5 comments about Plumbing (For Pros By Pros).

1. title says it all. detailed and informative. Rex did a great job.



2. It's not that this plumbing book by Rex Cauldwell is bad, it's just not as good as his other title, "Remodel Plumbing."
   
   If you are going to buy just one plumbing book, buy "Remodel Plumbing" by the same author.



3. This book has strengths and weaknesses. Lots of good info and photos on building a plumbing system in a house. Apparently the house is half in the country and half in the city. Paradoxically, the author spends over forty pages on wells, pumps, pressure tanks and well-water supply system piping, but not one page on septic systems, cesspools, leach lines, or graywater systems. Go figure. The other void I found was zero information on cleanouts. The sub-title is a puzzle: For Pros By Pros. "For Pros" implies that the book is designed for professional plumbers. Do they really need help in learning how to sweat copper and glue plastic pipe? Apparently so, but apparently they need no help on cleanouts or waste systems beyond the house.



4. This book gives a brief overview of plumbing, it won't solve many of your problems as it doesn't go into anything in too much depth. Good if you need a general knowledge but there are better guides online from the manufacturer's for less or free. It does talk about some codes but that varies so much across the country as to be useless.



5. I thought this book was for pro's. Instead it reads like a book for a beginner. It was all basic I thought and the author talks to you like you are not a pro.

5 comments about The Straw Bale House (A Real Goods Independent Living Book).

1. I must admit being fairly sceptical about straw bale construction until I read this book...

   The style is very assessible and the content is thorough, interesting and informative. Just about every angle is covered in depth without being overly technical.

   Includes useful covereage of many associated areas, such as rammed earth, adobe and passive solar issues.

   An inspirational read for whether you are a dreamer or seriously intent on buiding your own house!




2. This book would seem to be an indispensible starting point for anyone looking into the straw bale home concept. If the thought of a poorly-insulated, energy-guzzling, expensive, bland, mass-produced, contractor-built home doesn't quite appeal to you, this book is essential, for it shows that inexpensive doesn't have to mean low quality nor unattractive. In fact, bales and other "natural", low-cost building materials can yield attractively individual results in part because they are easy and fun to work with, enfranchising the future owner to be his or her own designer and builder. The inspiring photos included in the book help make the case for the aesthetic advantages. Of course, the most important function is to show how to build the straw bale home. In this respect, the book succeeds admirably, giving diagrams to illustrate the major techniques being used and showing how simple straw bale building is. Incidentally, this would make an attractive book for your coffee table even if you are just mildly interested in the subject. One warning though: even including the index and other back-of-the-book sections, there are only 297 pages, not 336!



3. The Steens have written two books on this subject, this one from 1994, is the most informative as far as actual construction information goes. I would say that if you think you might want to actually build a straw home get this book and their second book,The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes(from 2000). After reading these books you'll need more information both about straw bale work and other construction and carpentry books, Amazon has a selection of those.



4. This is a must have. If you are totally new (as I was) then this book will give you a good solid understanding of the pros and cons of strawbale construction. It is obvious that the authors know what they are talking about.

   If you are vaguely interested in SB and haven't got this one you're really missing out.

   Thanks Steen Steen and Bainbridge for this wonderful contribution.




5. For someone who knew nothing about straw bale construction this book was not only informative, but also inspiring. The Straw Bale House contains a lot of good information about the specifics of straw bale construction. I found that because it covered information about straw bale construction from start to finish it couldn't go into as much detail about any one aspect as much as I would have liked. However, my feeling is that this book was designed to get you interested and then send you out to gather the more specific information for yourself. It has proven effective at inspiring me.

5 comments about Creating the French Look: Inspirational Ideas and 25 Step-by-step Projects.

1. A treasure trove of ideas that make creating French style in the home just a few easy projects away. Whether your taste is rustic and simple, eclectic bohemian, or sophisticated in the grand manner, this book provides a veritable template with detailed easy to follow instructions and plenty of photographs. None of the projects are too demanding or intimidating. Each style has been pared down to its essential--paint color choices, fabrics, accessories and so forth, making it easy for do-it-yourselfers to achieve the classic French decor so popular today. A must-have reference for francophile decorators.



