4 comments about Adding Character with Architectural Details (Better Homes and Gardens).

1. This book is very specific in how to add character, why it works, and specifics on using each detail. Finding older homes in our area is difficult in our price range, but we'll definitely be able to add those delightful touches in a new spec house. Great book.



2. I love homes that have their own unique character and charm. This book provides ideas and suggestions for adding character to your home, even if right now it's only your typical cookie-cutter home. Great photos and inspiration. Well written.



3. I was expecting some really creative and clever ideas. Instead, although nice looking, space saving and custom treatments, mostly I've seen before and are pretty traditional compared to what I had in mind.



4. I am a custom carpenter in metro Detroit, and have a very large library of carpentry / trimwork books that I use for discovering my clients' style and for generating ideas for their homes. This is my 3rd most referenced book in my library. I love this book. It is loaded with great photos of fantastic design ideas. Many such books are loaded with impractical ideas that look great in someone else's home. Not this book. I am constantly drawing design ideas from the pages of this book. I will warn you, though, that this book is geared toward a more casual or contempory style, which is why it is my 3rd most referenced book rather than 1st or 2nd. Most of my customers prefer more tradional and formal architectural details in their homes, so my more formal books get more use. But this book is awesome. If you have an average home, you can still use a lot of the ideas in this book to make it stunning. I would definately recommend this book to anyone that likes clean vibrant details in their home.

5 comments about Building the Custom Home Office: Projects for the Complete Home Work Space.

1. The book does a great job of covering both ergonomics and the furniture building side of things. It includes plans for desk cabinets, book shelves, and desks that are actually sturdy enough to support a real monitor. We're still building out our home office, using the book, and have run into only a few frustrations.

   It only falls short in a few ways. The worst problem is that some of the hardware that's needed is hard to find. The duplex hinges that are used for the cabinet doors are rare, and need to be mail-ordered from no-name specialty shops. It would have been helpful to have either had a web companion where you could buy the products, or to have had alternate plans showing more common alternatives, instead of using something that he's in love with.

   I also would have liked to see, for each project, a cutting plan. Cutting plans were only supplied for the file cabinet and the bookshelves. Since we tend to get our wood rough-cut at the lumber yard, it helps to have something we can print out. It would also have been good for each project to have a list of the tools needed.




2. Hi to everyone interested. I want to let you know what a fantastic book this is. I just completed an entire office consisting of 10' desk with 2 sitting areas, a computer caddy, dual lateral file cabinets, two banks of drawers (5 drawers each), upper shelves above the file cabinets (hutch), dual printer cabinet and narrow shelves with lucite inserts. I have to say, it is beautiful. Now, for the best part. I had never touched a piece of wood in my life. I had not done any wood work at all. None, nada, zip.

   After getting bids for my office in the 12K TO 13K range, I dediced to get some books to see if I could do it myself. I ordered The Custom Home Office: Building a Complete Workspace
   by Niall Barrett along with 2 Danny Proulx books as well as others (6 total). I read everything and decided that I could do this. When I acutally got involved with the planning and design, it was Niall Barrett's book that lead me through. I used his book exclusively throughout. I purchased the tools he recommended, even my own table saw. I spent $1000 on tools and about $1500 on materials for a saving of nearly $10,000!!!

   If anyone wants to see pictures of my office just to verify, you may email me at reidfinancial@cox.net.

   To all other gals out there considering something like this....GO FOR IT!




3. This book is a great book for designing and building a home office solution. The cabinetry he builds in this book is what most people call European (or frameless) cabinetry. All the units are cut from plywood and edgebanded. The top and sides of the desk unit he builds are of a torsion box type construction. This is completely strong and imparts a modern, minimalist look. I like the way he used modern mounting hardware for the computer and desk drawer which elminates some of the more complicated parts of building a desk. One reviewer had problems getting the 32mm hinges: both Rockler and Woodcraft, among others, carry these products.
   
   I am still in the planning stage with regards to my office, but I have built both frameless and face-frame cabinetry around my house and I have this to say: the pitfalls with European-style cabinetry is that the measurements have to be much more precise when building your cabinets because there is no way to dress up the edges. Also, unless your walls are completely flat and plum, there will be gaps where the units meet the walls (a good portion of this is solved in his design by developing that space as a place to put cords). This is no biggie, but if you want to use more traditional-style, built-in cabinets, I would suggest getting both Taunton's Workspace Idea Book and Jim Tolpin's Building Traditional Kitchen Cabinets (which you can adapt easily to office cabinetry).



