5 comments about Creating the Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the New American Home.

1. Sarah Susanka, an architect orginally based in Minnesota, has written an extremely valuable book about creating comfortable living space in a small house. Until the recent housing crisis (and yes, even despite it among the super-rich) residential housing in this country was guided by the principal that "bigger is better". From an average house size of about 1,300 square feet during the housing boom that followed the Second World War, houses have been getting larger and larger. The effect of this on the environment went virtually unnoticed until it became fashionable to talk about global warming. No retired couple needs a weekend home of 8,000 square feet, yet one would be shocked by the number of such houses that were built in the 90s and were all the vogue up until about a year ago. Now that Hollywood movie stars, earning $20 million a film are driving hybrid cars and installing windmills in their backyards to power their 50-inch flat screens, the small house is somewhat in vogue.
   
   Ms. Susanka has many interesting ideas on how to maximize the use of space, including the notion of creating "living" space, e.g., seating, a fireplace, and even a tub, on the other side of the walls of a house.
   
   If you are thinking about building a house, read this book first. Perhaps you will scale down your plans and that would be a benefit to both you and to the world outside.
   
   Books of this type have proliferated in the past few years but this volume, one of the first on the subject, remains as vital as it was when first published.



2. Hopefully all the people who are supposed to be interested in preserving the natural world will buy into Susanka's idea and build smaller, more useful houses rather than energy and environmental guzzlers. Be nice if some of the "talking heads" would do as they say. Great ideas for all of us interested in using less and preserving more.



3. We have read both books and did find some things interesting, there was only one or two houses in either of the books about the Not So Big House that would have worked for us. One thing we did find that the cost of the "not so big house"; because of many of the materials used; it is really more than what a number of people might find too expensive for their budget.



4. We are remodeling our house and my daughter and husband are about to build a new house. A friend of us got many great ideas from this book when they built their home, so they recommended it to me. I had purchased it as a gift for my daughter who, along with her husband, have been reading it since then word by word, and studying the pictures. They are so excited by the concept of a great home and the excellent ideas found in the book. It gave them the direction that they will definitely take when designing their new home.



5. A FURTHER EXPLORATION OF THE NOT SO BIG PHILOSOPHY, QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE, GOOD COMMON SENSE.

1 comments about Wood: Contemporary Houses in Wood.

1. This was my favorite of the modernist wood architecture books that I have bought so far. There is nothing revlutionary but the projects are, for the most part, excellent and the photography beautiful. A good source of ideas for using wood in contemporary projects.

3 comments about Private Newport: At Home and In the Garden.

1. .
   This is an exquisite look at Newport Rhode Island by Betty Barden Pardee, a contributing editor to Bon Appetit, who, with her husband is a year-around resident of Newport. Ms. Pardee takes the reader inside the mansions for a private look at the interiors and gardens of this community from a bygone era.
   
   Photographer Mick Hales, whose work has appeared in House and Garden, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, and Town and Country does an extraordinary job capturing the light, mood and character of Newport.
   
   Designers, decorative artists, and landscape designers will especially enjoy these pages.



2. I used to live in Newport and I recognize many of the houses in this book. You will not see these private interiors and gardens any other way. The photography and writing are excellent.



3. Private Newport features page after page of gorgeous homes--those that only we mere mortals can only dream about! The photography is spectacular and I love the way the exterior of the homes and their grounds are included, as well as the amazing interiors. This is a great gift for anyone who has visited Newport or who desires to. You won't see these homes on the mansion tour as they are privately owned and not open to the public.

1 comments about Architecture: Residential Drafting and Design.

1. This item is also a workbook that is useless without the textbook it coralates with.

2 comments about Kit Homes: Your Guide to Home-Building Options, from Catalogs to Factories.

1. My favorite part of this book is the first chapter, which gives a thorough and accurate history of Sears kit homes in particular and America's kit homes in general. And I'm delighted to report that the publisher allowed me to provide some input, factual date and photos, too.
   
   The rest of the book is also well done with good quality photos, bright colors, handy layout and a writing style that makes the book easy-to-read and comprehend. The text is well written and makes reading both interesting and informational.
   
   I can highly recommend this book, however...DON'T FORGET that it all started back in the early 1900s with Sears, Aladdin and Gordon Van Tine. Those were the first kit homes that swept America by storm.
   
