (!). In trying to please everyone, I suspect Chen's resulting treatise will fall short of everyone's expectations.
   
   Even so, CONCRETE AT HOME is a must-read for those interested in concrete and its applications. It may be a bit spotty in coverage, but it's by far one of the most interesting, engaging, and inspiring concrete books I've yet to come across.
   
   Now I can't wait to get started on those floors!



2. I love this book- i own it as well as his original concrete counter top book and both work well as a team- this is a great book with interesting ideas and enough pictures and commentary to allow a DIYer to figure it out and turn out a successful product.



3. This book has given me an insight into what is available out there in the concrete world. Good book for the beginner trying to make concrete into an art piece.



4. WOW! Rare is the book that fulfills a professional carpenter's point of view and sound principles of design at the same time. Anyone who wants to know more about concrete formwork and designing owe it to themselves to buy this book. As for me I will watch for the next book by Fu-Tung Cheng as I expect it to yet again be a high caliber publication.



5. Very diverse examples of finished / polished concrete. Also includes some basic how-to projects.

5 comments about Interior Graphic Standards.

1. I got this book well before I thought I was going to and it was in amazing condition :)



2. If I had to keep but one reference book on my shelf as a Professional Interior Designer, this would be the book. It contains in-depth and well-formatted information on virtually every subject in the field, and the graphics are outstanding. One of the authors, Maryrose McGowan, is a powerhouse and has done a remarkable job with this guide and I hope she comes out with many other useful books to advance the profession. This book has quickly replaced several books I previously owned that attempted to do what this book has done with great simplicity, completeness, and accuracy.
   
   The chapters are well-organized, the graphics are abundant, clear, and easy-to-understand, and they contain information from all ends of the spectrum. The price tag of the book is steep, but well worth the investment. Save your pennies and make a point of buying this book, or look for used versions as they come available on Amazon.com. You will be glad to have this book in your collection!



3. This book is very helpful for upcoming designers. It gives you standard codes for everything you could imagine. Very helpful when doing my design projects.



4. If your an Interior Designer or practicing to be one this book should be amongst the many in your personal library. The details are well written and displayed.



5. I've purchased this book for 2 companies that I've worked for and for myself as well. I am an Interior Designer and find Interior Graphic Standards to be extremly resourceful and helpful when it comes to design & planning. It covers a wide range of topics such as basic electrical, mechanical, accessibility standards, plumbing fixture considerations; material finish's, door frames/types, acoustics, etc. and provides enough information on each subject so that you understand what is required to plan. My only complaint is that in many cases, measurements and dimensions are not shown where you would think they should exist. That being said, I highly recommend the book for people of all levels in this industry.

5 comments about The New Bungalow Kitchen.

1. We recently remodeled the kitchen in our 1927 bungalow. We were a bit lost early on, finding only occasional examples in the dozen or so kitchen books that we used. This book offers details of 17 bungalow kitchens of many shapes and styles, and one (#13, if you're interested) provided the inspiration for our design.



2. What a joy to pick up a book and see photos of lovely kitchens in my size -- meaning, not McMansion. I am so disheartened by all the kitchen porn featuring 48 inch ranges under huge hoods behind islands with seating for six! Though the book specifically references the bungalow style, the photos and narrative describe how the Colonials and Tudors evolved early in the century, and there is plenty of visual and descriptive information applicable to these styles too. I especially liked the emphasis on finding ways to use authentic materials and styling while incorporating modern appliances, from lighting to cooking and even surfaces. The earlier book, Bungalow Kitchens, took on a very proscriptive voice, for example, absolutely banning in-ceiling spot lights. New Bungalow Kitchens, by contrast, is much more ecumenical, recognizing it is no sin to want to acknowledge and utilize the best of the current offerings, and provides real guidance on how to accomplish this without blatantly violating the period aesthetic. There are lovely kitchens in both dark stained and light painted finishes. It seems the author has a few favorite kitchens that were pictured over and over throughout the book. But the ones he chose certainly bore up well in their close-ups. I got several ideas that I can actually use, in fact, probably more ideas than I can actually use.



3. A beautifully illustrated book full of good ideas for kitchen design.
   While the focus is on bungalow-style, much of the information could be applied to kitchens in any style home



4. Lush photos, sparking ideas for kitchen designs in arts-and-crafts bungalows, and crisp writing make this book a valuable tool for any bungalow owner contemplating a kitchen redesign. Even if you don't own a bungalow, the photos are worth the price of the book.