4. This has to be the worst book I have ever seen on the subject. 154 pages dealing with ONE home office layout/concept. AND this is from 2002. Very difficult to get ideas as it deals with one outdated office concept and explains how to build the components from scratch. In this day and age most components can be bought it is the ideas that are needed. Useless book. Don't know how it had over 4 stars when I bought it.



5. I used this to build my custom workspace after checking around for prices on commercial office cabinets. The plans worked great, the tips were helpful and I really like the style of the clean lines of the euro style faceless cabinets. As others have said, I bought ALL the tools, all the materials, had a great time and saved a bundle. And, best of all the sense of accomplishment and knowing that I have a unique layout with features you couldn't get with prebuilt cabinets.
   
   I even modified my design to fasten my cabinets to the wall and created a 9' formica countertop with a rounded corner (and my own matching custom design rounded shelf unit underneath) to create my dream space to mount my 27" TV / PC monitor above.
   
   Doing it myself let me design unique features in such as where I wanted cords to come up through the countertop and even a shelf in a cabinet that didn't extend all the way to the back to allow cords to pass freely between the two shelf levels. Definitely pre-think every detail of how you'll use the cabinets and you can build in lots of custom touches.
   I highly recommend the book and have received numerous compliments on my work, AND, this was my first go at building cabinets. Happy to email a photo to anyone interested, brianmi@rocketmail.com

4 comments about Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction: The Architect's and Builder's Guide to Design, Planning, and Construction Details (Ramsey/Sleeper Architectural Graphic Standards Series).

1. Following in the terrific legacy of the benchmark Architectural Graphic Standards book, this edition clearly makes building for residences an easier task. I've found innumerable details that I've used in my residential practice on a daily basis, details not found in other reference books. Of particular help are the pages that give an overview of how parts of a house interconnect with each other, such as foundation-to-framing. Also, there is a wealth of info on HVAC, new window technology and other things I've found very, very helpful.



2. Experienced readers will benefit from its brief summaries and drawings covering the broadest range of topics imaginable. Some economizing is evident in the paper and printing quality, some of the drawings look 50 years old, but there is lots of reference information, like span tables, solar position data, etc. Probably not the last word on every topic, but still worth consulting.



3. Although these editions change little, this review is based upon AGS 10th Ed. & AGSRC 2003.
   
   
   Negative:
   This is bascially a regurgitation of the more complete Architectural Graphics Standards, distilled to a "residential" focus but appears as volumous because some details have been photo-enlarged (in poor-average quality). Few, if any new residential details/information has been provided.
   
   Positive:
   Those ONLY interested in residential construction and NOT requiring a full brace of ALL details will find this quite a good value - compare its price to Architectural Graphics Standards.
   
   Recommendation:
   Anyone in construction should have one, but not both of these books as a prime resource. The content does improve every year, although some years it's like watching grass grow.
   
   Challenge:
   IF there are numerous portions of the Residential version that are unique and new to it, exclusive of passages in the larger AGS version - I would really appreciate a review that contains how to locate these passages, as I've spent enough time trying to find them. If enough of these exist, it would give thought of updating this resource once in awhile.



4. This book is an excellent reference book for use in designing, planning, and building a new house or remodeling an existing one. Whenever I plan on doing something on the house, I double check with this reference before finishing my designs and plans. It's a must own book for serious do-it-yourselfers.

2 comments about Painting Do-It-Yourself For Dummies (Do-It-Yourself for Dummies).

1. Painting Do-It-Yourself For Dummies by Katharine Kay McMillan, PhD and Patricia Hart McMillan is one of those books that you probably look at and say, "I already know how to paint a wall!." But if you're anything like me (and I hope not for your sake), your skill in doing more than slopping paint around is not all it could be. This book uses the traditional Dummies style to show both the basics and a number of techniques you may never have considered in your decorating plans. My wife and I will be trying some of these out this summer as we gear up for some bigger redecorating chores.
   
   Contents:
   Part 1 - Preparing for Your Painting Project: Gathering What You Need; Readying Your Room and Surface; Making Necessary Wall Repairs; Brushing Up on Painting Basics
   Part 2 - Painting Walls Like a Pro: Faux Finishes with Shapes and Patterns; Faux Finishes Using Glaze; More Fun Decorative Techniques
   Part 3 - Covering Other Areas of Your Home: Coating Ceilings and Floors; Turning Your Brush to Trim, Windows, and Doors
   Part 4 - The Part of Tens: Ten Tips for a Practically Perfect Paint Job; Ten Tips for Picking the Best Color
   Index
   
