1 comments about The Outdoor Room.

1. If you're looking for ideas for your own outdoor room, this probably isn't a good book for you. It's a lovely looking book and has a few really nice things, but like many books of this kind, it doesn't actually have that many ideas to offer.

4 comments about New Complete Home Landscaping.

1. Over 950 photographs and watercolor paintings illustrate New Complete Home Landscaping, a step-by-step guide for amateur and professional landscapers alike. Internationally recognized garden writer Catriona Tudor Erler discusses how to choose the right plants for one's climate and soil conditions, how to install a fence, when to fertilize and what fertilizer to use, fighting common diseases, how to transplant large trees and shrubs, and much more. Packed with pages and pages of detail and explicit constructions, New Complete Home Landscaping lives up to its title as an indispensable and well-rounded resource for anyone seriously contemplating a landscaping project.



2. This book touched on all aspects of gardening and landscaping - design elements and plans, water features, walls & fences, gazebos, decks and patios. It offers suggestions on plants and flowers appropriate for specific areas and climates. There is also a section with solutions to common problems. I highly recommend this book. The text gave me a lot of knowledge, while the pictures inspired me to start working on my own yard!



3. There are some interesting and workable ideas in the book. Before purchasing you might want to check out your local library first. I'm not disappointed with it however I think the layouts are more for the professional landscape/design area. There is even a section for making your own pesticides. It is a nice book to have on hand.



4. I got nothing from this book. It is big and heavy with not much information for me.

5 comments about Landscape Construction.

1. I found this book to be very thorough and detailed in its approach to a variety of landscape construction issues. It has detailed pictures and diagrams that illustrate the processes and make it easier to understand. The information is up to date, easy to read and a great learning tool for the student, professional or hobby person. As a landscape student, I find it a great resource book.



2. Just another really expensive textbook with no real information provided. The Better Homes and Garden series has much more how-to information, great photographs, and ten percent of the cost too.



3. I found clear concise information on this subject rare until discovered Mr. Sauter's Landscape Construction. There is a host of Better H & G / Sunset books available, but those are really idea/coffee table books written for the weekend warrior. If you really want to know the best-practices and standards for the industry, this is the reference for you. Great for the student and pro alike.



4. This book is full of incredible and professional information related to Landscape Construction. It's not meant to be a DIY book you'd get from Home Depot or Lowes. This book is meant for students and professionals wanting to learn best practices regarding Landscape Construction. Amateurs, landscape designers and architects can gain some valuable insights, too. We used this book as our textbook in the various landscape construction classes I took, studying to be a landscape designer.



5. I'm glad I decided to buy this book, despite its high price. Having just recently become a landscape designer/contractor, it proved invaluable many times in the course of our company's first big job. For example, the sections on stone paving were very helpful when we were building a flagstone patio, as they helped us select the best foundation and edging materials.
   
   I like the way the book is arranged, i.e. having a large section on paving, beginning with materials and site preparation for paving in general. This is followed by a chapter on each of the specific paving materials, such as concrete, unit pavers, dry laid stones, mortared paving, and granular paving.
   
   The extensive section on retaining walls, which I am about to take advantage of in our next job, is arranged similarly.
   
   This book is the industry standard. It is used as a text in City College of San Francisco, and it is also listed as a resource in the California Contractor's State License Board's Study Guide for the Landscaping (C-27) License Examination.
   
   So if you want to do landscape construction, I highly recommend this one.

5 comments about The Granite Kiss: Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls.

1. This is a wonderful book...it's about stone walls, and about building stone walls, and all the things stone walls have meant and done for 350 years, and what it feels like to live and work in a place where just past the urban sprawl every one of those 350 years blends with this one (and if you look out the corner of your eye there're older times than that hiding in the shadows.)

   It's not a homeowner howto, though it's got everything you can learn from a book. It's a book for masons who love their craft, New Englanders who love their home place, and anyone who likes good work. Whatever that means to you.




2. Of the half-dozen books I bought in preparation for recycling some of the old stonewalls up through the woods on our farm into a new retaining wall, this is my clear favorite. It is more detailed than John Vivian's Building Stone Walls, particularly when it comes to retaining walls. Because it is not as glossy and illustrated as Haywards' Stone in the Garden or David Reed's Stonescaping (which are, by the way, both excellent in their own right), I'm not as wary about taking it out to the project with me.

