1 comments about Old & New: Combining Past and Present In Contemporary Homes.

1. This was an awesome buy. It gave me lots of ideas for decorating my aspiring eclectic home.

3 comments about Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely.

1. Finally a book on living a life which acts to preserve and enhance our world; not destroy it. This book, put out by National Geographic is as it says: "The complete reference for living wisely." The layout and the classification of topics are easy to understand. A mixture of text, pictures, and quick fact or reference lists make this a useful tool to deeply research a topic or to get quick information on a specific concern.
   
   The book is not dense with text, nor does it require a chemistry or biology text to interpret it. It is enhanced with "eco tips" which offer common and easy practices to put into place; facts are set off in small side paragraphs; definitions are also set off, and at the end of the book there is a glossary as well.
   
   The book runs the gamut, from how to eat healthy and local to what is in those seductive looking beauty products and how they affect your health and the health of our planet. It notes the lure of the SUV and then explains the damage these and other energy draining transportation devices cause to our world. The section on what is good and not so good for our babies and children to eat, wear, drink from, and clean themselves is eye-opening. Included here are data on how pervasive petroleum products are as ingredients in baby lotions and their negative short and long term personal and planetary consequences. Another section on personal care is explicit and daunting in its well researched findings on the effects of the ingredients in our soaps, lotions, sun screens, and other personal products.
   
   Do you know how simple and inexpensive it is to reduce the energy use of your conventional water heater? Well, read page 318 for five ways to do this without too much fuss. What about using plant oils in our personal products. The "Ask the Editors" sidebars tells you that just because something contains plant oils does not mean it is eco-friendly. Fabric softeners, home fragrances, bed linens, windows and drapes, compost, pest control, nail polishes, tap water, roofing and more are all put to the test in this book.
   
   This is an easy to read book. It is conversational in style. It is full of information that is understandable and doable. Guidelines are given on how to put the eco-friendly practices into place. The categories are well chosen and clearly covered.
   
   And it is an important book we all should be reading. We have not been kind to our environment as the facts clearly show. The evidence from reliable and valid sources make this readily apparent. And the book leaves you with the realization that the eco-friendly alternatives are not rocket-science. They can be easily put into practice. They are ordinary things which will fit well into our ordinary daily lives.
   
   Shouldn't it be on your shelf?



2. I agree that this book provides almost everything one would need - from the beginner to the "medium green" consumer. I read many of the popular books on green living and am constantly looking for suggestions beyond recycling and turning off the water when brushing ones teeth. I would still consider myself a relative beginner in the green movement, but I do what I can.
   
   I certainly enjoyed the background information provided about the multitude of green choices suggested (green cleaning, kitchen, bath, bedroom and laundry suggestions, natural beauty options, eco-friendly home furnishings, etc). For example, the authors suggest why using non-stick pots and pans isn't such a good choice, how to decipher food labels (not just suggesting choosing "organic" foods), and specific information about various beauty supply, home remodeling material, candle, and other companies under their "green thumb guide".
   
   However, I didn't give it 5 stars because, while it may be quite factual, I feel that the information provided in this book (particularly in the beginning chapters) is done so in too harsh of a manner. Sad that it is all true, but after every page I was left with more and more of a helpless feeling instead of an empowered, get-up-and-go attitude. In other words, the facts about the chemicals and ecological destruction that surrounds us presented in this book, in my opinion, tends to outweight the suggestions of what we can do (on a small or large scale) to address those.
   
   I recently picked up "Easy Green Living" by Renee Loux and am quite pleased with it as an alternative to this book.
   
   Positives:
   Nice layout
   Easy to understand
   VERY thorough in factual explanation
   
   Negatives:
   Left with a negative feeling after barraged with detailed information...versus feeling empowered to make changes
   
   Hope this helps!



3. This book definitely covers it all! It is a great resource to use if you need information on how to live a greener life. Would definitely recommend! I do wish some sections were expanded, such as alternative menstrual items.

5 comments about The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options (Chelsea Green Guides for Homeowners).

1. This book was a little bit hard to understand, especially if you are not knowledgable on the subject. I would recommend something more clear and easier to read.



2. Author Dan Chiras has produced a series of amazing books on green building, including The Natural House, The Solar House, Superbia!, and The Natural Plaster Book. His books are extremely well written, well organized, comprehensive, and extremely well illustrated. He's truly one of the best, if not the best, writer in the green building field.
   
   The New Ecological Home is no exception. In fact, I think it is one of the best books he has written. Although the cover is pretty drab, the book is a beauty inside. The book is engaging, easy to read, and full of interesting and helpful information that will assist those who want to explore the many options for building homes that are good for people, the planet, and the economy. This book should be read by all who are considering building a new home as well as those who are thinking about remodeling their homes. It is also a valuable resource for architects, builders, and students of architecture. Adding to its value, this book has a detailed resource guide that adds considerably to its value.