   The first part covers all those things about painting that seems to take all the time and are no fun at all... the prep work. Tools are explained, as well as how to properly prepare the surfaces for painting and how to make the necessary repairs involving those gouges and cracks that tend to occur over time. Even though you've done all these things before if you've painted, it's a good refresher on just why it's important and what you gain by doing it correctly. Then it's on to the fun stuff... actually putting paint on the wall! The authors show you, complete with plenty of pictures, how to try some of the things that you usually only see in houses that have decorators on hand. There's horizontal and vertical striping, clouds, color blocking, and tone-on-tone checkerboarding. They are very striking techniques, and obviously would not work in every room in every house. Still, it'll give you ideas you may have never had the courage to contemplate before. Personally, I was most excited about the glaze and texture ideas. If I can talk my wife into it, I'd really like to try the painted tissue wallpaper. Texture for the wall, coverage for the lathe/plaster cracks and irregularities, and something really "different". The part on covering other surfaces is not quite as long or perhaps exciting, but again you'll get the proper technique for doing things so that the results come out looking professional.
   
   This is one of the few books I sat my wife down and went through with her. While we might not agree on actual colors and styles, we at least had a shared perspective that was more than her giving ideas and me saying "whatever". I look forward to actually painting a room or two this year (did I actually write that?), and this book will help me improve the outcome dramatically.



2. For the most part, this book will help anyone who doesn't consider themselves a pro. It's probably of most value to people who just wanna do it right the first time (whether this is for their first paint job, or they remember the pains of painting).
   
   Great tips for less mess, and easy clean up are in here. Also covered:
   The order in which you paint a the surface in a room.
   Taking care of brushes and rollers in between uses, on top of picking the right brushes and rollers for the job (and those of good quality).
   How to calculate how much paint you need, based on the size of your room/surface.
   Preparing a room, or surface for painting.
   Did i mention tips for less mess, and easier clean up. I remember all the cleaning i would have to do when i painted in my teens, and the drops of paint that were on the floor. I spend so little time cleaning, now that I employ these tips.
   Explains what "cutting in" means, and how to do it.
   Safety/health tips.
   
   I've used just about every suggestion offered in this book. There is one that bothers me though. When actually applying the paint, it says to paint in sections, but it's instructions for connecting sections seamlessly are not good (imo). It doesn't include a picture. So i got these bands of layered paint and my wall looked uneven.
   
   The book also covers doing fancier things like patters and whatnot. I haven't tried it though. I'm just telling you it's there.

5 comments about Dare To Repair Your Car: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Maintenance, Safety, Minor Fix-Its, and Talking Shop.

1. This is a really good guide, not only is it for girls who dont know what a dipstick is, but its also for men and women alike, who have a basic understanding of the inner workings of their cars and would like a guide book to help them with repairs. Every chapter in the book has a do-it-yourself section where you can learn to replace your fueses or clean your fuel injectors. There is also some preventitive maint tips to keep your car from NEEDING un-needed repairs. The diagrams are pretty dumbed down, which can get a little annoying at times, but its good so even the novice can understand, and its fairly obvious the book was written for women (aside from the Betsy on the cover) because the text has a bit of a girly feel to it. There are a few blurbs here and there with some cute humorous parts to it, which makes this also a fun, enjoyable read.
   
   This is a great book to have around the house for when you need it. My husband is currently in Iraq, and with him being gone Im in charge of repairs of the house, and our two vehicles, and this book has already saved me!



2. I was just given this book for Christmas, and the first page I randomly flipped to was How to Use a Seatbelt. The second page I flipped to was How to Remove a Bumper Sticker. Not exactly the repair advice I was looking for.



3. This book supports the cultural assumption that all men know everything about cars. I'll give one example of how shallow it is. I looked up the section about if you're not getting any heat in your car. It states that you may have a problem with heater core, a valve, or the motor itself. It then shows a diagram with no illustration of the valve they're talking about. Left hangin.



4. I'm finding this book useful, practical, and empowering. Not only do the authors explain how your car works, they describe how to do the work yourself or seek a mechanic's services confidently. The book is easy to read, yet doesn't talk down to the reader.



5. I bought this book as a gift to my friend who literally knew nothing about owning a car. She couldn't even check the oil, had no clue about even making sure it was maintained. I looked through it, and it's really a great book. It covers all your basics and some advanced stuff. I was raised to know how to maintain a car by a proactive Father, but I even learned some helpful stuff just through glancing through it. I just got my own car and plan to order a copy of this book! I think it'll be extremely handy!

2 comments about How to Be the Perfect Housewife (Perfect House Wife).