5. We finished building our new Craftsman home a few months ago. This book was very helpful in determining how we should create a kitchen that looked like it belongs in a bungalow, while keeping with modern conveniences. The chapters cover every detail from top to bottom, wall to wall, and there are beautiful photos that help you visualize each point. This book would be helpful for new homes like ours, and also for restorations. It shows how you can bring bungalow style to your home without it looking outdated and old. For me, this book was much more useful than "Bungalow Kitchens" by Jane Powell, which is more for the obsessive bungalow restorer. Peter LaBau shows you how you can utilize modern materials and conveniences in a "bungalow" way.

4 comments about Great Streets.

1. i love the drawing styles and methods presented in this book. i recommend it for anybody who loves buildings and great streets of our world.



2. This wonderful book consideres the civic street from many perspecitives and describes it with poetic attention. The author has spent days on these great streets and brings careful measurement and observation to his carefully crafted text. If everyone planning streets and highways in America read this book and visited one of two of these great streets, it would enable a huge improvement.

   This book studies the street not from the simple American perspecitve of high velocity traffic sewar, but from the realities of a place to hang out. eat lunch, shop, socialize, people watch, court, celebrate and be. The read how these places work in this book is to realize how much our desperate focus on the automobile costs us.

   Buy this book and photocopy some of its illustrations for your next public hearing on town planning.




3. This is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the study of urbanism.



4. ...this is a reference book in the sense that it mentions so many important and peculiar streets in the world, many of which, I'm sure, you've heard about or possibly even visited. Mr. Jacobs' accounts of his own travels and his feelings while strolling down those streets could even put this book in the travel journal caegory, complete with beautiful sketches by the author himself. Not only the sketches, but the technical and historical information, (like street dimensions, the schematic comparison of several different city plans worlwide and the decline of once great streets) establish this book as a constant source of information for Architects and Urban Planners, as well as students.

   I could clearly recognize the Traveler, the Urban Scholar and the Artist in Mr. Jacobs as I took a stroll down these great streets through the drawings and heartfelt passages of his book.

4 comments about Cabin in the Woods.

1. Visually stunning tour of wilderness get away's. The selection was excellent. One can only dream about owning any of these cabins.



2. Many thanks for stocking Cabin In The Woods. Amazon has it together as buyers can find books and music CDs to match or dreams. Author Ralph Kylloe has done it again for us dreaming of a rustic cabin hide away in the woods. The photos in the book are great as you get to see how others designed and furnished their cabin hide aways. The key to Kylloe's books is that he foucuses on the rustic wonders of living in a cabin. He's also an expert in natural furniture that goes so well in these rustic cabin settings. Keep up the good work Amazon. Your the greatest.



3. Wow! I loved this book. The pictures are the best yet in a Kylloe book. The architecture captured therein is amazing! I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the evolution of rustic architecture and the speed with which it is developing, just by perusing Ralph Kylloe's books over the last several years.
   
   First, a note about the dimensions of the book itself. It is only about half the size of previous Kylloe works. His books are usually the size of coffee table tomes, but this one is much more manageably small, and I have found myself pulling it out and looking at it much more.
   
   My favorite cabin in this book is the Copper Cabin. I have seen this cabin featured in two magazine articles and was impressed the first time I saw it reviewed. But the photography used in Cabin in the Woods to highlight this cabin is breathtaking. It is a small cabin, and in my favorite picture, Kylloe shows it overlooking a Montana mountain range. This particular effect highlighted the beauty of the design while also setting it perfectly within the Yellowstone Club in Montana where the cabin is located.
   
   Great book, Mr. Kylloe! I hope there are still more ideas in your head yearning to be published!!!



4. Will someone please beat this man with a stick and take away his yellow filter and indian blankets. All the outdoor photo's are very nice and clear. All the interior shots would leave one to believe every cabin or rustic home is lit by yellow lamps, and has a colorfull blanket draped in every room. Enough already. I have all his books and do enjoy the homes and cabins, but am sick of his constant use of yellow filters. Like having to much cleavage showing, no one wants to tell that person. Someone please tell this man his yellow cleavage is showing. Without the filter his book deserves a 5.

5 comments about Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House Revised & Updated(Habitat for Humanity).

1. Even if you're not building homes for Habitat for Humanity, the processes, hints and reference material from this book will help you build your own, add on or simply unravel the confusion of house building. I DO work for Habitat for Humanity and this book has been by my side for 8 of my 15 builds. It's one of the three references that I recommend to any of my new project leads. It's geared for the inexperienced volunteer not the professional. Don't build a home without it.



2. As a shop teacher I looked forward to receiving this book both from a practical sense, but also from a academic sense.
   
   You could practically build or do a remodel of an existing home with this book. Nice step-by-step processes and with good supporting pictures.
   
   There is information for the season contractor, builder as well as superb information for a 1st timer.
   