   The text is clear and concise, and includes a healthy dose of stone philosophy and the index is detailed enough to help the do-it-yourselfer find what he needs, but short enough so that he can find what he wants, even if he does not know the proper name for it.

   However, the main reason I like this book so much is Gardner's assurance that anyone who puts his mind to it -- which includes me -- can build a stone wall. While his respect for old stone walls and the art of building them is obvious, he also has a healthy dose of practicality. "The notion that all, or even most, of the old stone-work we see around New England is the result of concentrated applicaion of arcane skill," he write, " is demonstrably false." Once that sacred cow was out of the way, my confidence level went up and anything seemed possible.

   The black & white drawings that illustrate the text are clear and very helpful.




3. The Granite Kiss is an endearing look at the practical and esthetic aspects of creating and repairing stone walls. The book has an artistic quality with its extra wide pages with pen and ink drawings of walls under construction or old walls still standing. There are no photos.
   
   There is a feeling of working alongside the author while he idly rambles about the task at hand and jobs he has completed in his career. I especially enjoyed his nicknames for the various rock shapes likely to be found in any imperfect rockpile and the relationships the shapes may have to each other in a completed wall. All in all, stone wall building is a task of patience and persistance - which the author relays in topics such as: spreading the "good" rocks out; working with rocks that are not perfect blocklike shapes, time management; and what is likely to stand the test of time.
   
   This is a book to get you into the slow and methodical, but contemplative mood for learning and practicing this dying art.



4. I surprisingly enjoyed this book. I purchased a few other stone wall books with the intention of building my own wall. I originally did not buy this book because other reviewers indicated not any pictures & a few drawings (this is true). But it is a easy read & tells of the pleasure of building in addition to techniques.



5. I was excited to get this book, being from New England I was looking forward to having a stone wall book focused in that area. Unfortunately I was immediately let down when I received it. When I turned the pages I quickly noticed that there wasn't a single photo in the book! In my mind this is almost a crime, it would be like purchasing a book on sunsets and finding out there were only scattered black and white illustrations inside.
   Also, the most knowledge filled tidbits of information are quotes the author uses from other stone masons. I recommend their works instead; Charles McRaven's Stone Primer , and John Vivian's Building Stone Walls (a good mix of photos and illustrations, all in B&W, but less expensive than most.)

1 comments about Hideaways: Cabins, Huts, and Treehouse Escapes.

1. This book shows a lot of fine images of what a "hideaways" hut looks like. But I did't find any further drawings that can give me more helps...

4 comments about The Ultimate Guide to Spas and Hot Tubs : Troubleshooting and Tricks of the Trade.

1. If you are looking for info on Spas and Hot Tubs, don't buy this book.
   Most of the info and photos are for Pools and the info on pools is outdated. The only time you see spas explained is when they are part of a pool!
   This looks like a 1970's book on Pools reprinted with a new cover showing spas. I was looking for info on Portable spa heaters and pumps. The book goes into great detail on gas!!! fired water heaters, and concrete???? spas!!!!
   For all of you Portable spa owners.......beware!!!!!!



2. I own all of Tamminen's excellent pool and spa books. While I'm not a pool professional, I am a do-it-yourself person. Any question I have about installation, maintenance, and upkeep, I find the answers in Tamminen's books. I recommend this book to anyone with a spa or a hot tub. You'll find what you're looking for every time.



3. This is helpful to understand the operations and "guts" of a hottub/spa, but not helpful in making decisions on which brand or type to buy initially. Once you have one, it is helpful in doing repairs yourself, and optimally maintaining it.



4. Software appears to work, but I was unable to update it because of a malfunction. Do Not expect help form the vendor, as a matter of fact you will be fortunate to recieve an answer from them. In short buy at your own risk!!!

5 comments about Decks 1-2-3 (The Home Depot).

1. This book describes in a complete step by step process how to build a deck. All the information you need to know is contained within.



2. Wonderful reference book. I had little experience building anything, and I built myself a deck with this book. I learned as much from studying the photographs as from the text. Hihgly recommended.



3. If you only buy one book, buy 'Decks 1-2-3' from the Home Depot series. This book tells you darn near everything you will need to know to build a deck. Their attempts to sell you every tool imaginable are pretty transparent -- there are several pages devoted to listing the "essential" tools, all of which are conveniently available for purchase at your nearest Home Depot. However, the technical descriptions of the construction tasks are clearly illustrated and explained, and that's really what matters.

