1 comments about Residential Construction Academy Plumbing (Residential Construction Academy).

1. I used this book to help me design and install the plumbing for my new home. I've been in the house six months and have not had any leaks, blockages, or other plumbing problems (knock on wood). Any questions? :)

1 comments about Spas & hot tubs: how to plan, install & enjoy.

1. All you need to know to plan, buy, install & Maintain your own spa or hot tub. Excellent detailed information on creating the perfect environment for a relaxing soak. Has over 200 color photographs and drawings of spas & hot tubs in attractive indoor & Outdoor settins. It tells you how to buy the spa or hot tub that's just right for you. How to design beautiful patios, decks and other enclosures for your spa or hot tub, How to use plants to enhance the surroundings. Also, includes how to select the correct pump, heater and related quipment, how to successfully install your spa or hot tub and your to keep your spa or tub water sparkling clean. Now if I could only find the time to do it.

3 comments about Schedules of Reinforcement (B. F. Skinner Reprint Series) (B. F. Skinner Reprint Series).

1. This book is amazing. It was at the time, and likely still is the most comprehensive and detailed research into schedules of reinforcement ever done. The detail and the jargon make it hard going in places, and the almost fanatic obsession with quantizing everything is a little aversive. Nevertheless, if you persist in gleaning the main ideas from this book, and convince yourself of their importance and correctness, using the detail, you will be richly rewarded with a completely new understanding of the wonderful research that behaviorists have performed, and the sometimes startling results. Highly recommended even for persons with only slight familiarity with behaviorism.



2. Most of psychology is easy to avoid, since its is as close to science as Dr Suess. While Skinner can feel like he is going off on a tangent now and then, is analysis is on the mark. Some people argue that he tried to reduce things to much - maybe these people feel that Skinner is hurting their Ego. While I could try to tell you that you should read the book and judge for yourself, I have to remember that you have no choice. You will or you wont read it, not because of your "free will" but because of your history of reinforcement.



3. The contingent relationship between actions and their consequences lies at the heart of Skinner's experimental analysis of behavior. Particular patterns of behavior emerge depending upon the contingencies established. Ferster and Skinner examined the effects of different schedules of reinforcement on behavior.
   
   An extraordinary work, Schedules of Reinforcement represents over 70,000 hours of research primarily with pigeons, though the principles have now been experimentally verified with many species including human beings. At first glance, the book appears to be an atlas of schedules. And so it isÑthe most exhaustive in existence. But it is also a reminder of the power of describing and explaining behavior through an analysis of measurable and manipulative behavior-environment relations without appealing to physiological mechanisms in the brain. As en exemplar and source for the further study of behavioral phenomena, the book illustrates the scientific philosophy that Skinner and Ferster adopted: that a science is best built from the ground up, from a firm foundation of facts that can eventually be summarized as scientific laws.
   
   Hope this helps.

1 comments about Natural Stone a Guide to Selection: Studio Marmo (Norton Books for Architects & Designers).

1. Natural Stone a Guide to Selection, is a goldmine of information. The true-to-color plates appeal to the aesthetics while the no-nonsense technical information allows to distinguish between stones suitable for various uses. Whether you are shopping for a new kitchen or floor surface, or simply wish to appreciate how generous Mother Nature truly is -- this is a resource for chosing marble, granite, travertine, or stone.

No comments about Unit Price Estimating Methods (Means Unit Price Estimating Methods).

1 comments about Masonry.

1. There is not enough room to tell you all the benefits of this book. However the book it�s self has a unique design of a ring binder style; this allows you to open the book to a flat position and read while having both hands full of masonry items. There are clear (large) color diagrams with descriptions in English on step by step methods. There is even �Trick of the Trade�. If you are planning or just curious on how-to with concrete, brick, block, tile, or stone, this book is a must.

3 comments about Building Control Systems.

1. I really needed this book and after I ordered it I thought great. Then days later I got an email saying They didnt have it so I was being credited. If you dont have the book DONT POST IT!!



2. Mr Bradshaw does an excellent job in presenting an enormous amount of information in a very clear manner. It is an overview, yet it gives very detailed information. It is aimed at architectural students, which I am not, but I needed information and this has helped me enormously.



3. Hi, I got this text book for one of my classes.
   it is very helpful, and explains in details and in a simple way, what we need to know.

No comments about Plumber's and Pipe Fitter's Calculations Manual (McGraw-Hill Calculations).

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.

4 comments about Victorian Exterior Decoration: How to Paint Your Nineteenth-Century American House Historically.

1. I really enjoyed all the details and information so that I can paint my own Victorian home. Good color combinations, great historical information. I do wish there had been a few more photos of correctly painted homes.



2. This book is over 110 pages and every page has at least one picture, and most have two or three.

   Beyond the good information re: color schemes, there is a lot of information in this book about the 101 details (fretwork, finials, porches, etc) of an old house.

   Unfortunately, there are precious few old drawings and the ones they do have are done in muted browns and beiges. Now, I know they didn't have color photos back in those days, but I do wish they'd included more color pictures (drawings) of these old houses.

   There are also some very interesting old paint ads - such as one that suggests the right house paint is *the* key to health and happiness. The book also contains plenty of written information and history, which is interesting reading.

   And the photos/drawings offer a nice blend of the ostentatious Queen Annes and by contrast, the simple and modest "Builder's Style" homes.

   I'm an old house purist trying to redo my simple old home as authentically as possible. This book is a good resource for that.




3. I found this to be a very good book and very educational. I am painting my 19th century house using it as a guide. In the previous review someone wrote:
   
   "Unfortunately, there are precious few old drawings and the ones they do have are done in muted browns and beiges. Now, I know they didn't have color photos back in those days, but I do wish they'd included more color pictures (drawings) of these old houses."
   
   This person has obviously missed the point of the book. Did you read it? Those _are_ color drawings and those "muted browns and beiges" _were_ the colors used back then. People have a stereotype of 19th century colors as supposedly being bright and contrasty; this is due to the colorist movement in San Francisco back in the 70s, but is not appropriate when seeking 19th century accuracy. The crazy row-house colors of San Francisco are modern interpretations; whereas the Victorians preferred earth tones. The authors go at length to explain this with drawings and historic reproductions that are accurate in color.
   My only gripe with this book is that there should be more photographs of 19th houses painted historically. I think more photos would give home restorers more ideas to pick from.



4. From the title, I guess I was hoping for some clear direction on what colours to use. Instead, the book gives an overview of colour usage during this period, and changing trends, supported by quotes from critics of the period and illustrated by many original images from contemporary paint companies, advertisers, books of architecture etc. So what the authors expect you to do is to study all of that material and make your own decisions on what colours to use. To help you, they provide a detailed list of equivalent modern paint colours from several major companies such as Sherwin. Although helpful, I would have appreciated something a bit easier to understand and some more direct suggestions of typical colour schemes for, say, 1880. It is fascinating to see the original illustrations but, despite the quality of the reproduction, it is not always easy to make out what colours they have used.