2 comments about Illustrated 2006 Building Codes Handbook (Illustrated Building Code Handbook).

1. This book was purchased for our office and we are using it constantly. We bought it for the lowest price and we are happy with the condition and the timeliness arrival of the purchase.



2. This handbook is a plain English guide to the Building Codes that are used (more or less) across the United States.
   
   More or Less - means that the individual codes are used by most places, but not all. Some areas have enhanced the codes to strengthen particular areas. When new codes come in, it takes time for them to get approved all across the country, so some places will have the older version, some the newer.
   
   Plain English - means that the codes themselves are written in what's called 'code text.' This is a quasi legal kind of writing that is intended to minimize errors in intrepretation, but which doesn't exactly succeed except that it succeeds in being difficult to read.
   
   This book presents the code in an easy to understand format. It is much easier to read, but lacks the legal precision of the code itself. Use this book for understanding what the code means. Use the code itself if you are going to court, and reference this book if you're having to explain it to a jury.
   
   This is an excellent approach, and the book is very well written and cross referenced to the code itself.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright Interactive Portfolio.

1. As an Architect student, I love this book. I show all my friends how a real great mind works. Wright is my favorite architect, so when I was this it was a given ofr me to buy it. I highly suggest checking your local book store first, because I bought this EXACT one for 13 dollars.



2. Un buon libro in cui è racchiuso l'essenziale. Molto curato e fuori dal comune per la ricchezza di particolari. Un'ottima idea regalo per chi vuole avvicinarsi alle opere di Frank Lloyd Wright.



3. This is clearly a labor of love. The solid box the book fits into is very cool. Keeps the book with about 9 clear sleeves with insert papers from gettin' smushed. A few nice big photos. Plenty a text. Other good smaller photos. And a cd of Wright speaking. It's nice to finally have some drawings to hold and unfold. I'm not sure all 18 or so of them are what I would have chosen. One in particular is pretty basic. But the mile high tower is 3 folded tall. And there's maybe 6 letters he sent out, modern letter writers might not recognize them with their notations and corrections because since computers we don't need to make such written corrections but in his day that's all they had. I'd easily have taken more and bigger drawings than any of the letters. As it is most of the drawings are 3 or 4 foldouts, very nice. Definitely worth the lower used price available on amazon.com. I think you do have to be a fan though to appreciate it. I'd love to see more books made this way, expanding the notion of what a book is or can be.



4. This is a unique book, nothing else like it around. A great coffee table book or a gift for anyone interested in architecture or the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.
   Highly recommended.



5. A must-have for FLW fans. Can be found remaindered for less but this price is decent. Make sure its in good shape. Well-made, written & produced, worth every penny.

4 comments about Craftsman Bungalows: 59 Homes from "the Craftsman".

1. This book, aside from the introduction, is comprised of reprints of articles, with photos and blueprints, on bungalows originally featured in the magazine "The Craftsman" from 1903 through 1916. Although only a couple of the homes described therein were actually designed by Stickley, the whole book was a delight. In their day, the cost to build these homes ranged from $2000 to a whopping $4000! The homes are from a simpler time, when closets were tiny and bathrooms were few, but the woodwork and stonework are inspiring. Important features of these homes include use of materials indigenous to the area so the home harmonizes with its surroundings, living porches, sleeping porches, fireplaces, and open floorplans. Not only is this book a delightful trip through the history of this style of home, it is also quite educational and contains many timeless ideas which would could be incorporated beautifully into today's homes as well.



2. As a Professional Interior Designer enamoured with Craftsman style homes I use this book as a resource almost daily. It provides inspiration for details that give period charm yet are very practical in todays interiors. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to organize and unclutter their home and add charm and create value while doing so. Craftsman details have roots in Asian and Shaker periods when life was less cluttered. The built-in millwork allows us to conceal the electronics required in this day and age and provide us with a more peaceful view of life.



3. This was a good reference for those looking to restore their Arts & Crafts, or Craftsman style home. We utilized this book to assist our architect in the design and final detailed drawings. It was worth the price.



4. This is a great reference for preservationists attempting to restore or furnish a home in the bungalow style. Architects may also find it to be an interesting reference. The volume includes original floor plans and photos of homes designed in the workshop of Stickley and included in his Craftsman magazine. The original commentary on the houses is quite interesting -- if not amusing -- providing information on the social context of the houses design. The various photos and descriptions of houses from the era are excellent resources for anyone furnishing a Craftsman home or bungalow

2 comments about 100 Houses for 100 Architects (Special Edition).