   I recently built a wooden deck in my backyard. For other suggestions and review, check out my 'So you'd like to...' guide.




4. This is quite simply an excellent book on deck building. I have read many, and overall I think it is the best. It is probably best for those of intermediate skill level (those they call "handy" in their 3-level self-rating scale) because my guess is that people with absolutely no construction or design knowledge probably won't find enough information to really understand what the structural issues are. For example, the joist/beam/post spacing tables are rather sparse: enough information to do the calculations if you know what you're doing, but probably difficult to figure out if you don't.
   
   However, for many of us, it's just the thing. One of my favorite parts is all the Work Smart hints scattered throughout the book. These are tips from pro builders giving ideas and information that us non-pro wouldn't know. There are even tips in there about what to do if you make a mistake in building.
   
   The pictures are great too, better than any other deck building book I've used. This is where the book really shines. They give you step-by-step instructions with full pictures of several different decks under construction. The concrete pouring sequence alone is worth the price of the book.
   
   Despite all the tools they list that are mentioned in a previous review, it seems pretty honest to me: for example, they tell you, under mixing your own concrete: Pros don't mix their own concrete, they get trucks to deliver it. Pretty good, considering that Home Depot sells concrete mix and all the tools required to mix it yourself!
   
   The only major thing I can think of that it doesn't cover is composite decking materials. These are all the rage nowadays, of course, but they require some changes in design. It would be nice to have information on these changes, and hopefully future editions will have this information.
   
   Overall, an excellent book, and well worth its price.



5. This book was so-so and I was glad I didn't pay full price for it. I don't think it covers the topic completely, as I was hoping for something that gave more examples and provided more pictures, descriptions of the different materials available, and a detailed discussion of estimated costs of building a deck, DIY or through a contractor.

2 comments about Build Your Own Birdhouses and Feeders: From Simple, Natural Designs to Spectacular, Customized Houses and Feeders.

1. Perkins begins the book with some backround bird and woodworking information that will be useful for the beginner. He then gets into plans for 19 houses and 7 feeders.

   Each project includes color photos of the completed house or feeder - these are not just the figments of a writer's imagination. There are detailed, measured, exploded color drawings of each house. His designs include several different methods of access for cleaning out the houses after each nesting period. I particularly like the "slide" designs - no tools or dropped screws to worry about.

   Some of these houses are so pretty, I don't know if I would want to put them out in the yard. I suppose with a little imagination, you could scale his designs to meet the needs of a variety of species. He has a breif, one page chart showing entrance sizes for some birds. He also show "slot" as well as round entrance options on some of his designs. I still keep referring back to Scott D. Campbell's "The Complete Book of Birdhouse Construction for Woodworkers" as a more complete technical reference. (See that review on Amazon.)

   Overall, this is a very good book on birdhouses, very inspirational for the imaginative bird "landlord." This book is profusely illustrated with color photos and drawings; it could be a "coffee table" book if you don't get it filled with sawdust!




2. No place in this book gives hole sizes for the birds you want to attract. Birds are very fussy about the size of the hole and also the size of the nesting cavity. I would consider this the worst book I have ever read on building bird house and feeders. I am glad I looked at it before I gave it to a friend. Not one practical bird feeder for wet and inclement weather. Beautiful bird houses, but no birds!

1 comments about Cool Pools and Hot Tubs.

1. This book has some innovative pools -- especially the one under a set of glass stairs in the entryway of a London building. There are indoor pools, outdoor pools, indoor-outdoor pools, the now-ubiquitous "infinite edge" pools and even "rustic" pools that look like natural ponds. Gorgeous! The book also covers Jacuzzis and pool-related structures, such as cabanas, waterfalls, and so on, but the focus here is high-end "cool" pools.

1 comments about Yard & Garden Furniture: Plans and Step-by-Step Projects.

1. I found the instructions to be very easy to follow, and crystal clear on the important points. A couple of the projects called for materials that are simply too difficult to find in my area, like 16-foot lengths of 2x. I know it exists, but when you're looking for something to make "furniture" you need better stuff than framing lumber. So, you're off to a specialty lumber yard, which isn't open after work hours, etc.
   
   So, 4 stars for a variety of projects and clarity of instructions then.