1. I got this book few months back by didn't order it from Amazon. I LOVED IT, I can depend on it to make my small apartment into a nice, cozy perfect place. I don't consider myself as a domestic Goddess but everybody love my place, touches, parties .. etc. The book contains excellent lessons in (De-Cluttering your home, cleaning, removing stains, shopping, entertaining, children and pets) many tips and ideas and love the 4th lesson on cleaning room by room. The only thing I missed in this book is the illustration, would be perfect if they added some photos and illustrations for gift wrapping or sitting a table for example. I'm looking forward the next book (early 2008).



2. I love this book. I don't understand why its missing pictures, its such a shame because they would help the motivation levels. But otherwise this is my domestic bible, the content is awesome. It has tips on everything from organising and cleaning room by room, to planning a Christmas that all the family will be amazed by.

5 comments about Sewing for the Home.

1. I bought my first house six months ago. My house needs curtains, seat cushions, wall hangings. And I'm new to all of this; while I'm just-past-novice at sewing and quilting, I've never even paid attention to how one constructs a pillow.
   
   As a result, I've looked at several books about home decor, and I've bought a few. So far, this book has helped more than the rest of 'em put together.
   
   First, it doesn't try to make you a specialist. I don't need to make curtains in dozens of styles; I just want to make a few ordinary ones that look nice. By separating the book into sections, I get the most common designs without the advanced stuff I don't expect to need, and I don't have to buy four books. (Well, I probably wouldn't have bought one for tables, anyway.)
   
   Another advantage to its lack of specialization is that it includes a few items you wouldn't find elsewhere, such as instructions for making a shower curtain. As it happens, I'd already finished that project before I got this book, but these would have helped me just as well. (As an aside: after making a shower curtain from scratch, I'd never buy another one. It's so easy, and it looks wonderful.)
   
   Also, this book gives very clear instructions, with photos that really DO show the process. It also doesn't make assumptions about your sewing skill, or your comfort with the equipment. For me, the "Aha!" moment came when it explained that it may be helpful to use a walking foot (more commonly used in quilting) to deal with heavy or bulky fabrics. I'd already ripped out the seams on a seat cushion *twice* by the time I read that, and had become disheartened with the project. Armed with that single bit of knowledge, the project was finished in a weekend.
   
   I've another cushion project to start -- my husband is building a window seat -- and then it's time to begin on the curtains and window shades. I did buy a few curtain-specific books, but I suspect I'll turn to this one first.



2. I've been sewing for many years, and I've only made the simplest of things for my home, namely plain curtains and throw pillows. I wanted to learn to do a proper job on curtains and drapes. I bought 4 books, this being one of them.
   
   This book is an absolute great starter. Learn right away what kind of tools you will need, how to measure the windows, what kind of stitches you will need to use, just all kinds of fabulous get-down-to-basics information. Then learn how to properly construct your curtains.
   
   This book includes basic curtains and drapes, shades, decorator pillows, table fashions and finally shower curtains and comforter covers and bedskirts. Projects are well photographed and detailed.
   
   If you are a novice sewer or just want reference materials for your sewing library, this book and the next book, "More Sewing For The Home", are a great place to start. The second book covers things the first did not, and the projects are a little more sophisticated. I highly recommend both books.



3. Bought as a gift for my daughter, at her request. From quickly looking through it, it seemed up to date in terms of projects and techniques.



4. Too many curtains/drapes & not enough other home decor items. A nicely done book in all if that's what you're looking for.



5. This is a DIY guide about sewing for the home. There is details, step by step, and very clear explanation about this kind of work. But you have to know basic concepts about sewing, of course!

2 comments about Budget Makeovers: Give Your Home a New Look.

1. Since the TV crews haven't made it to my house yet, I keep reading these books for tips to transform my home. This one is particularly appealing, since it spells out the costs and time investment for the projects.
   The sample rooms are in real houses and include living rooms, dirning rooms, kitchens, baths and bedrooms. Good color photos accompany the text.



2. I read the book in a day - easy and fun to read. The book is composed of various real-life makeovers for various rooms. Each contains before and after shots as well as information on how the look was achieved, how problems were solved and the final budget tally. I will refer back to this book for ideas from time to time. It's biggest strength is that the ideas are realistic and affordable (but not cheap).

4 comments about 117 House Designs of the Twenties (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. I was looking for some reference material for houses built in the 1920s, particularly pictures of various rooms, so that I can restore some rooms in a 20s house to original condition. This book not only has exterior pictures of many different houses, but also lists things like color schemes and construction methods. It also shows pictures of garages, doors, and even manufacturing methods for the houses. The pictures may be in black and white, but they're valuable references. ... this book is an absolute steal.



2. "117 House Designs of the Twenties" is a reprint of the 1923 mail-order house catalogue of the Gordon-Van Tine Company. This crisp reproduction is thus an accurate window into this era in United States home architecture. The wealth of detailed artistic renderings also make this a book of great charm and beauty.

