5 comments about Stone: Designing Kitchens, Baths and Interiors with Natural Stone.

1. This book is not only a great resource guide for those new to designing with stones, but also fun to look at and inspirational. I found ideas for the bathroom, kitchen, and even for a staircase.



2. I work for a natural stone retailer in Texas, and this book gives me ideas for customers. Many of my store's clients want to take this book home or buy it. I don't let them take it home of course; I suggest that they buy one on Amazon.com.
   In my opinion, I think it makes a good coffee table book as well, since when people are waiting in my showroom, I see them browsing through this book. I wish there were more books like this one.



3. This book describes the nature of various types of stones and the recommended usage inside and outside the home. I've used this book as a guide to show my local stone dealer what type of stones I'm looking for. And also used it to illustrate the concept of my dream home to my Interior Designer, she understood immediately without us having to go through many rounds of interview to get it right. As a result, my dream home is now almost complete with stones from all over the world, marbles from Spain, Italy, Iran.... granite from Norway and Indonesia... coral stones, tumblestones, slates, and many more.... Wonderful pictures and illustrations, I'd recommend this book to anyone! Suitable for modern Asian homes too!



4. We are considering having our kitchen remodeled and definitely want to replace the current Corian with some type of stone. This book covers stone used in kitchens and baths. Besides the gorgeous photographs, the book includes lots of helpful tips in helping you chose the right stone for your project. Each photo is described with caption of what the stone is, including the pattern or color. The chapters include the stone kitchen, bath, floor and architectural stone. What is really nice is that it addresses various possible focal points, such as the stone vent hood in the kitchen or a beautiful stone fireplace.
   
   The book encompasses multiple styles, designs and patterns for counters, floors, backsplashes and walls. For the photography and ideas alone, this book is worth the price but it has so much more. It includes tips and pointers for using stone in various places. For example, on page 66, there is a side bar that has Ideas for the Shower. It includes tips like "When chosing a polished granite for the shower walls, keep in mind that water spots are magnified on a polished surface."
   
   This books covers all kinds of natural stone: limestone, granite, travertine, marble, slate. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.



5. This is a great book. it will give you detailed information about the stone types that you can use in your house and great photos. i'm in the stone flooring business and this book helps my customers to visualize the final look of the stone they choose from my showroom floor. it also has a section with patterns so you dont have to figure out how to lay stones in different sizes to make a pattern.

3 comments about ReMAKE ReSTYLE ReUSE: Easy Ways to Transform Everyday Basics into Inspired Design.

1. This book is inspiring and the projects are great for crafters of all ages and skill level. The photos are lovely and the projects use everyday items such as sheets and t-shirts so the materials are inexpensive, easy to find, and great for those who are budget conscious. Fantastic book!



2. I bought this book the night I saw it because I couldn't put it down. I will use most every idea in this book and have found the sketches so inspiring. It is the best craft/ design book I have found in a while. It is a mix of minimalist IKEA meets Parisian homemade/ French farmhouse chic. The whole book is charming, creative, and helps you think of new methods to turn plain into simple and lovely.



3. No new ideas here. Might be nice if you are just beginning to craft. This went into the library sale pile the day I received it.

5 comments about Pad: The Guide to Ultra-Living.

1. This book is great! I ran across it in a shop that sold some retro items, but the price was a bit high. When I found it here, I snagged it quick. If your "pad" has a retro motif, this guide is invaluable. Although much of the guide I have no use for whatsoever(it gets pretty far out), I found many of the ideas usefull, and cost-effective, as opposed to buying new items or getting ripped off at an antique store. A lot of these ideas are so unique, you would likely have to create them yourself, anyway.



2. If you can't name who said this or if this quote doesn't ring true for you, then this is not the book for you. If you like for magazines and books to dictate to you how you should decorate and you rely on over priced interior decorators to tell you what is "in" and what is "out"; then once again this is not the book for you.
   