2. I was expecting SO much more from this book. There just wasn't enough "meat" and way too many crafty ideas.



3. I thought this book devoted too many pages to craft projects. That being said, the categorization of various French "styles" is very helpful to a Francophile like me. It has proven very helpful in talking with my architect and designer as it has helped me clarify which French design elements I like in a way that is difficult to achieve by simply collecting pictures from magazines. It has allowed us to identify governing themes to my design and decor.



4. I drooled over this book in a bookstore and then came home and ordered it from Amazon for a better price! This book contains a lot of "how to" sections...faux painting/finishing, simple sewing projects, giving objects a patina, etc, so that you can create the French look...it's not just a pretty picture design book. However, it DOES have wonderful pictures which will certainly inspire any French decorating aficionado --or anyone who just LOVES simple/rustic/shabby interior decorating like I do!



5. 
   This book has wonderful pictures and helpful instructions to create the French look. Couldn't have come at a better time since we're redoing our kitchen in French Country style.

5 comments about Strawbale Home Plans.

1. I bought this book seeking inspiration, and I was not disappointed. Evident here is the continuing evolvement of strawbale house design and construction. In this book, you can see what can be done with strawbale. Included are comments and suggestions from the owner/builder of each house. For anyone considering building a strawbale structure, these comments would be especially useful. One owner/builder in the desert, for example, says rain gutters should have been installed when the house was first built, not added later on. Photo quality is very nice, and the overall layout and design of the book is quite good. The title of the book is a bit misleading, and I would have liked to see more in the way of actual plans (all you get is a floor plan), but overall this is a nice book, and offers much in the way of ideas.



2. i was very impressed, this book is beautiful, the pictures, and floor plans inside give us so many ideas for the home we want to build in the future, i recommed it even if its a coffe table book.



3. This product is short on plans but I love it anyway. It provides one diagram, or layout for each ofmany sterling examples of this construction method,
   A good value for that strawbale builder who finds themself somewhere between a dream and the plan coming together...or just wondering where to get started making the dream a reality.



4. I keep this book around on my couch for all my friends to check out and i go back to it, daily, in searching for beautiful ideas for my soon to be breathable abode! The people in the book appear so serene and i know why! what glorious fotos and floorplans this book provided! great work!



5. not sure what the book looks like, since it was sent as a gift. the reciepients received the book quickly and seem very happy with it.

4 comments about Black & Decker Finishing Basements & Attics: Ideas & Projects for Expanding Your Living Space (Black & Decker).

1. This is a great place to start with if you're a do-it-yourselfer planning to finish your basement. The only drawback I found is that it leaves you wanting more. I ended up buying more books on plumbing, flooring, and building in general. I managed to find several good used books. I'll probably end up buying a book on electrical work too (I'm still working on my basement). I also did a lot of research on the internet. Also, there's a lot of variation on local building codes, so you need to talk to your governing authority to get specifics. In the end, you might decide to do some parts of the job yourself and leave other parts for professionals. In any case, reading through this book will give you a lot of ideas to get started.



2. My wife brought this book and 5 others home from the library for us to review as we are just starting to finish our basement. This book is the best of the six by far. It's drawback is that it is not comprehensive - if you don't have some basic knowledge/experience and you want to do the work yourself, then you will want more detail. For the few pages that are there, however, the book does an excellent job showing the work at hand and gives some good ideas. I'll likely buy the book to have it on hand as we progress. Enjoy your project!



3. I am a complete home improvement dummy who is trying to build out her basement. This book was great at teaching me the basics & forcing me to think in a logical step by step manner - heating first, earthquake proofing next, etc. It also helped me understand drywalling techniques & effective insulation. Further, it helped me focus on building codes & regulations (I hadn't thought of that & as I said, i'm a home improvement dummy). Plus the pictures gave me great ideas. On the whole, a worthwhile investment. This book does assume that you'll want to *do* your own basement so there are tons of pictures showing you how to effectively insulate etc...



4. This is very useful if you are finishing your basement yourself. It walked you through all of the basics from planning and framing to finishing off molding. There is great content in this book and this was one of the heavily referenced books my husband and I used to finish our basement. I would caution you that the photos seem a bit dated, so get another book if you are shopping for ideas.

4 comments about Your Child: Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Development from Birth through Preadolescence.

1. Like so many other realms, this book lumps children who are not babies or toddlers into a huge group that includes preteens. If you have a baby, fine. Otherwise, find another more focused book for your 6 to 12 year old.

