1 comments about Start-to-Finish Patios.

1. This guide, with instructions fully illustrated in color, will give you many ideas about how to plan the right patio, whether you build it yourself or hire a contractor to do the work. It could even be useful for ideas about adding plantings and minor improvements to existing patios." (summary by South TX Library System)
   If you want to build a retaining wall or add water features, this book will get you started. Make your patio area a welcoming space that gets your family outdoors more. Don't spend your summer trapped inside the house with the air conditioning and TV.

No comments about The Black & Decker Complete Guide Maintain Your Pool & Spa: Repair & Upkeep Made Easy (Black & Decker Complete Guide).

3 comments about Pool Idea Book.

1. This book has a great variety of pool designs from contemporary to rustic designs. Fabulous book with alot of great pictures.



2. I looked through lots of pool idea books in my local book store and none of them had as many pictures as this book. There are a few pages of text in each chapter, but the bulk of this book is 4 (or so) pictures per page which is exactly what I wanted in an idea book. I recommend highly.



3. This is a great book for pool ideas. It contains ideas for just about every kind of pool and there are lots (350, at least) of photographs. This is just what I was looking for since we are planning to put a pool in our yard and it's a blank slate. This books is great for those without a lot of imagination, like me.

No comments about Complete Patio & Deck Book: Creative Ideas & Fabulous Fix Ups (Lowe's Home Improvement).

4 comments about Outdoor Kitchens: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Design and Construction (Better Homes & Gardens).

1. The girls can look at the pretty pictures but this actually shows you how to do the job... (Or some of you girls can come over and help me with my project:)



2. This is a good book. I gave it three starts because it only gave s few designs for the construction I needed, but it was a good reference. I think its important to research projects with these books then launch your own project with the ideas you've learned.
   3 stars out of 5.



3. Okay, this is not a book of plans and layouts--there are several--but, that's not the primary purpose of a book like this. IDEAS that's what you got here.
   
   Transposing one of these designs wholesale into your backyard would be fine IF you have the space, the matching terrain and the $s and, if the design matches and fits the style, scale and complements the features of your house. The writers admonish the reader to sit down and seriuosly think about how they use their kitchen and how they plan to use their outdoor one--that bit of advice alone is well worth the price of the book.
   
   As to the do-it-yourself aspects of the book they are well thought out, well laid out and clearly illustrated--and they are repleat with warnings and "bail-outs"
   
   All around outstanding



4. I bought this for my husband who want to install an outdoor kitchen and this book gave good design ideas as well as installation tips.

1 comments about Patio Roofs & Gazebos.

1. This book was good for simple, basic overheads for patios and/or decks. It gave some limited plans and recommendations for lumber. It also listed a variety of roofing materials but was somewhat unspecific on the pros and cons of each.
   We liked what the book did offer, but finished it feeling rather unsatisfied.

2 comments about Treehouses and other Cool Stuff.

1. I'm not one to write reviews of books, but this time I feel compelled to do so. The Stiles books on building are really quite unique and I particularly like their new one on Tree Houses and Other Cool Stuff. It is filled with inventive projects that parents can do with children.
   
   The instructions are just wordy enough and the illustrations look quite easy to follow. I'm going to give this book as gifts. It would make a good gift for a Mom or Dad with young children, or for active grandparents, come to think of it.



2. 't was great fun! We already built two of the projects described with detailed directions and plans in this wonderful book: the downhill racer ... and what fun do the kids have with it! and the lemonade stand on wheels, which we take sometimes to the beach. We are looking forward to build a tree house next spring. If experience is any guide, it should be ready for the summer.

No comments about Black & Decker Complete Guide to Contemporary Sheds: Complete plans for 12 Sheds, Including Garden Outbuilding, Storage Lean-to, Playhouse, Woodland Cottage, ... Tractor Barn (Black & Decker Complete Guide).

2 comments about Patios and Walkways (Do It Yourself).

1. The organization is excellent; the presentation of a series of sample projects makes the information very accessible to the novice, while providing some flexibility in how you can use the book. If one of the projects is exactly what you want to do, just read that section and plunge right in. If you don't know what you want to do, or want to do something a little different from what is described, read the entire book and get a good understanding of both basic principles and the variations that are possible. I had nothing bad to say about this book immediately after reading it (several times), but imagine my surprise when, while researching concrete pavers online, I ran across a familiar photograph - from this book - at a paver manufacturer's website. Reading the acknowledgements and copyright info for the book confirmed it - a number of the supplemental photographs are marketing materials provided by manufacturers. No wonder that this book seems to imply that pre-cast concrete pavers are the greatest thing since sliced bread! It seems obvious in retrospect that the book is biased by this manufacturer input. For this reason, if you are hoping to save a lot of money with DIY, this may not be the book for you. It doesn't cover the cheapest patio/walkway options (gravel and concrete), and the emphasis is more on saving money on labor so that you can spend extravagantly on materials. If you already know that gravel and concrete aren't quite right for you, then this might be just the book you need.



2. Step by step pictures are easy to follow and informative. This book is set out in a user friendly manner and one of the best of it's type I have read.

3 comments about Kid's Places to Play.

1. Book is very informative and give several plans. Also explains how to make your own cargo net (if you can find the materials) and a really cool spider-web climbing net



2. This is a very comprehensive book on children's play structures that begins with lists of what children like to play with by age, what they can do to help build by age (nails, screws, shoveling gravel) and how to involve them in the design.
   
   There are water features, sand areas, play houses (from forts to teepees to castles), tree houses, cable rides, bike "roller coaster," climbing walls, skateboard ramp, and other fun things. There are amazing details like a periscope on a tree house, window boxes, steering wheels and a telephone of rubber tubing and funnels.
   
   Don't think you need a huge lot either, as these projects scale well and there is even a tiny yard shown with a water feature, a stage for plays, a circular bike path, and a sand box beside a grassy garden area.
   
   If you build these, they will come.



3. Places to play is what a grandparent wants.
   Ideas are great and easy to understand.