   If you like over the top decor, wild and groovy pads, and truly outrageous ideas then this might be the book for you. If you hate white and beige and instead long for jewel toned walls in ruby and sapphire or if your hankering for kitchen accesories steers clear of the latest and greatest and you want the retro styled toaster with that space age flair; then you should pick this book up. This book is for do it yourselfers who search flea markets for their next table or couch and who know that although the kitschy stuff you seek might be valuable to you, you should never pay too much for it!
   
   This is not for the mild or the tame or the weak of heart. This is not for those who agonize over what cream to paint their walls. (And hey, if that style fits you then fine, it's just not for us.) This has become one of my bibles, a book full of inspirational ideas. You don't try to copy anything here, you just come here to be inspired. There are a few rooms I wasn't too keen about, but all the rest I really loved. And some rooms might not have suited my fancy, but I could usually find some element that appealed to me that I could bring into my own home. I've not tried any of the projects yet, but we do plan to incorporate some into our tiki room, the Vegas glam lounge or even the space room. Even if the projects may not be what you need, it gives you a starting point I believe to create your own projects.
   
   Let's keep in mind that most interior decorators would die of shock walking into my house, but they don't live here, I do. I'm sure one look at my "electric voodoo kitchen" with it's electric swamp green walls and overload of crosses and Virgin Marys would send them running. (If you want to see it yourself, then check out Gothic Beauty Magazine Issue 17.) I love my Wonderland house built in 1961 and I see no reason to pay someone who doesn't understand my vision to come in and decorate for me.
   
   You should decorate how you feel, and if the designs of what's out in today's magazines appeal to you, then that's great. As long as it's YOU. But this book is for those of us who want some spice in our decorating, for those of us who think pink flamingoes are art, for those of us who don't want to carefully tiptoe through their space but to LIVE in it full throttle. We don't take ourselves that seriously, we like to kick back with a drink and a good convesation, we live by our own ideals, not yours.



3. It just goes without saying that not everyone will appreciate this book the way its adherents do. But for those of us who "get it", "Pad" is an invaluable resource full of offbeat style, sumptuous photos, and (believe it or not), some generally sound decorating advice, including simple instructions on how to maximize mood through light placement, partitions, and furniture.
   
   Equally indespensible to enthusiasts of cocktail culture are chapters detailing the do's and don'ts of hosting the perfect bash, pad style. Drink recipes, glassware guides, and even a chapter on must-buy mood music from the space-age and exotica genres help to make this book the be-all and end-all not just for design inspiration seekers, but for anyone who has even the most passing interest in the most Epicurian of lifestyles; that of the stylish, worldly bachelor (or bachelorette!).
   
   From the Polynesian influenced and the ultra-modern, to the just plain wacky, "Pad" delivers quite possibly the best window yet into the sorely underappreciated artform of cool.



4. Sometimes I feel like Pad was written just for me. The pictures and projects speak to me in a way that not many other books do. The clutter, the kitsch, the leopard skin - I love and want it all! I have taken so much inspiration from this book in my own kooky South Austin home, just pick up a copy of Kitschy Crafts: A Celebration of Overlooked 20th-Century Crafts to see the pictures to prove it. People either love this style of decorating or despise it, I am one of those people that love it just a little too much. People have told me it looks like a thrift store threw up inside my house, but that is exactly what I and the other home owners on the pages of PAD love about it. The book is like a bible for those of us who cringe when we hear the words less is more and for those who never met a flea market that they didn't like. I bought copies of PAD to give to several of my friends for Christmas so that they could see it was not just me who loved this style of decorating.
   
   While eclectic interiors is my second passion, crafting is my first. PAD is chocked full of projects like how to make a furry entertainment center, swag lights out of birdcages and my personal favorite that I have made many of times gift boxes out of old vinyl album covers. Crafts and Kitsch is like pure heaven for me.
   
   Did I mention that Matt Maranian is a heck of a nice guy? He was a guest on Craft Lab with me and I was a bit star struck being such a huge fan of PAD. He taught me how to saw bamboo for coffee tables and make flaming cocktail garnishes, both featured in his equally fantastical book Pad Parties: The Guide to Ultra-Entertaining. The Eyeglasses Frame Project was one of the inspirations behind the Specs Appeal project in The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry.
   