1. This book is not as bad as the previous reviewer makes it out to be. It presents a wide selection of architects houses, from William Morris in the Nineteenth Century to Francine Houben at the end of the Twentieth. The documentation of every house is quite decent and gives a good understanding of the spaces, with a good textual explanation, and the photographs are of great quality. Some houses have probably rarely appeared in print, as for instance those of Fernando Tavora, Christian Norberg-Schulz, and Jose Antonio Coderch. Besides, the book gives a great idea about these architects' conception of the 'home', as for instance in Coderch's case, who conceived his house in a vernacular mode quite different from the architecture he is known for.



2. There's nothing terrible about the book. But it is so easily beat out by other architecture books (including others by Taschen publishing) that there's no reason to get this book or waste your time reading much about it.

No comments about Earthship: Evolution Beyond Economics, Vol. 3.

5 comments about Green By Design: Creating a Home for Sustainable Living.

1. This introductory guide to sustainable living will give you new ideas for building your home in an environmentally-friendly way.



2. I agree with Bill below - this book is outdated. The author seems to miss the concept of ecological footprint. The first two houses she features in her book are 3,300 sq ft (for three people) and 3,000 sq ft (for two people). Another house is 4,175 sq ft.
   
   Even if people use green materials and building practices, the houses aren't green if they're using excessive materials and space.
   
   There are a number of better green books, but one that specifically focuses on minimizing environmental impact is Little House on a Small Planet by Shay Salomon.



3. I am a SoCA tract homeowner getting ready to relocate to the mountains of northern Utah. My husband and I are committed to building a home that is environmentally responsible, but the "green" concept is absolutely overwhelming. Green by Design is a terrific overview of the concept of sustainable living. Through the several case studies we learned that we would not have to be locked into an ugly straw box or uglier geodesic dome, and this book gave us just what we needed for next steps. If you already have expertise in this area and are looking for a how-to, I'm sure there are more appropriate books to help you build your home. However, if you want an introduction, this book does a great job.



4. This book uses a lot of buzz words and offers very little substantial advice when it comes to actually designing your own house. It touches a little on straw bale and reused materials and barely grazes cob/clay/rammed earth. It doesn't even mention geodesic domes as far as I can tell. The book advocates on one page (p.72) that people should live in small humble buildings, only having the square footage they absolutely need. Then a few pages later (p.79) it shows a 4000+ sq. ft. home, with the title "an excersize in efficiency." I fail to see anything efficeint about a 4000 sq. ft. home, especially when it's a standard A-frame building (granted, it's for a family of 6, but then again there's nothing "green" about having 4 children).
   
   It does cover some good stuff like gray-water use, rain collection, alternative heating and cooling, but it glosses over all of this and takes up a lot of space with strange-angled shots of rooms and floor plans. I KNOW the floor plan I want, and there's very little that a floor plan has to do with green building (it's more about orientation to the sun for passive solar use). What I'd prefer to have seen was simple diagrams of how the systems of the house work. There's a spot that explains how one house has the pool hooked up to the AC such that the hot exhaust from the AC heats the pool. Now THAT's something I can get into, but I want more than a couple sentences about it. That deserves a diagram!



5. My 50's Florida ranch style home is in the design stage for major remodel. In the the first "case study" in Green by Design the owner's took a 50's style one bedroom home in Utah and incorporated the foundation and concrete masonry shell into the new design. Exactly my plan. The author uses 14 green design homes as case studies with wonderfully insightful pictures and just the right text to accompany the pictures and to explain "process", "design", "site", "materials", "space", "energy"- all concepts I can use to make my newly remodeled home a certifiable Florida Green Home.
   
   Building Green is NOT about the latest designs and materials as the previous reviewers would have you believe. It's about designing for "sustainable living". Go to floridagreenbuilding.org to find a 5 page checklist of features required to build a green home in Florida. Nothing will get you more points (other than a small home) in this 5 page checklist than not having a permament irrigation system. In fact not having a swimming pool, not living on a natural body of water and not having an attached garage all count toward living "green" in Florida. If you want an up-to-date and "exhaustive resource" buy the latest edition of the "Greenspec Directory"-$89.00 here on Amazon. However the last 5 pages of this book is a list of resources, including the Greenspec Directory and 5 local green building programs. With Florida's now you have 6.
   