   Based in Davenport, Iowa, Gordon-Van Tine was a trailblazer in the field of prefabricated houses. This catalogue covers the company's products in amazing detail. We see cutaway views of homes that reveal the construction technique. We also see plumbing fixtures, lights, and cutaway views of furnaces.

   But the heart of this catalogue lies in the detailed floor plans, as well as in the detailed artists' renditions of both exteriors and interiors. This catalogue contains structures ranging in size from a humble one-room vacation cottage to roomy nine-room farmhouses. Both one- and two-story houses appear. The main styles represented are bungalow and colonial revival (the latter including "Dutch colonial" designs), in many different configurations.

   The exterior drawings capture many features: columned porches, sun porches, various roof types (gabled, hipped, gambrel), dormers, exposed rafter tails, and more. Equally detailed and charming are the depictions of furnished interiors. This is truly a marvelous book.




3. As I am!
   
   "117 House Designs of The Twenties" is a reprint of the 1923 Gordon Van Tine catalog. There are a few errors in the introduction (such as the statement that Sears started selling kit homes in 1909; it was 1908) and some other frustrating mis-information, but that's a minor point.
   
   For those sick puppies (such as myself) who like to sit and read old catalogs for hours and hours, this book is a gem. There's lots of reading material in the front and back, giving good detail about the company and how they did business.
   
   Gordon Van Tine was a worthy contender in the kit home business, selling roughly 50,000+ kit homes in their four decades in the housing business. (Thanks to Dale Wolicki for the stats.)
   
   Plus (and this is a biggie) GVT was the front man for Montgomery Ward homes. Unlike Sears, Montgomery Ward did not have their own mills, architects and catalogs but turned to Gordon Van Tine to supply their kit homes.
   
   So, if you suspect you have a Montgomery Ward home, you'll want to peruse this GVT catalog.
   
   Rose
   author, "The Houses That Sears Built"
   co-author, "California's Kit Homes"



4. I live in one of the delightful Gordon-Van Tine No. 613 homes, so finding this book was a thrill. I have seen another of these houses in Cortland, NY, in the stucco finish (one of two siding options), and one somewhat-"remuddled" one in Black River, NY, with vinyl siding (!) and alterations to the sunroom windows. Both of these houses are on main roads, so I imagine there are many others on quiet side streets, like ours. Ours is in the cedar finish--original 1924 siding in pristine condition. It is in Watkins Glen, NY. The house is framed in cedar! The floors in the front of the house and in the central hallway are oak, and those in the bedrooms are fir, which, I understand, was a common practice in homes of the era.
   
   The interior has been changed very little, except for kitchen and bath remodeling and the addition of a small master bath in the space formerly occupied by the master bedroom closet and the linen closet. A new master bedroom closet was bumped into a screened porch added to the back of the house (designed by our contractor to conform to the original home design and trim), and a new hall closet to replace the one lost to the master bath was added in the dead space at the end of the basement stairwell. The tile hearth had to be replaced due to cracked and loose tiles, and when fuel prices shot up, we re-lined the chimney and installed a Vermont Castings woodstove in the fireplace. After over 80 years, this is still a lovely, very-liveable house.
   
   I love to show the facsimile catalog to guests. I purchased one for the daughter of some friends, who admires our house, and says she wants one just like it. If you own a kit house of this era, I strongly recommend that you borrow all the available books through inter-library loan and keep looking until you find your house. Then buy "your" catalog. Having documentation of its provenance adds to the home's value in many markets, and it is fascinating to be abe to look at the price lists (this book includes complete price lists, down to the plumbing options and electrical fixtures), to see what the original owners paid for the house.

2 comments about Spa Design.

1. Gone are the days when the Spa was a bare utilitarian swimming pool or perhaps a fitness center with rows of equipment designed by the Spanish Inquisition. This is a book showing the untimate in today's Spa's from all over Europe, all over the US, and from selected locations in India, Thailand, Japan and other countries.
   
   To be sure, the Spa is still very water oriented. Here are the pools you'd expect, the hot tubs, thermal baths, but also reflecting pools, fountains -- And yes, even some of the inquisition equipment.
   
   More important though, here are the most advanced building designs, artistic but still waterproof, lighting that is a part of the design, all arranged to create an ambiance that serves to relax and invigorate the visitor. All of this is depicted with supurb photography, high quality printing on heavy weight paper, and traditional sewn binding with headbands. This is an idea book based on today's most advanced designs.



2. This book was delivered within the time frame given and it was in perfect condition. I was very satisfied.