   PAD is a tack-a-licious wonder of literary goodness that no self respecting crafter, thrifter or lover of the kitsch should be without.



5. This book had been my interior decorating go to for many years. But be forewarned, it will appeal to the more eccentric and artistic among us. If you are looking for funky and unique ways to decorate you house on a budget, then this is the book for you. If you want your house to look like a Pottery Barn catalogue, then this is not the book for you.

2 comments about Easy-to-Make Bird Feeders for Woodworkers.

1. Scott D. Campbell has put a plethora of information in this concise book detailing feeding birds. He has included not only plans for the construction of feeders, but information on how to attract various species of birds by offering their favorite meals in an attractive format.

   There are clear drawings, dimensions and materials lists for all the projects. Basic information regarding construction techniques with a variety of materials are detailed. He even includes some "squirrel proof" designs.

   There are charts detailing what type of common and not-so-common feeds many different species eat and how many species are attracted by each feed. He has also depicted breed specific feeders. How to locate, mount and stock your completed projects is also detailed.

   Beginner or not, if you are looking for a manual to make simple feeders and attract birds with them, this is the only book you'll need. Mr. Campbell has once again set the standard for bird lover's projects.




2. Illustrations for building needed to be clearer with more detail and the text was too confusing.

3 comments about Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture (Popular Woodworking).

1. I have read the book through twice now and it just keeps getting better and better. I have read extensivly of the eastern settlements but knew very little about the western groups. I enjoyed seeing the differences as well as the similarities in the way of life and the furniture. The book was a nice balance of how life was day to day and the furniture they created. This is the second book I am aware of written by an experienced woodworker so the insights are of more interest than the usual picture/history book we see so many of. The other is by Chris Becksvoort, which I have equally enjoyed.
   
   I also enjoyed the drawings by Kerry's brother. I think those added greatly to the book. I know when I look at an old piece of woodworking I am some time before I can see the structure in the design. The drawings help me to see this much cleared and sooner.
   
   All in all, I highly reccomend this book be added to the libraries of the serious funiture builder or collector as well as those interested in history. It gives an overall view of what was going on in that part of the country at that time and how the Shakers reacted to it.



2. This is a good book with amazing photos. The background story is very informative.
   
   Shaker furntiture has always appealled to me and seeing the pieces in a traditional setting is an extra.
   
   I would recommend this book.



3. I've just recently begun studying Shaker furniture and I am very pleased with this book. It covers a wide range of pieces from the Pleasant Hill community and it provides some good background on each piece. The photographs accompanying each piece are also excellent. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning about Shaker furniture.

4 comments about Green Building Materials: A Guide to Product Selection and Specification.

1. This is an absolute MUST-HAVE addition to the libraries of every firm and organization that deals with designing, constructing, maintaining, or restoring commercial and public buildings. It should be required reading in every architectural school. It also offers much value to residential builders, even though they seldom use the sophisticated specification systems of the commercial building trade.

   For some three decades, articles and books on environmentally-sound architecture have focused on the design side. And most have focused on residential construction. Spiegel & Meadow's new book breaks new ground in two respects, by dealing with the product/material side of (primarily) commercial buildings.

   The specification aspect of green construction -- in which the appropriate materials and products are prescribed -- has been largely unaddressed. This is partly because the commercial building industry, in general, has culturally been behind the curve in terms of concern for the environment, but also because even the most conscientious firms have serious difficulty finding and obtaining green building products.

   There are two reasons for this difficulty of specifying green materials: 1) Few architects receive any meaningful level of training regarding specification in their schooling, preferring to focus on the more glamorous process of design; and, 2) Neither the commercially-available master guide specifications (such as SpecLink and MasterSpec) nor the product catalogs (such as First Source, SpecData, and Sweets) have figured out how to provide a useful and accurate means of helping specifiers compare the greeness of one item over another.