   Sorry I wasted my money. I am often left unanswered.




2. "Your Child" truly is an essential for every home. Although written by members of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, it's parent friendly to read!
   
   Age groups are broken down in each chapter, which I found helpful to find and very easy to use for my family.
   
   The information I obtained and utilized was priceless. I highly recommend this book.



3. While the book made for interesting reading (I have a 15 month son), I did not like how inflexible it came across. For example, it would say at 8 months, your baby should be doing this...If my child weren't doing whatever it was at that exact time, and I didn't know better, the book would have scared the crap out of me, making me think something was horribly wrong with my child. Now I have not read the entire book, as I am reading it as my child grows up.



4. this is a great resource especially if your children are entering or have entered the "twilight Zone" of preadolescence

5 comments about Prefabulous: The House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh from the Factory.

1. This is a terrific book that I use in my daily business as a REALTOR who is specializing in affordable, green, prefab solutions for my clients.Prefabulous: The House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh from the Factory



2. Fairly good. But thought maybe it would have had something included about the Dome houses also.



3. Lots of good pictures, but VERY LITTLE indepth and/or technical info about processes and products. Not for someone interested in really learning much about factory fabrication, except "look what we can do".



4. Usually, I find books like this very disappointing. I actually checked this one out of the library to make sure it was worth the money before I bought it. All I can say is YES, it's worth purchasing, and I cannot wait to receive my copy.
   
   This book is a really good introduction to prefab housing options and building materials, with photos spanning the basic models to very VERY high-end examples of the houses that can be built using this approach. (I have to agree with the reviewer who said that, if you want a really in-depth look at the technical side of the process, this is not the best choice for you.) "Prefabulous" manages to make a potentially-daunting subject accessible to readers without being overly light and fluffy or using that condescending tone that so many of these types of books have. Likewise, it's been very handy to show this book to family members and neighbors who are interested in prefab housing as an idea, but don't know anything (yet!) about the nuts and bolts of the process. This book has been really eye-opening for them because of its beautiful photos and well-written, clear, concise text.
   
   All this being said, I should probably explain that I have a Masters Degree in Urban/City Planning from an "Ivy-league" university. Even with my academic and professional training, I found this book to be very informative and fully anticipate that it will be a fine addition to my personal library.



5. In the author's 3/22/07 post in her blog above, she states, "In today's world I believe we are all concerned about preserving our resources and saving energy - prefab construction is an excellent option towards both of those ends." Her book, however, presents huge prefab houses as examples of this perspective. Of the 25 houses in the book, 12 are in the 5000 - 12,000+ sq. ft. range. No matter what construction method is used, excessive materials and space waste natural resources and energy.
   
   Given that the author's previous book was Modular Mansions, it's not surprising that she recommends such wasteful houses. It is highly unfortunate, however, that Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House, chose to write the forward for this book. She said, "Prefab is definitely an idea whose time has come, and this is the book that tells us how to make it happen". Did she even look at the book before writing that recommendation? It is a total contradiction from her own books and apparent philosophy towards building houses that minimize resource use.

5 comments about A Museum of Early American Tools.

1. I would have to say this is one of my best books! The pen and ink drawings a wonderful. So well writen with so much information. I just finished reading this again and feel like going and useing some of the tools in there that i own! I love working with wood and other materials in the American way. Some of the tecniques he dessribes are so ture an i use the all the time! If u love America and/or hand tools, you must own this book.



2. Eric Sloane doing what he does best. The illustrations are superb as usual and so are the descriptions of how the tools were used. This book is bound to make you think differently the next time you are at a yard sale or fleamarket standing in front of a bunch of old rusty tools.



3. I love tools, especially old tools and I found this book to be a treasure trove of information. As the title claims, it is a museum. For every tool there are one or two drawings and a short blurb on the tools were used and made - frequently I want more detail than this, but it is a starting place, just as any museum. For the price, this book is a good value for any lover of old tools.