3. During the planning phase of building our first home, this book was very helpful. We liked the emphasis right at the start on site selection -- what to look for in everything from the overall community to aspects of the land itself and how to environmentally protect that land during construction. A comparison checklist for assessing lots is included. Even though ours will not be a "natural House" (rammed earth, straw bale, etc.) and though those types of construction are covered, there was plenty of solid information on building a more energy efficient, and less wasteful, home of wood and concrete. Also included are chapters on design, using green and non- or less toxic materials, sustainable approaches to water and waste, environmental landscaping, and enery-efficient design, heating, and cooling. As this will be a retirement home, we especially appreciated the chapter on accessiblilty and ergonomic design.



4. This book could very easily serve as a textbook for a green building course. It's not a coffee table book - the photos are small, and black and white - but very useful in supporting the text. This is a serious book about alternative building written by and about a group of people who have been creatively, responsibly, thoughtfully building for a very long time. It's a good choice for builders who want to learn more about sustainability, students who want to go into the field, or homeowners who are looking to build. It's not so much glitzy and inspirational as it is informative and useful: comprehensive from site selection and design through building options and techniques, to landscaping, it also contains a great resource guide.



5. Having been the first of it's kind I have read, this book is well-organized and readable. It seems good for the person brainstorming on what steps to take in the design of their eco-home. For more specific information to carry out the tasks, I would suggest other resources.

5 comments about Shelter.

1. Now I don't know if I want to live in a tree, a yurt, or on a converted vehicle. This makes my 'normal' house seem quite ordinary. Drat!



2. I studied architecture in Australia and dragged my feet through the course. That is until a mate suggested I check out this book.
   It liberated me.
   
   Here was a bunch of common folk who met one of the most basic needs of all humanity - shelter.
   
   So much of what we encounter in our 'western' enlightened age is alien and regulated. The materials that we commonly use in buildings & infrastruture is devoid of any life or connection with the earth. They are not in or close to their natural state. And even if they are, there is so much regulation and stipulation on how we are to use them.
   
   But this book gives you hope, a chance to dream. It shows buildings as art forms, useful & practical but completely expressive of the owners they serve. They are not bound by regulations and conventions. This is craftsmanship not industrialisation. They are made from from natural unrefined materials which in essence connects us to the earth, which we all belong to. From dust we came, to dust we will all return. The beauty of nature is your own home.
   
   This book is filled with ideas and ways in which people have often 'escaped' from the life draining cities to a more peacuful and harmonious way of life. It's superb photo's, hand illustrations and even the way the book is laid out are a freedom in itself. This is one book you will not regret owning and will always find pleasure returning again and again to.



3. Throughout the 1960s and `70s, hundreds of unwashed, longhaired youth from around the world descended on the open foothills around Placitas, New Mexico, and established multiple communal hippie settlements. These youth had read of the Placitas scene in national magazines and counterculture books, or heard about it from other hippies; they were idealistic types from all around the world, and they came to the area to try to raise their own food, escape The Man, indulge in free love and mind-altering drugs, and live communally in tents, geodesic domes, adobe shacks, and experimental homes they built themselves out of plastic and scrap metal.
   This book, "Shelter" documents their bizarre housing experiments in wild detail. It also documents curvaceous mud homes in Africa, riverside huts in Yugoslavia, thatched huts in Ireland, homes in busses, homes in caves, dome homes, homes made of car parts, homes carved into mountainsides, homes made of hay, tipis, barns, gypsy tents, and more.
   If there's a strange kind of housing, you'll probably find it in here, and you'll probably be inspired by it.
   "Building this house was more of like feeling where you went as you started working with it, you know, the material and just playing it from there," said one Placitas hippie interviewed in this book. "...It's like three dimensional sculpturing, you know, we just got into building a house out here that's like jewelry. ...OK, let me put it this way, the inspiration like as we move along through it, like I found it in [Stanley Kubrick's film] 2001, where the dude had finally split out of the satellite and was heading towards Jupiter, just as he was coming in, what they had done was they had used different types of film, infrared for one, and just taken a plane and flown over Grand Canyon at a high speed, low, what is created you know, is in some respects synonymous to what the house is, you know, and certainly our cell structure in our body is synonymous with that...."
   As you can probably tell, this is not "Better Homes and Gardens" or even "MTV Cribs." It's "Shelter," and it's a trip.