   While Green Building Materials can't solve the industry's lack of useful tools, it provides designers with the first comprehensive education on the specification process as it relates to green building.

   New tools are finally entering the market, such as the LEED system (from the U.S. Green Building Council) for measuring the greeness of a building, which will soon be incorporated into the Construction Specification Institute's new PerSpective software for performance specifying.

   Used in combination with this book, architects and building owners are finally beginning to get what they need to create buildings that are healthy for both their occupants and the world's environment.

   The authors have a level of intimacy with their subject that oozes out of each page. Readers come away with the distinct impression that this book is a product of both passion and deep expertise, and is obviously not some publisher's attempt to quickly plug a serious gap in the literature.

   A rapidly-growing number of public and private owners are requiring a level of greeness to all of their new buildings. Green Building Matierals is the tool the owners need in order to get what they want. It's also what designers and builders need to respond successfully to such demands.




2. Green materials are definitely an important aspect of green building; however, I think we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking green materials *are* green building. We need to think more holistically - for example, asphalt roofing may not be "green," but it will last 40 years and save me significant money over a sterotypically "green" recycled-tile or slate roof. I can use this money towards green-ing other features of my home. Most of us need to spend our money wisely, so we need to pick and choose green features for homes as best we can. I highly recommend the book "Green Remodeling" as a companion guide to this book that will offer much needed practical remodeling advice and whole-systems thinking.



3. This text was quite basic for what I needed. Although it had a green material selection, no costings of materials were available. Definately not a recommended text for a thesis research.



4. I love this book. If you are interested in Green Building, I would highly recommend purchasing it. Also, when I found this book on Amazon, I did a lot of searching on the web to see if there was a lower price. There absolutely wasn't. Everywhere I found this book, they were charging $100+ for it. BUY IT FROM AMAZON!! Good Luck and Good Reading!

5 comments about 1001 Do-It-Yourself Hints & Tips : Tricks, Shortcuts, How-Tos, and Other Great Ideas for Inside, Outside, and All Around Your House.

1. As a single parent and homeowner, I can't tell you how handy this book has been. If you don't have a friend, relative or spouse who's a handyman, you definitely need this book. I've been able to save enough money to furnish my home. I've purchased many of the Reader's Digest books in the past and found them to be of high quality and excellent value. This book contains step-by-step procedures and instructions that are depicted in numbered color photos that makes easy work of repairs and maintenance-plus you are assured it's done right.



2. While not a comprehensive home repair guide (superficial instructions and difficult to see and poorly labeled photos and diagrams), this book is a useful addition to home repair libraries. When tackling a home repair, the book provides numerious time-saving and result enhancing suggestions on how to maket the job go more smooothly with a higher quality outcome.



3. While not a comprehensive home repair guide (superficial instructions and difficult to see and poorly labeled photos and diagrams), this book is a useful addition to a home repair library. When tackling a home repair, the book provides numerious time-saving and result enhancing suggestions on how to make the job go more smooothly with a higher quality outcome.



4. I have not bought this book...yet. I recently borrowed it from the library, and will keep renewing it until they force me to return it. When they do, I intend on hunting it down at my neighborhood bookstore.

   This book is very comprehensive for the do-it-yourselfer that is just starting out, and contains many neat tips and tricks that even the expert handyman would not have known. The book is extremely useful for everyday stuff, and even has instructions on those once a year fix-it items.

   The book is arranged in different categories, such as Lawn & Garden, Plumbing, Electrical Appliances, with subcategories like pruning, toilets, and washer/dryer. About half of each page is covered with colorful handrawn pictures that apply to the tips listed. Most tips don't have pictures, but these are usually ones that don't require them. The other half of the page contains detailed instructions on how to replace/repair/install items of importance. These instructions have real pictures of the process, and are wonderful for reference.

   I would recommend this book to anyone who owns a home. Once you buy it, read everything once so you'll know what's in there, then put it in an accessible place so you can grab it at a moments notice.




