4 comments about Cabins and Camps.

1. I enjoyed this book but found it a little too rustic; kind of over-the-top for the average rustic aficionado. The same styles were repeated over and over with little variation.



2. Beautiful coffee table book. The pictures are large and there are many of them. The focus of the book was on the Adirondack style mostly and birch Adirondack style furniture.



3. This book is a banquet for the eyes. The reader feasts upon the visuals and is drawn into the rooms, the homes, and one can almost smell the wood.
   
   The author knows his subject and shares it well. I keep my copy on the coffee table in the living room as a wonderful accent to the room.
   
   It reads well and I am intrigued as to who the owners might be of the wonderful houses, homes, structures. Privacy is very important, but that is my only "complaint" with the book. I would like to know who the owners are. It would seem more personal.
   
   The book is wonderful.



4. This is by far the best cabin/camp book I own! Pages and pages of gorgous camps and cabins with wonderful decorating. I own many rustic decorating books and this is tops!! All Ralph Kylloes books are great but this one is the best! The pictures of inside all the beautiful camps and cabins is a true feast for the eye! I look at this book at least once a week and never tire of the homes and always put the book down with more ideas on how to make my home more rustic and adirondack/camp like. I can't imagine if you are a person that is into camp decorating that you would ever be disatisfied-it is truely the best of its kind!!

1 comments about Casa Adobe, pb.

1. "Earth was used to create farmhouses in France, cottages in England, castles in Germany, and missions in California and Arizona. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century adobe buildings still stand today in New York, Boston, Virginia, and South Carolina." ~ pg. 35
   
   The cover picture is a picture of Mision de Sol, a resort and spa with vibrant colors, dramatic waterfalls and beautiful adobe walls. Throughout the pages we are introduced to textures, interiors, surroundings, traditional adobes, modern adobes, adobe escapes and building materials needed to create a rugged home with romantic appeal.
   
   The decorative iron sconces with glowing candles are inspiring and the use of reflective pools and lush plantings adds artistic appeal. I loved the bookshelves in a room with a chandelier, table with a vase of lilies and rough terra tiled floor covered with a beautifully textured red carpet.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review

1 comments about Dream Homes Florida (Dream Homes).

1. I live a short distance from many of the homes that are profiled in this book and hope to use some of what I saw in my dream home. Very professional and glossy images (about 5 per home). The book appears to be a portfolio for the builders that are profiled within and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The only thing that is missing from this great book are the floor plans to these magnificent homes. This did not take away from the rating, because these homes are totally customized to their owners and do not have the cookie cutter look that many mansions in Central Florida have. The builders that are profiled state often how they like the challenge of designing a home that the owner will enjoy for a lifetime.

No comments about Open Kitchens: Inspired Designs for Modern and Loft Living.

4 comments about Residential Framing: A Homebuilder's Construction Guide.

1. So nice to see such a quality book that cover every detail big and small. It is my building bible! Every one who either owns a home of wants to do a building project should make this their first purchase.



2. Excellent diagrams, well-written, very thorough. If you can swing a hammer and have some basic mechanical inclination, this book will be invaluable. Or, even if you have a really good idea of what you're doing, this book will fill in the holes of your knowldge and you'll frame like the pros. This is probably the most useful book I have ever bought - on any subject.



3. Consider "Carpentry & Building Construction" by the same author. It seems to include most of the content of "Residential Framing" plus much more.



4. Spence's book is the most easily read reference I have seen on basic house framing. Excellent diagrams of everything from batter boards to installing crown moulding. Good info on scaffolding and other saftey items. Good basic reference on lumber grades and markings. I have consulted this book during every project from my shed to my addition and deck.

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.

5 comments about Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses.

1. This book is an wonderful mix of photographs, drawings and text that give great insight into the work of Rudolph's understanding of the Florida's climate and the technology available in his day. It is a must for anyone seriously interested in modern architecture. What an amazing architect, what an amazing book!



2. I have the hardcover version of this book, and I must say the graphic design, color, printing, editing, text, and even the dimensions of the all seem wonderfully appropriate. I know the format of this, The Florida Houses, is similar to that of The Late Work in the same series; however it is far more successful when showcasing the building logic and detail elegance in early work of Rudolph and Twitchell than the later "brutal" style Rudoplh explored.
   
   A total package as well as totally classy. I suggest the hardcover.



3. surpreendent phase of this great american architect.
   the book explain small buildings with great significations.



4. I found myself becoming nostalgic looking through the pages of this book. Having grown up in Florida, I was stunned to see that the house I lived in had been a knock-off of one of Rudolph's houses. His early Florida houses were widely emulated for their clean lines and passive solar designs. It is an impressive collection, and illustrates the lighter side of Rudolph before he became caught up in the monumental forms that dominated the latter part of his career.

   You might call him the John Lautner of Florida, creating a lifestyle as much as an architecture. You could see Travis McGee laying back in one of these houses, drinking a beer as he waits for the elusive flash of green. Rudolph really captured the spirit of Florida in the 40's and 50's. Simple, well-thought out designs that are as relavent today as they were then.