   With some basic building and tool knowledge a person could build a simple building or at the least be informed as to how to guide others in the process.
   
   Highly recommend



3. Excellent book to help beginners understand to 'How Tos" of house building.



4. This soft-covered manual provides a remarkably concise overview of the elements of home building from A to Z. I have been a weekly construction volunteer with Habitat for 5 1/2 years, so this book is particularly appropriate and useful. Don't expect any coverage of plumbing or electrical work, but the remaining trades are very well done. Foundations, floor systems, walls and roofs are all covered, explained well, and accompanied by good pictures. For non-Habitat purposes, there are ample applications that can benefit from this book. These would include shed construction, decks, door and sindow installations, etc. There are many other books that deal directly with projects such as decks, but this text is definitely helpful as an overview of home construction.



5. I am a complete novice and therefore I have looked at many books. Three things stood out about this book that I did not see anywhere else:
   1. It has a cookbook approach. After looking at other books I was not completely clear when in time to do what task. This book arranges all the tasks in the chronological order. That facilitated for grasping the whole process mentally before beginning to build.
   2. This book is exceptionally lucid, it is written in an unhurried language. The author has a gift for explanation.
   3. Finally, this book is inspirational. It is more than a house building it aims to teach - it teaches building a home as a small step toward betterment of the world.

5 comments about Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs.

1. Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs
   
   I've been collecting books on alternative building styles for a couple of years. I have to admit a fondness for those with a lot of glossy color photos, but I've got a few with pages & pages of how to, as well. Building Green, though, has the best of both. The author's style of writing is so easy to read and understand. It's a big book. He takes you through every step of building a sweet little green guest house. His sidekick, Tim, the conventional contractor turned green builder adds in his two bits to give you confidence that Clarke isn't just a dreamer. Start with this book and you might not need all the others!



2. My daughter and I purchased this wonderfully complete volume for a granddaughter who with her husband is moving to Oregon to build an eco-friendly home on a plot of land. This well-illustrated handbook should help a lot.



3. What a wonderful book! I love the way it is set out in two sections... the theory and the practical. The conversational style of writing means that I feel like I have a friend on hand, ready to talk me through the whole process, explaining terms, concepts and methods in a clear, concise way.
   I'd say if you are only planning to buy one book on alternative building methods, this should be the one.



4. This book is an excellent reference on how to build while taking the environment into consideration. I was really impressed with how they integrated traditional building techniques with Green Building techniques. The book covers what to think about before you even break ground, site work, foundation work, non chemical termite prevention, walls, windows, doors, roofing, flooring, and landscaping considerations. Where Green products make the most sense, they are used. In places where the authors chose a more traditional method (concrete in the foundation, small amounts of rebar, a mass produced new door, and timber roof trusses) they go into detail about why they chose that method (long term energy efficiency outweighing the initial energy cost of the raw materials). While grey water systems, rain catchment systems, composting toilets, and solar power systems are encouraged, they are not covered in any detail in this book. The demo house being built throughout the book is a tiny one room guest cottage, instead of a home that a family could live in (composting toilet outside) so that's why I only gave 4 stars. I would have loved to have seen a whole family home built, but maybe that would be several books.
   Not everyone can move to an ecovillage and live in a 200 sq ft cob home (even if they dream about it). This book brings green building into the reach of many more people and shows how to build a home that is much more likely to pass code and be a real possibility in today's society. I plan to use it as a guide when I build my own home in the future.



5. Myself, being in the building industry, really appreciated that there was a believer and a skeptic to write this book and build the house using the thoughts they had. I like the honesty of the authors and how they worked thru to a common goal, and shared each step along the way. I even found it to be a great book on general engineering, helpful in reminding me of things I already know, and reinforcing them in less conventional ways.
   This is a very hand's on book with loads of pictures and illustrations and for all of us with "pie in the sky" ideals, there is the balance of reality in time, costs, and functionality of green building.

3 comments about Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House.

1. Excellent pictures, beautiful book and fun to see all the different sizes, areas, and ideas about those homes that were around me in my childhood in Pacific Palisades/Brentwood. Loved the book - it was very well presented! I certainly didn't appreciate how inovative Cliff May's architecture was.



2. I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to all Cliff May owners and prospective owners. Gregory does a wonderful job of balancing academic research and analysis with colorful anecdotes about the man behind the homes. The photography is top-notch, especially the archived images brought to life from the past.



3. I bought this as a gift for my son and daughter-in-law as they live in a Cliff May that they need to update. They need to make changes to the kitchen but want to maintain the integrity of the design. They have both told me that this is a wonderful book and it has given them many good ideas. So, based on their recommendations, I would have to rate this highly. I am looking forward to a visit with them so I can actually see the book in person!!