5. This book is surprisingly fun. You name it and this book has a tip on the most effective way to do it. I bought this book in conjunction with two other home maintenance and repair books and it has many items that were not covered in the other two. I only gave it three stars because I will probably only refer to this one after the other two to verify that there isn't an easier way. What would make this book better? I say combine this book with their "New Fix-It-Yourself Manual" (my top choice), and you have an ace book!

No comments about TS 55 & TS 75 Portable Plunge Saws: With Fs/2 Guide Rail, Mft Multifunction Table, & Ct Dust Extraction System (Festool Essentials).

5 comments about Sprinklers & Watering Systems (Garden Maintenance).

1. Scotts Sprinklers & Watering Systems is a complete and thoroughly "user friendly" guide to planning and installing landscape irrigation for the home. Profusely illustrated, this "how to manual covers every aspect of planning out a sprinkling system to be as cost efficient to install as it would be to operate. Included in the planning process are detailed materials and equipment comparisons as this superbly organized "how to" manual takes the homeowner and do-it-yourselfer through the planning and design process from beginning to end. Then the reader is taken step-by-step through the installing process with clear instructions and illustrative photography which will eliminate any operational problems later one. Also included is the maintenance, care and upkeep of the installed watering system including occasional repairs and replacement of parts. Finally there is an invaluable section on using the installed water system, getting the right amount of water in the right place at the right time. If you are wanting to include a sprinkler or other kind of watering system as part of your landscaping, then give a close and careful reading to Scotts Sprinklers & Watering Systems -- it will save you not only time and money, but help you to avoid aggravation and error!



2. A very good book for the homeowner with a sprinkler system. Lots of good info on how systems work, and how they can be modified. Worth the money.



3. This book has a detailed description of just about anything you can think of when it comes to installing your own sprinkler system. From planning bluelines to selecting sprinkler head types, it covered all bases. I was a totally new to the world of sprinkler installation when I read this, and now I feel like a pro!



4. I couldn't be happier with this sprinkler.
   It's very nice to be able to point the heads in separate directions.
   The quality is top rate.
   Be sure to get more than one though as it's not practical to try to move it to different spots in you yard or garden.
   You don't want to be resetting the directions of you sprinkler heads all the time.
   It does take a little bit of time to begin with to get them adjusted to where you want them to go.
   I'm going to be buying more of these and my daugher is going to buy some for her yard as well.



5. I planned to re-do my sprinkler system, and was looking for tips on irrigation. There is a lot for commercial use here, which I didn't need.
   All in all, I did not find the book useful, so hired a guy to do the work.

1 comments about 500 Time-Saving Hints for Every Woman: Helpful Tips for Your Home, Family, Shopping, and More.

1. In the lives of women everywhere, time is becoming a dearer and dearer commodity. Women have so much to do within limited time. As roles increased, available time did not. 500 Time Saving Hints for Every Woman is appropriately subtitled "Helpful Hints for Your Home, Family, Shopping and More." In an easy-to-read format, Emilie Barnes gives practical hints that all women can use to make the most of the time they have.
   
   The book is laid out in 6 basic Sections: Organization, Cleaning, Storage, Finance, Family Time and Travel. Then each Section is broken down into smaller chapters for easier reading and reference. Stain removal secrets even includes ways to remove over 25 common stains. The chapters have a huge range from cleanliness to how to gift wrap, living as a widow, children's manners and recipes. Very few parts of a woman's life are not covered. Most of the tips are uncomplicated, easy to use and implement.
   
   The most concise area of each chapter may be the ending lists of "Simple Ideas." These are bulleted lists of useful, applicable suggestions that go with the chapter topic. For Storage Solutions two of the ideas are to put things where they are most convenient and to label containers. Family ideas include putting on family plays and taking family outings. They are filled with easy ideas that will add structure and organization to the every day lives of women and their families.
   
   This book would be better titled 500 Time-Saving Hints for the Every Christian Woman. It is full of bible verses and based on Christian prayer and religion. It is one of over 60 Christian faith-based books written by Emilie and/or Bob Barnes. They also have a related website.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: The book may not be for every woman, specifically because of the Christian focus.