4. I bought this book when I was fourteen years old and it blew my tiny little mind! Now that I've lived a bunch of years in the design field, and I take it off the shelf, tattered from three decades of intense study, it still blows my (now even tinier) mind. Mr. Kahn has done us all a great service with this book that goes beyond architecture to higher values and has a spirit that leads by example. Sure it's got some crazy hippy parts, do with that what you will. But a deep devotion to what you make and why; it's all here. I'm thankful for this inspiring work.



5. I saw this book at my brother's house and immediately knew I had to buy it for my husband. It is a high quality reprint of an older book and has that "60's" feel. Much excellent info and lots of great pictures. Very eclectic. We got it specifically for the info on Geodesic Dome houses but there's plenty more for shelter freaks.

5 comments about Absolutely Organized: A Mom's Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and Clutter-Free Home.

1. This was about the least helpful of any book on organizing I have ever read. Full of pictures and froth. A whole page of a picture of a pair of jeans. What a waste of money this was. Another page of yellow plastic ducks. A page showing coloured pencils. And so it goes on. Three daily naps for baby all nicely scheduled. Has this author ever had a baby. I doubt it. Buy a different book.



2. The prospect of organizing our stressful, non-stop lives is sometimes so overwhelming, and other tasks seem so much more urgent, that we often don't quite get around to it (at least I didn't). This book breaks down a ton of very practical tips into bite-size pieces that are immediately and easily applicable. I've never tried to sit down and read it through (though I think it would be a relatively quick and interesting read). Instead, I keep it in my handbag and pull it out when I have a little waiting or other down time. Even if I only read a page or two, I've always come away with at least one clever idea that is easy to implement -- everything from simple tricks to keep yourself on track despite frequent interruptions from kids or phones to a step-by-step plan of attack against the paper-and-photo-mountains and other clutter that we tend to accumulate. A great tool for the harried, working mom or anybody who's got more on their plate than they seem to have time for.
   
   (Given my own hectic life, I rarely take the time to respond to requests for feedback, but this one deserved a few minutes in return for all the time it has saved me!)



3. This book is a wonderful guide for busy moms - a "must have" filled with great tips and advice. I'm not sure what book "Loving Mother of 3" read, but her critique was filled with inaccuracies - far from what I gained after reading the book. As a Loving Mother of 4, I found Lillard's advice helpful and constructive. Though my own choice for scheduling my children was different from Lillard's, I didn't buy this book thinking every ounce of her advice would be a perfect fit for my family - no book ever is. Overall, this book has wonderful advice.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who needs help keeping life in balance during the busiest years of our lives.



4. As a mother of 4 small children, ages 4, 4, 2, and 1, organization is essential for survival! I was immediately drawn to this book and I was delighted to read it. The book was well-written, easy to read, and had several "Laugh Out Loud" excerpts in which I found myself totally relating. The CPR method for organization is universal and can be applied to so many facets of running a household. This book was very motivational and I began making lists of what I wanted to accomplish as I read through each chapter. I found the charts and tables extremely helpful, especially the section on "how long to keep all those statements". I have already sat down with my paper shredder and this book to purge my filing cabinet. I totally agree with the author's philosophy that organization is liberating and yet I appreciate her viewpoint that flexibility needs to be maintained as well. A great Pep Talk on how to manage your family, your house, and still have fun!!!



5. I really didn't get much out of this book. I would pick Eliminate Chaos by Laura Leist and skip this one.

2 comments about Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th Edition: Save Money, Save the Earth (Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings).

1. Written by Jennifer Thorne Amann (Senior Associate in the Buildings and Equipment Program at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy) Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings is a handy resource for homeowners, state utility companies, and anyone else interested in saving money and reducing environmental impact. Now in its ninth updated edition, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings offers in-depth comparisons between available energy-saving technologies, cost-effective repair and replacement options, step-by-step instructions for finding the right equipment for one's needs, and much more. "Try to install your clothes washer as close to the water heater as reasonably possible and insulate the hot water pipes leading to it to minimize heat loss through the pipes. Also, if possible, locate the washer and dryer in a heated space. This is particularly important with dryers, which depend on heat to dry." Simple black-and-white illustrations help to clarify key points in this solid money-saving guide. Highly recommended.



2. This book is filled with practical advice and energy saving suggestions, with illustrations and instructions that explain the "hows and whys" of energy savings. The book takes you through the house from attic to appliances, from windows to CFL lights, with the Real Story on each. The advice is highly practical and much better than some books that simply point out the obvious. The book is FULL of practical projects you can do this weekend to make your home more efficient. This book will pay for itself the first weekend you own it.

No comments about Food Security for the Faint of Heart.

4 comments about Graphic Guide to Interior Details: For Builders and Designers (Graphic Guide).

1. The Graphic Guide to Interior Details: For Builders and Deigners gives a comprehensive analysis and break down, not only for professionals in the industry, but for the first time home buyer, or for people who are just plain interested in built structures.There are endless details and drawings that are accompanied by current and up to date information that not only complies with modern day building codes and standards,but also has innovative and progressive techniques for the future. I'm a student that has gotten great use and resource out of this book.