   The ultimate green home is a SMALL HOME! In Florida, a 1000 sq. ft. home will get you 50 points (out of 200 required minimum for certification) and a 2000 and above sq. ft. home will get you 0 points. Over 50% of the case study homes in this book would have recieved extra points if they would have been built in Florida. Which brings me to the regional focus of this book. Most of the homes featured where located in western states ( a few were in the northeast) and normally that would disqualify most books for a Florida resident, but not in this case.
   
   I highly recommend this book if you are serious about designing a home for sustainable living.

3 comments about The Old Barn Book: A Field Guide to North American Barns and Other Farm Structures.

1. This field guide has what I consider to be soso black and white photos and drawings of each type of barn and supporting structures. If you are looking for accurate information on a style of barn and where it may be located this is the book for you. I would perfer better quality photo's and some color. Rather boring presentation!



2. For what I wanted the book for it is a fantastic resourse. I build model barns and covered bridges. This book has not only given me new ideas but also a history behind them. Love the book.



3. While the book presents numerous types of agricultural buildings from all over the U.S., it doesn't go into any sort of detail about any of them, making it of limited reference use.

5 comments about Chicago Architecture and Design.

1. My nephew loved it. He grew up in Milwaukee, went to school and lives in California. He comes to Chicago about every other year.



2. This book has beautifull photographs. The book is much deeper than other Chicago architecture books because it has a well thought out historical review of the progression of Chicago architecture. Interesting even for the lay person like me.



3. This book provides an excellent introduction to Chicago's numerous schools of architecture over the years. It also provides a photographic tour of the city's important buildings, from the late 1800s to the present day. The photography is great! Highly recommended for fans of Chicago or architecture buffs in general.



4. I thought this book was very interesting it has great pictures of the buildings in Chicago. It has alot of information about the beginning of when Architects wanted to build something modern but unqiue at the same time. Get inspired by the great exterior and interior of these amazing buildings.



5. This book described many of the significant architects in Chicago history. I found it to be informative and very readable. It is the best book I have found which summarizes Chicago Architecture. The color photograghs are excellent

5 comments about House.

1. I fell in love with these builders. I was so happy to see that Jim Locke did his own book and is apparently successful in his business. I just hope the others are too. There is so much slipshod work done these days - build it big, lots of fancy extras, lots of problems later.



2. Unlike most others, I disliked this book. I tried to get through it twice, separated by a few years, but I give up.
   
   I'd hoped that this would offer fresh insights to building, but it was simply a painful replay of the psycho-drama involved: who's going to take the risks, who's going to "win" in what is presented as a zero-sum game.
   
   No wonder so many people end up hating their builders, and no wonder builders approach customers with distrust!
   
   I'm a serial renovator and will soon be building from the ground up. I'd suggest that there IS another approach - it's called teamwork. Do the research and make the effort upfront and find a builder you can work with and trust. Keep them running a tight budget with multiple bids but be respectful of their risk too! It's possible to create an environment in which everyone wins: on projects this significant, it's worth working to create it.



3. As a builder myself, I find that Kidder presents a fascinating picture about the process of building a house. I, like the builders in the book, always try to create something beautiful and lasting. All I can say is that the homeowners got lucky in finding builders that care so much despite the owners' pettiness. All too often, I am called in to repair a job in which the builder did not care or the owner was trying to "cheap out" or both. Most of the time you get what you pay for. In this case the owners got lucky to find true gentlemen who loved their craft. This is a book espousing that truly talented craftsmen are worth so much more than their weight in gold. A side note, Bill Rawns's architecture firm is now huge and well decorated, and Jim Locke, one of the builders, has written his own book called "A Well-Built House".



4. If the Souweines were happy about their house, they probably weren't happy with this book. I got the feeling that Kidder set out to be totally impartial about all of the people in this book, but by the end, he was sick of the whiny Souweines, in the same way that the carpenters set out to do the absolute best work they could but finally just wanted to get er done.



5. We're going through a major remodel, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this book. It's been a pretty good read, with fairly accurate descriptions of each party's position during the construction project. All parties come across as sympathetic and genuine, which make their conflicts more real. My biggest disappointment is that I wanted the analysis to be deeper so that I could takeaway lessons about what to do and what to avoid, but this isn't that kind of book.

No comments about The Architecture of Parking.