1 comments about Decks: Plan, Design, Build (Ultimate Guide).

1. It's one of the two books hubby is using to help him build our deck. It has solidified his plans and given him concrete principles to work with. I'm glad there is someone out there writing this stuff so that wives can get their husbands moving on these honeydo's....:)

4 comments about Backyard Play Areas You Can Make: Complete Plans and Instructions for Building Playhouses, Forts, and Swing Sets.

1. A very good introduction on constuction. Reviews materials and details methods of building from foundation to roofing. This book also includes detailed plans for fifteen projects for all skill levels. A very good book to use, for the plans or just for the ideas and instructions.



2. This book has great plans for building forts,play-houses, but it does not have much in the way of swings. If you want a swing set play area, better find another book.



3. the book contained almost no items to build like swing sets, slides monkey bars climbing stuff, great if you want a playhouse, but lacked variety. $16 wasted in my opinion don't recomend buying this book.
   
   It only had about 20 items to build. omly one swing set.
   
   major disapointment.



4. This book has alot of great plans for playhouses and backyard play structures (such as swingsets). It was easy to read and follow. You have to know a "little" about building with wood (basic tools needed, etc.), but everything else is laid out well in this book. Directions were easy to follow and the results were nice.

No comments about 1001 Ideas for Outdoor Spaces: The Ultimate Sourcebook: Decking, Paving, Designs & Accessories.

No comments about Outdoor Stonework: The Timeless, Practical, and Aesthetic Value of Stone.

5 comments about The Welcoming Garden.

1. The tradition in the United States has been to have a fairly plain front yard and to put the emphasis on the back yard. If we think of the front yard at all, it's usually pretty bland. The chairs, the table, the fountain go in the back yard.
   
   This book kind of turns that around. Here are gardens for the front of the house. Maybe that's where the view is, maybe you just want guests to feel welcome, maybe you don't have a back yard, maybe you just want the house to be a nice from the front as the back.
   
   Gordon Hayward is an expert in garden design. Here he concentrates on the front yard. He features many of his own designs as well as designs from all around the country.
   
   The book is broken into ten chapters that cover all aspects of designing a garden for the front yard. It begins with a discussion on style and then has a chapter on each major component such as driveways, walkways, the strip between the sidewalk and the street and so on.
   
   Each of these chapters is beautifully illustrated with full color photographs. The result is a raft of ideas that you might use as you create your own design.



2. "The new American garden means living and walking among plants, following a path from driveway to front door among ornamental grasses and Russian sage, talking with friends under apple and cherry trees at the front of the house." ~Gordon Hayward
   
   Gordon Hayward's ideas can be incorporated into any style of garden. If you have a walkway to the front door or need to manage an especially large lawn, his ideas will create a beautiful nurturing space you will love coming home to.
   
   The book is organized in a step-by-step design. You can see the complete design from a landscaper's viewpoint and then see the finished beauty in pictures. Some of the features include:
   
   An Old Weathered House with a Cottage Garden
   A Home Completely Surrounded by a Garden
   A Small Garden around Big Front Steps
   A Garden Running Straight to the Front Door (cover picture)
   Sidewalk Garden
   A Generous Sitting Area in a Small Front Garden
   A Sunny Organic Garden
   
   Each idea also has a special section of "Design Principles." The author explains the pictures so you gain a sense of how a designer thinks when planning out a new yard. There are many ideas to love and there is a good balance of creativity and practical solutions.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



3. This is a decent edition, though I can't say it improves on Hayward's Your House, Your Garden or others in the field. The quality of the illustrations really varies, and some locations are redundant to YHYG. I was looking for advice about replacing my front lawn and wish I'd found more here. My top picks for garden design remain Natural Gardening in Small Spaces, by Noel Kingsbury; Front Yard Gardens, by Liz Primeau; and the Piet Oudolf books.



4. This book was everything my "much better half" had hoped for - she's delighted!



5. This book is a decent guide to front-yard gardens, and I liked a lot of the photographs. One thing that really annoyed me, though, were the little diagrams/layout pictures in each chapter; they seemed to have no correlation with the photos. It was as if the photos were of real gardens but the diagrams were hypothetical. Personally, I love it when a house or garden design book has correlating photos and "floorplans" (or whatever you call it for a garden); it really helps me visualize the jump from 2-D to 3-D, especially in terms of scale. This book has the photos, and has the 'floorplans', but they don't correspond. Other than that, it is a nice, solid idea book for the front garden.

