No comments about Concrete Pavement Design, Construction, and Performance.

3 comments about Sandtiquity.

1. Breaking free from the typical "drippy castles" and sand bucket designs, the author reveals through photos how he and his family and friends build "monumental" architecture at the beach. Simple tools and instructions inspire you to get out your staight edge and head to the shore.

   A quick read. I hoped for more designs and specific how-to's of the various structures, but basic concepts are clearly explained and give you enough information to build your own exotic and elegant sand castles.

   A fun departure from the author's unusual books on earth-sheltered, earth-friendly architecture.




2. Although I compliment the authors for the beautiful things they created, this book was not much more than a picture book of what could be done. There was very little of the "howto" of sand castle building. 'The S.o.B. "take me to the beach" Sand Castle Book' by Lucinda Wierenga, while only a booklet and all black and white images, gives some wonderful tips on not only what you can do, but **how**.



3. The photos in this book were beautiful and the illustrations of how to make the different sand creations were easy to follow. One of the authors was the architect who had designed a local library in NJ, so I felt somewhat of a personal connection in reading this book, since I'd worked at that library for 2 yrs. For a person with limited time to read or who loves the shore, this is the perfect book. It's not too wordy or too long.

No comments about Maintenance Management Audit: A Step-By-Step Workbook to Better Your Facility's Bottom Line.

5 comments about Building for a Lifetime: The Design and Construction of Fully Accessible Homes.

1. The best single volume I've seen on designing a house that works for you (not against you) throughout your lifetime. Excellent information on decline of strength and ability with age, and some excellent ideas on making a "handicapped accessible home" that looks like a thoughtfully designed home instead of a hospital. Plenty of real-life examples, many of them no more costly to implement than the standard US housing market styles, and solid information on remodeling to fit needs.

   Written for the general public, not specialized professions like architect, contractor, etc., it is readable and practical. It is designed to help you think through the possibilities rather than offering cookbook solutions and plans.

   It should also be required reading for church building committee members, etc, though not officially addressing churches and other public buildings.

   Buildings well-designed to meet the needs of people with various disabilities are also well-designed to meet the needs of people without disabilities. This book will help you do just that.




2. It really helps to lead you in the design and placement of all items and objects, as well as the general layout of you houseplan, rooms and location of house on lot, to make it more convenient and easier for you to get around no matter what your age, height, or physical strength is. It helps you decide the right height for switches, outlets, windows, etc., where they should be in proximity to doorways, beds, work zones, etc. It also gives a good discussion on types of lighting, why and where each is best suited, types of switches, step heights, ramp heights and lengths, the need for less steps, proposing the need to consider letting mechanical aids do the work rather than tired or frail and aging bodies. Helps lead you to the thoughts of doing your exercise in the gym and not be forced to do it in the house. Gives an excellent discussion of what and how for heating, air conditioning, lighting, everthing that goes into a house. It also gives excellent pointers as to what scales to use in creating your house plan drawings to avoid confusion and mistakes by the builder in implementing your plans. Compares accessible building standards to the currently accepted building standards and provides the reason for the departures from the norm. A lot of information is provided on the methods of testing and developing the standards that this text espouses, sort of like in depth and pragmatic time and motion studies. Much of this can be ignored by the reader, but for the doubters out there it does fully explain and support the standards and approaches provided.



3. I got this book because I was planning to build a house which I want to be accessible for future years. This book was really more than I bargained for. I think EVERYONE should read this book before designing their home, even if they think they don't care about needs for future years. One of the best features of this book is that it points out where required accessibilty, or accessibility standards are often completely insufficient--probably because they were developed by able-bodied people. They have now done a lot of research on what gives people trouble, and improvements on the required standards that are far better. This book covers every aspect and room of your home, inside and outside. It is well-written, in plain English, with plenty of pictures and drawings that are EASY to comprehend. This book is expensive, but well-worth every penny.



4. Although the book is a little dated (1994) the concepts are great and something anyone building or remodeling a home should consider.
   
   Don't assume your builder already knows how to build for a lifetime.



5. This book provides a lot of good information about building an accessible home. It is more oriented towards new construction, however, it includes a chapter regarding remodeling and a lot of the ideas for accessible new construction could potentially be incorporated into an existing home. This is the best resource on this topic that I have found so far.