5. As the Case Study program got under way in southern California, Rudolph launched his own from his office in Sarasota on FloridaÕs Gulf coast. For two decades (with time off for U.S. Navy service) he created (first with Ralph Twitchell and then independently) a succession of airy pavilions that mitigated the steamy heat and filtered the brilliant light. In Ezra StollerÕs crisp period photographs these houses seem almost dreamlikeÑtoo graceful and pure to endure storms and the crass consumerism of waterfront development. And yet, despite the pressure of escalating land prices and the cult of gigantism, most of these houses have survived in their original form, and several have been lovingly restored. Every aficionado of mid-century modern should buy this elegant volume. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)

5 comments about Luxury Apartment Houses of Manhattan: An Illustrated History.

1. The book arrived in a timely fashion and was in perfect condition. I would definitely order from this person again.



2. buildings there are until one reads this essential history of some of the greatest buildings in the city.



3. Architectural historian Andrew Alpern takes the reader through a survey of luxury apartment buildings on Manhattan Island. There are 34 chapters, of which 28 are descriptions of particular buildings, their histories, and their unique features, each illustrated by one or more large b&w photographs. The book includes four floor plans. Buildings discussed include the Majestic, Century, Ansonia, London Terrace, Beresford, Osborne, and Alwyn Court. There are also six chapters dealing with more general topics: British 'antecedents of American apartments,' famous courtyard buildings, office-to-residence conversions, classic buildings of Fifth Avenue, double-height studios for artists, and changing fashions in floor plans.

   There is substantial overlap with Alpern's earlier book, 'New York's Fabulous Luxury Apartments,' although the two books were clearly separately written works. That earlier book is aimed at the reader whose interest is mainly in floor plans, while the reader who is more interested in detailed narrative descriptions might prefer 'Luxury Apartment Houses.'




4. An interesting overview of the design and evolutions of apartment bulidings in NYC, originally published as the very hard to find 'APARTMENTS FOR THE AFFLUENT.' Cretainly good fun for todays real estate conscious New Yorker with photos, floorplans and even original selling prices of NY's tonier buildings.



5. An interesting overview of the design and evolutions of apartment bulidings in NYC, originally published as the very hard to find 'APARTMENTS FOR THE AFFLUENT.' Cretainly good fun for todays real estate conscious New Yorker with photos, floorplans and even original selling prices of NY's tonier buildings.

1 comments about Great Houses of New England.

1. My wife received it as a gift and is enormously happy. What more can I say?

5 comments about Roofing The Right Way.

1. Like many roof texts, this one is helpful if you are installing plain 3-tab shingles to a simple gable roof with maybe a valley and a dormer.
   
   If you have a hip roof or hip roof section, or if you are installing shingles other than a plain 3-tab type, this text won't help you much.
   
   I'm a chronically addicted do-it-yourselfer for everything. I learn everything by gathering multiple texts on a subject: electronics, mechanics, carpentry, among others ... and now roofing.
   
   I think that no single textbook tells you all you need to know about anything so I have to recommend that you not rely on just one text for your roofing project. With that in mind, let me say that this text I'm reviewing titled "Roofing the Right Way" is helpful towards broadening your roofing knowlege base but it's not comprehensive enough to be your "bible."
   
   As another reviewer has said, this text feels, to me also, a little dated. However, if you are installing plain 3-tab shingles or plain roll roofing to a simple gable roof, you might be able to rely on this text alone. Not many of us fall into that category, however. If you are installing dimensional shingles on a hip roof, you'll definitely need other texts besides this one.



2. This book does a decent job of explaining roofing to the novice. It covers all the basics of planning, tear-off, prep, and installation, including a variety of specific types of roofs and sections. It felt a bit dated to me as it has very limited coverage of laminated (architectural) shingles and use of power nailers. There is a greater amount of detail on hand-nailing and alternative traditional materials than you see in some other books. The pictures are all in black-and-white which makes it very hard to tell what is supposed to be conveyed. More drawings or color photos would make things easier, particularly given that some of the methods are complex and the descriptions aren't always written clearly. All-in-all this book is adequate to the task for most do-it-yourselfers, but may not be ideal depending on your specific project.



3. This book is loaded with helpful pictures to assist any DIY with a roofing project. I gave it only 4 stars because the BUR section is too brief with no cold app section and the use of cap nails is pictured but not in text for BUR. The book was still helpful in many areas that are part of BUR. If you are doing shingles, buy this book. If you are doing BUR, buy this book and consult your manufacturer's website and technical division for installation instructions and questions.



4. This book has much info on traditional roofing methods, but if you want useful, up to date info on applying metal roofing, forget it! In this whole book, there are only a handful of pages dedicated to metal roofing( and even they appear outdated). I was very disappointed ...had nothing useful on metal roofing!



5. Because to date 25 of 26 people found misleading comments submitted by a "reader from upstate New York" to be "helpful," I would like to respond. I assure you that the upstate New York reader's comments are completely without merit. Apparently, this individual never actually took the time to read my book. No text, caption, or illustration in my book promotes "poor roofing techniques" or "directs you to flash with roofing cement." My book describes accepted roofing-industry practices and proven techniques. Such standard industry practices includes the appropriate, limited application of roofing cement to enhance the weatherproofing of metal or other roof-surface flashings. For unbiased comments about my book, please see the many posted editorial reviews from sources such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and Midwest Book Review.