2. Here you will find up-to-date information about virtually every material involved in interior construction - common and uncommon, residential and commercial - so you can compare key factors and make the best decisions for all of your projects.
   
   Illustrated with hundreds of clear drawings that can be easily incorporated into architectural plans and show how these materials connect to the structure of a building and to each other. Here is information on everything from drywall to resilient flooring, from raised panelling and colored concrete to banisters, handraios, door trim and cabinet hardware.
   
   Written by a practicing architect with his own firm, the drawings and descriptions have been reviewed for accuracy by independent architects and builders from all over the country. The result is an unrivalled guide to finishing the inside of a house.



3. I purchased this because I was very impressed with the "Graphic Guide to Frame Construction" book. I was much less impressed
   by this book - lighter on the details and less updated.



4. This book is helpful to get a picture of the interior details of building a house. Very informational and good for reference.

3 comments about The Complete Guide to Reducing Energy Costs (Consumer Reports: You Need to Know).

1. This book covers the basics of what consumers need to know to reduce their utility bills and reduce their consumption of Greenhouse Gases. The one section that is outdated refers to heating your house using cord wood. Please do not cut down trees and burn them to heat your house! Trees are the one carbon-capture technology that actually exists, everything else is smoke-and-mirrors. We need trees to help clean up the mess we are making of the environment!



2. This is an excellent and complete overview to the improvements you can make in your home to make it more comfortable and more energy efficient. By following it's advice, you can improve your efficiency by up to 30% - depending on the age and condition your home is - I've personally experienced 27% savings on a 2800 sq ft home built in 1989. This has been a hobby and passion of mine for over a year, I've used various resources on the Internet. This one book covers all the topics I've discovered elsewhere, educates the issues well, instructs how to make the efficiency changes based on expert experience, all in a layman's language that's easy to understand and follow. I wish they would have published it a year ago - would have saved me significant amount of time that I've spent researching and learning the hard way.



3. This is a great comprehensive guide. But if you're already energy conscious, there's not much new in this publication. For the general homeowner, it's definitely a must-have. Here are the most significant facts: new window replacements don't usually pay for themselves; CFL bulbs save a ton of energy and reduce carbon emissions at a low cost; front load washers save water but not much energy; your home loses energy through electrical outlets and switches; central cooling and heating is most efficient (don't use space heaters); and upgrading your central a/c and heater may be economical.

5 comments about The Family Manager Takes Charge: Getting on the Fast Track to a Happy, Organized Home.

1. Walks you thru the very basics to start each project. Simple and easy to do.



2. A lot of organizing books repeat the same old principles. Kathy's book applies an entirely different creed! Family managers become CEOs of the family which gives us a whole different perspective and value system. I highly recommend this book. Even after you get the concept down, there is a lot of information in the book you will want to have on the shelf as a reference.



3. I have been a housewife for 17 years and I still learned a lot of great time saving tips from this book. This is definately the kind fo book you have to buy, not borrow, so you can hilight and tag pages that jump out at you. It has columns for notes, budgets, etc. This is an absolutely perfect book for a shower gift or anniversary gift for a new bride--I am excited to give a copy to my daughters when they leave home.



4. I just got this book a few days ago, and have been reading it in my spare time, but already I've organized the office, my daughter's closet, and the kitchen cupboards with Kathy Peel's advice. This book not only gives great tips and advice, but gets you motivated to keep a clean, organized and orderly home. I'm only in the 4th or 5th chapter so far, and have gotten so many great ideas for keeping a more smooth-running home. My husband has really enjoyed coming home every day to a more organized, neater home. Our biggest problem is clutter, and she gives great advice for getting rid of clutter and controlling the influx. We have a lot to do yet, but I'm excited to take back our home with Kathy Peel's helpful instructions.



5. Upon leaving the corporate world to nurture our first born, I came across this book. It was a very helpful tool! It gave me help I needed to transition rolls from Corp Woman to Family Manager. It helped me see myself in a new light. The term HomeMaker is so matronly and out dated. With my new title as Home Manager and new job description I was ready to tackle the days ahead with confidence. This book gives sooo much practical advice. It's like having a granny sharing all her secretes and golden nuggets to keeping a house in order all the while balancing the delicate relationships of wife, mother and friend. Written well, organized chapters by subject, meaty & written in plain english with no unnecessary fluff. It is a wonderful book and I'm so glad I got my hands on it! More than a good read, it has templates and loads of suggestive advise to getting the job done efficiently and quickly. The Family Manager Takes Charge is a must have for those seeking more sanity while running the home.