3 comments about The Backyard Playground: Recreational Landscapes & Play Structures.

1. In an unusual departure from books of this type the first thirteen pages discuss what children like to do, the type of play different ages are interested in, and how to match an appropriate play area to the child. With that foundation firmly laid, "The Backyard Playground: Recreational Landscapes & Play Structures" then proceeds Landscaping for Playgrounds, Large Play Projects, and Small Play Projects. For each project there are multiple illustrations, materials lists, tools lists, and detailed step-by-step instructions to walk you through the entire project. No steps are left out of the project. I have seen several books that detail how to build a swing set but never discuss the appropriate ground coverings or how to correctly anchor it into the ground so it is safe. "The Backyard Playground" makes no assumptions that you would already know things like this. This text assumes that you are starting with bare ground and covers all the steps to build your project from scratch. The illustrations are so well done that anyone can easily follow along and create a playground area rivaling the best commercial projects. "The Backyard Playground" is a highly recommended book for anyone wanting to build their own children's play area and the only one I have ever reviewed that I would feel comfortable recommending to the novice handyman.



2. The main problem with this book lies in the fact that there are a lot of pictures for things they do not have instructions for. Anyone who has children will see the problem in this right away...your children are inevitably going to want you to build the things there are no instructions for. If you are a first time builder, this will not be something you can do.

   Aside from that, the instructions they do have seem thorough and easy to follow.

   If you know what you are doing this will probably be a good book for ideas, but if you are a first timer like myself, keep the book away from your kids or you'll find yourself in a bad spot. haha.




3. This book has a good opening with the kinds of play a child wants and how to match play areas to them. The woodworking instructions are clearer than "Playhouses You Can Build: Indoor and Backyard Designs," (Stiles, David R) and the color pictures more inspiring but there are fewer projects. Black & Decker does a nice job of showing how to anchor play structures and provide a safe surface (mulch, pea gravel, shredded tires).
   
   You get some playhouses, a tree house, a swing set, porch swing, child-size picnic table, planters, a bird house that is the perfect beginner wood project, a sandbox, a balance beam (way fun!) and a portable putting green that will inspire you to make a mini-golf course.

5 comments about Sunset Building Barbecues & Outdoor Kitchens.

1. This gives details from the concrete support to tiling the countertops. It even shows how to brick a patio or walkway for an outdoor grilling area. The only problem is picking out a design from the many listed.



2. There are some really great ideas in this book...want ot start building them all!
   
   If you are looking for outdoor kitchen ideas, grill plans, Barbeque (the real wood burniung smokehouse style, not propane grill) outdoor fireplaces, etc. This is the best book to buy and start building!



3. There were not too many books on the market when I decided to build my own barbque. This book helped me understand what I was getting myself into, but it fell short of giving me all the information I needed for my project. But it was a good resource. 3 out of 5 stars!



4. NEVER RECEIVED THE BOOK - COMPLAINTS DID NOTHING BUT WAISTE MY TIME AND MY TIME IS WORTH MORE THAN A $10 BOOK



5. I wish someone would realize that we all don't want our entire yard taken up with an outdoor kitchen. The directions were okay but save your money. Go buy a decent grill and have fun!

2 comments about How to Build Paths, Steps & Footbridges.

1. Outstanding selection of photos defining numerous material selections and their designed use.
   
   Paramount to the process is Peter's description of the planning and design process. Easy to follow, thorough, and it leads the amature and professional through the inital idea(s) to a well defined project - bricks and mortar.
   
   The step by step direction tool(s), material(s) and know how should result in a successful project for friends and family to enjoy and rave about. Just look at the pictures. HUNGER!!!
   
   A wonderful book for young and old, amature and professional.
   
   JOHN W. CAMPBELL
   Landscape Architect



2. A "fresh", well conceptualized and practical book that deals effectively and quite thoroughly with one of the two strategic components of any landscape --- the movement space. The other being landing or gathering space. The book is well illustrated and profusely augmented with simple clear diagrams. It benefits from a strong outline and simultaneous information on how to build paths, steps and footbridges It offers practical implementation tips. Stunning even inspiritational photographs complement the diagramatic graphics. A very good book for the "do it yourselfer" who could benefit from wisdom of those who have constructed well.

No comments about Outdoor Kitchens & Fireplaces.

No comments about Treehouses of the World 2009 Wall Calendar.