4. I just finised reading the 1976 edition of A Museum Of Early American Tools. I love this book! It is obvious that Mr. Sloane had both a deep understanding and a heartfelt reverence for our American history, the implements that were such an integral part of it, and the ingenious craftsmen who designed and fabricated them. Our early history is indeed told most eloquently by the tools our ancestors devised. And who better to lead us through that story than Eric Sloane. I'm adding more of his books to my wish list.
   Mike Dearing



5. This book is dedicated to the pioneer Americans who made their tools, a symbol of sincerity, integrity, and excellence. Mass production made their tools obsolete, along with early individualism, said the author. There was a special tool for every job (pp.vi-vii). In Early America a museum referred to a library of collected facts (p.xi). Shovels were made of wood to prevent harm to grain and apples 9p.xii). A house built of posts and beams used wooden pins which don't rust and loosen like nails. Sloane says that studying the tools used by pioneer Americans reveals their conscience and personality. Things were built to be honest and long-lasting, not to make the most money. There are 48 short chapters and an Index. These drawings are very interesting.
   
   "The Romance of Tools" says a tool was an extension of a man's hand. Some gave pet names to a tool then (p.3), some do today. The Civil War period marked a new era in tool design because of mass-production (p.5). Axe handles became curved, not straight; their end had a "Fawn foot", "Scroll knob", or "Swell knob" (p.7). Early American tools had a traditional design with subtle differences and decorative touches that identify the region of origin (p.6). An ax was the most important tool for early Americans: clear the land of trees, cut fuel, build a house or furniture. Early axes were poll-less; the poll added weight for chopping. There were more than 50 patterns of Axe heads (p.12). The Broad Axe was used to hew round logs into square beams (p.14). Early American roofs were thatched, shingling hatchets were unknown. The claw hammer hasn't changed much since Roman times (p.22). Square-cut nails had greater holding power than round
   nails.
   
   Log-house notches were often made with only an ax (pp.24-25). An adze was used to smooth surfaces (pp.26-27). Scorps hollowed-out wood (pp.28-29). Wedges and froes were used to split wood for shingles, clapboards, and lathes (pp.30-33). Benches and horses were also tools (pp.34-37). The drawknife was used to trim wood, tool handles, spokes, etc. (pp.38-39). Wood was harvested and fastened into giant rafts for transport (pp.40-41). Wood was used in making apple butter and cider (pp.46-47). Two-headed tools are rare (pp.50-51). There are many kinds of chisels (used to make mortises) and gouges (pp.52-55). Planes were used for smoothing and shaping wood (pp.56-65). The various types of saws are described (pp.66-71).
   
   Awls, reams, augers, and gimlets made holes in wood (pp.72-77). Braces or bitstocks drilled holes (pp.78-81). There are other tools (pp.82-85). Sledges were important to move heavy or bulky objects (pp.86-87) when wheeled vehicles could not be used. Various jacks lifted or moved heavy objects (pp.88-89). Most tools can be traced to early blacksmiths (pp.90-91). Nails were made by hand (pp.92-93). Tanners treated rough hides, curriers scraped and softened hides with special tools (pp.94-95). Wheelwrights created spoked wheels held together by an iron outer rim (pp.96-97). There were specialized hammers: flails, flinting picks, bricklayers hammer, ice axe, zaxes (for slate), etc. (pp.98-99). Hay knives cut hay from a haystack; the hay-spade knife also cut up pumpkins (pp.100-101). Scythes and snaths were used to cut grass for hay (pp.102-103). There are other tools that were common a century ago (pp.104-105).

1 comments about Retaining Walls: A Building Guide and Design Gallery.

1. This book contains technical information about how to build a retaining wall, as well as dozens of inspiring photos that will give you idea after idea for your retaining wall. This is probably the only book you'll need if you're thinking about building a retaining wall.

5 comments about Chain Saw Service Manual.

1. I can not provide a comment for this evaluation. I mistakenly thought the book was about how to pull maintenance on chain saws. Not a parts manual.Although the manual does seem to be a handy item to have for a repair shop. Oh well.



2. Reliable, solid information on the subject. The general information is valuable but perhaps too concise. The data on the various makes and models is detailed and very helpful. A truly valuable book for what it covers.



3. Very unhappy with book. Book was reveived in well wrapped box and packaging, although when opened it was badly bent in the middle. It was NOT damaged in shipping since the box was not damaged. It therefore was shipped like that from the warehouse. This is extremely unprofessional since I paid for a new book. Buyers beware, do not buy from this seller!!!



4. Unfortunately I seem to have missed the part about this book only covering chainsaws made through 1998(!!) If you have a chainsaw made in the last 10 years this book isn't for you.



5. Book has good info on lot Chainsaws. I would like more details on each saw.