1 comments about Resumes for Law Careers (Professional Resumes Series).

1. Out of 152 pages, 26 are text. The balance is worksheets(8), sample resumes (79), and cover letters (21). The sample resumes are mostly for recent grads. They are not categorized in any way, which means you're left to read through all of them to find any that might be comparable to your situation. If you do this, you will get an idea of how much time someone else will give your resume when THEY have to go through a thick pile. I can't see any other benefit you might derive from reading the samples because none of them are particularly well done (though I suppose they're adequate). Many don't conform to the suggestions in the book. On the whole the suggestions are good, but standard--not related to law careers. For example, in discussing "Assembly and Layout," the book suggests: "if you are applying for a position that requires ornamental illustration, you may want to include border illustrations or graphics that demonstrate your talents in this area." And, "If you are answering an advertisement for a job that requires certain physical traits, a photo of yourself might be appropriate. A person applying for a job as a computer programmer would not include a photo as part of his or her resume."
   
   Neither, I suggest, would a lawyer.

No comments about Proving and Pricing Construction Claims: 2008 Cumulative Supplement (Construction Law Library).

1 comments about Painting & Decorating: Skills and Techniques for Success.

1. Well, it gives you info on everything you would want to know about
   painting inside and out....sprays, applicators, brushes, products to use, etc.....but not the basic book you may be used to for painting and decorating.
   Did give some helpful tips on scaffolding, brushes and stuff, but not for the general do it yourselfer or even professional painter/decorative painter needs.

5 comments about Manufactured Home Financing: How to Get the Best Deal on the Planet for Financing Your Manufactured Home.

1. Loan officer Tony Evans puts his years of experience to the printed page in Manufactured Home Financing, a straightforward guide to getting the best possible deal in financing one's manufactured home. Individual chapters address the advantages of manufactured housing, how to interact with dealers and salespeople, the ins and outs of financing loans, what to do after the loan closes, important forms and documents to be aware of, and much more. An excellent resource offering insight into a little-known, government-sponsored program meant to help middle-income people achieve the dream of owning a nice home.



2. Do you want to finance a manufactured home on land you intend to purchase and save money? Get this book! I have been a real estate agent in California for a number of years and had never heard of the Rural Housing Guaranteed Loan Program for financing manufactured housing. This book has been a real eye opener to me. The writing is lively and logical. Don't delay ordering this book-you'll be glad you did.



3. If you think that you are going to be kept out of the housing market forever, do yourself a favor and buy this book! It is so easy to read and understand, you'll feel as though the author is sitting across from you and just explaining what's what! This information is so important! Everything he says about this government program has proved to be true. I am now shopping for my brand-new, no down payment, manufactured home!



4. This book was chock full of information on how to finance a manufactured home. We learned a lot before buying our manufactured home, however unless you are in a situation where you are in a rural area and own your own land, this book will really only serve as informational. For a land-lease situation, it wasn't as focused, mainly advising it was a bad idea -but you have to determine that yourself based on your situation and opportunities. However. the book was educational and helpful in learning the lingo and scenarios that come about dealing with banks and such.



5. I was very disappointed in this book. The title of the book should not be so all encompassing as Manufactured Home Financing-How to get the Best Deal on the Planet. It only deals with the Rural Housing Guaranteed Program. You have to be low-income, possibly moderate-income, and it's only a rural land/home loan for 30 years. I do not want a 30-year loan, so this book was useless for me, even if I qualified. I would check out the program in your state before you invested any money in this book, because you might not qualify, and as I stated before, this is the ONLY financing option this book covers. Also, he had some very positive statements regarding manufactured housing vs. site-built in Chapter Two that just aren't true according to my research, and he has nothing to back them up but his word (things regarding appreciation and being easier to finance due to better insulation...etc.) Although, the book could be helpful to those who qualify for the Rural Housing Guaranteed Program, if you don't qualify or don't want a 30-year loan, it's of no value to you. Although it was interesting to know the Rural Housing Guaranteed Program exists, it wasn't worth my buying a whole book. It should be titled or subtitled more truthfully.

1 comments about Designing and Building Your Own Home.

1. Really found this useful to understand how we could go about designing our own perfect home. Answers all the questions you think you need to ask a professional who will normally charge a fortune.

No comments about Square Foot & Assemblies Estimating Methods (Means Square Foot & Assemblies Estimating).