   Rose Thornton



2. Other books on kit homes provide building specs for all levels of newcomer, but KIT HOMES: YOUR GUIDE TO HOME-BUILDING OPTIONS, FROM CATALOGS TO FACTORIES is different. It offers a look at low-cost options and designs, pairing these to a homeowner's specific wants and needs and showing how parts of the kit can be tweaked for budget and aesthetics. Directories of kit home publishers and suppliers are included, but the heart of KIT HOMES are its pages of details on getting the most from what's available throughout the industry.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

2 comments about Infinity Pools.

1. I purchased this book to get an idea of infinity pool designs. Really it's more of a coffee table book. The pictures are beautiful, but it's very difficult to really assess what the pools look like as the pictures are more artistic than technical. The photo assignment for this book must've been a blast as the pictures are from luxury locations around the world.



2. Infinity pools, sometimes called infinity edge pool is a pool that has one or more edges of the book being submerged below water level so that the water surface merges with the horizon, providing the illusion of an infinite plane. As seen in this book this effect is particularly impressive when the invisible edge is set against a larger body of wter such as the ocean, or perched on an elevated so that the sky becomes the backdrop.
   
   This is an expensive pool, with the requirement for a trench to collect the water escaping over the submerged edge and then for a pump that will recirculate the water into the main pool. But when it is done correctly by skilled designers and contractors, the result is often stunning.
   
   This book pictures and describes thirty houses from literally around the world that incorporate infinity pools into their design. The book is beautifully photographed and printed and will serve as an idea book for architects and their customers.

5 comments about Tudor Style: Tudor Revival Houses in America from 1890 to the Present.

1. This book offered plenty of ideas in my restoration and planning process of my tudor home. Great buy for the $$$



2. This is a very good book, the houses chosen are first rate and the text well researched and informative. The images are very well done, they are crisp and well presented. Some of the houses chose are amazing, frankly Tudor is not my favorite of the Eccletic styles, I really prefer Beaux Art and Georgian, but this book made me appreciate the beauty of the Tudor. I highly recommend this book, it made me fan of the style.



3. The photos and houses shown in this book are fantastic, both the old and modern dwellings. I have many books on Manor houses and old english houses but the photos shown in this book are the best I've seen. I was very interested to see the modern tudor style houses that have been built in the USA like the one shown on the cover. I bought this book from Amazon and it was delivered to Australia in top condition. A great buy and people visiting my place have picked it up and had a read because it captures the eye.



4. I caught a glance of the book on my architect's desk, and immediately ordered it the next day. I was not disappointed.
   
   Tudor Style gives an excellent overview of the English Tudor influence on architecture in the United States. I particularly enjoyed the narrative that accompanied the pictures throughout the book - very well written and researched! The picturesque neighborhoods and historic homes featured were inspiring examples of what truly draws people toward this style even today.
   
   An excellent book for anyone who appreciates timeless architecture and european-influenced design.



5. This book is long overdue. There's really no exclusive published works in print on American Tudor Revival architecture, except for this. It is a beautifully photographed and organized book, with nice fonts and well-balanced photographs. There are a few holes, though. Styles and geographic concentrations aren't focused on well enough. The section on Philadelphia Tudor Revival ingores a rich and very diverse Tudor variety in favor of a few French country houses. Also, the 1950s and 1970s mixes of ranches and split-levels with Tudor sensibilities are ignored, either out of distaste or pretension. The modern Tudor section is dominated by one very large McMansion with mock Tudor references. In all, the book is unfit for study but is basically a very pretty coffee table book.

No comments about Pool Design (Architecture).

2 comments about Successful Restaurant Design.

1. This book is great - it is broken down into logical sections, all with incredibly practical advice. The interviews with professionals at the rear are particularly helpful, as are the case studies. The case studies are a wee bit outdated now in terms of style, but the information is still relevant. Its great that the book establishes the need to do market research, as this is an area often overlooked.
   
   Note that this is not a glossy coffee table book - most of the pics are black and white and it is definitely a resource book for learning the basics.
   
   I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in hospitality design.



2. With 27 years of restaurant experience I know the importance of design to the success of a restaurant. What is often overlooked, however, is that the kitchen and dining spaces have to work together. The authors of Successful Restaurant Design are the first to point out the importance of a holistic approach to restaurant design. Their insights into the design process are a must read for anyone planning a new restaurant or renovating an existing facility. The chapter of interviews offers readers design tips from leading designers and restaurateurs. And the case studies offer a straighforward way of understanding simple solutions to complex issues. This book belongs in the library of every restaurateur and designer interested in keeping up with front and back of the house design.

No comments about At Home by the Sea: Houses Designed for Living at the Water's Edge.