Small Houses (Great Houses)

Publisher: Taunton Press

Paperback: 160 pages

ISBN: 1561581062

ISBN-13: 978-1561581061

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Small Houses (Great Houses: Fine Homebuilding)

Paperback
September 1995
Color photos, floor plans.
160 pages

In these economically depressed times, which include a slumping housing market, how does one justify the appearance of another book on building a new home? This volume is the second in a three-book series made up of articles collected from 10 years of Fine Homebuilding . The 37 examples included here are carefully selected as the antidote for an industry in temporary decline. There’s more than a hint of a deliberate return to attitudes and concerns of the near past that were so smugly trashed in the ’80s: that small is better and that energy efficiency can help lead us to a more environmentally sound future. The shrinking availability and more effective use of space are pointedly addressed. The featured houses fit into modest plots of land, and are geared to suit the empty nesters, small families and singles, as well as the vacation or second home owner. The editors have assembled handsome and interesting design solutions that are stylistically American, from saltbox, barn and Victorian cottage to ranch house, urban studio apartment and cabin.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Small houses are less expensive to build, more energy efficient, and easier to maintain than big homes, but they don’t have to feel small. In this collection of 37 articles from FINE HOMEBUILDING magazine, you’ll find new houses, remodels, urban rowhouses, and guest cottages that double as work studios. A book full of practical design ideas and construction information that will help you realize just how beautiful small can be.

The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live

Author(s): Sarah Susanka, Kira Obolensky (Contributor)

Publisher: Taunton Press

Hardcover: 199 pages

ISBN: 1561581305

ISBN-13: 978-1561581306

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When describing a favorite room in the house, do you find yourself using terms such as “expansive,” “formal,” and “spacious”–a marble foyer or a formal dining room perhaps? Or do the words “cozy,” “intimate,” and “warm” come to mind–a cheery little breakfast nook or a window seat complete with plenty of pillows and a breathtaking view? More than likely, you–like thousands of other homeowners–are drawn to the more personal spaces in your home, where comfort, beauty, and efficiency meet. In The Not So Big House, respected architect Sarah Susanka and coauthor Kira Obolensky address our affinity for the “smaller, more personal spaces” and propose “clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements.” The heart of the not-so-big house–which is not “just a small house … [but] a smaller house,” that uses “less space to give greater quality of life,” and is designed to not only “accommodate the lifestyles of its occupants” but also to express “our values and our personalities,” is discussed in chapter 1, entitled “Bigger Isn’t Better.” Susanka’s urging for homeowners to get creative with their space as well as loads of ideas to encourage that creativity are covered in “Rethinking the House” and “Making Not So Big Work.” Discussions of specific needs, such as a home for one and designing for kids, can be found in “Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous,” while “Dreams, Details, and Dollars” gets down to the nuts and bolts of the operation, looking at quality versus quantity, budgeting, and what “low end,” “middle ground,” and “high end” really mean in home design and construction. Lastly, the authors look at the home of the future, which involves simplifying, recycling, reducing waste, and using energy-efficient construction. With more than 200 color photographs, as well as floor plans and Susanka and Obolensky’s intelligent and lively dialogue, The Not So Big House is perfect for homeowners ready to rethink their space. –Stefanie Hargreaves

From Library Journal

Architect Susanka believes that the large homes being built today place too much emphasis on square footage rather than on current lifestyles. Here she shows how homes can be designed to feature “adaptable spaces open to one another, designed for everyday use.” She describes how to examine occupants’ lifestyles, how to incorporate the kitchen as the focal point of the home, how to give the illusion of space, and how, with storage, lighting, and furniture arrangement, a smaller home can be comfortably livable. Photographs of contemporary homes as well as those by Frank Lloyd Wright and other modern architects illustrate Susanka’s ideas and show the timelessness of the style she advocates. This thought-provoking book will be a good addition to architectural and interior design collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

More Small Houses

Publisher: Fine Homebuilding

ISBN: 1561582786

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In this is new collection from Fine Homebuilding magazine, you’ll find 31 articles — each one a study in craft and efficiency of space. The homes include a mountain retreat, an island homestead, an urban row house, a timber-frame farmhouse, an apartment over a garage, a duplex with roof-top garden, a Craftsman-style cottage, a surprising number of towers and more. Some are simple, some elegant… but none are plain. As you would expect from Fine Homebuilding, the articles illustrate a wide variety of real world situations, clever design and superb craftsmanship. A thread of sustainable construction runs through many articles including descriptions of passive solar heating, water efficiency and super-insulation. Whether you’re remodeling your existing house or building a new one, More Small Houses will inspire you to think big about small spaces. Hardcover,160 pages, 1998

Graphic Guide to Frame Construction: Details for Builders and Designers

Author(s): Rob Thallon

Publisher: Taunton Press

ISBN: 1561583537

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A reigning classic, the Graphic Guide to Frame Construction is a complete visual handbook for wood-frame construction with a special emphasis on energy efficiency. Filled with hundreds of meticulous drawings, it shows the framing details you need to understand when building with wood.

This completely revised and updated edition is more comprehensive and reflects the most recent changes in residential frame construction. It contains more details for energy efficiency, use of modern engineered and composite materials, and construction in high-wind and seismic areas. It’s well annotated and covers foundations, floors, walls, stairs and roofs. Because examples are taken from actual job sites by a trusted expert, this book is an invaluable visual aid that can help builders and homeowners alike to tackle a wide range of framing projects. Whether building a partition or flashing a window, you’ll find the visual explanation here.

Graphic Guide to Frame Construction is a valuable reference for architects and builders, and an ideal primer for students and owner-builders. Starting with the foundation, the book moves systematically from component to component ending with the roof. Regional variations and options are included. These details were mined from actual job sites through the input of a panel of builders and architects from around the U.S. Graphic Guide to Frame Construction is an authoritative reference that helps you review your options and solve specific problems no matter where or what you’re building.

240 pages, 2000

“As a reference on wood framing and enclosure details, Graphic Guide is hard to beat. It’s very well organized and clearly written. The illustrations are sharp, well annotated and drawn at a 1- or 1-1/2-inch scale, so they can be easily transferred to working drawings. And Thallon’s treatment is extensive, often showing several different ways of doing a job.”

Graphic Guide to Frame Construction: Details for Builders and Designers

Cover, Graphic Guide to Frame Construction: Details for Builders and Designers (updated)

Author(s): Rob Thallon

Publisher: Taunton Press

ISBN: 1561583537

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240 pages, 2000

Fine Homebuilding on Exterior Finishing : Siding, Roofs, Decks and Porches

Publisher: Taunton Press

ISBN: 1561580538

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Fine Homebuilding on Exterior Finishing : Siding, Roofs, Decks and Porches

Paperbound
Color photos, diagrams.
128 pages

Twenty-five articles from Fine Homebuilding magazine cover nearly every exterior project or problem, from siding, painting and flashing to gutter replacement, deck building and stair construction.

Windows & Skylights: The Best of Fine Homebuilding

Publisher: Taunton Press

Paperback: 112 pages

ISBN: 1561581275

ISBN-13: 978-1561581276

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Publication date: May 1996

Here are trade secrets for choosing the best new windows, restringing double-hung windows and installing and building skylights. How-to articles on how to build shutters and window frames and how to install casement, bay, and arch-top windows are also included. Full color.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Taking a Look at Windows
Shop-Built Window Frames
Double-Hungs Restrung
Building Fixed-Glass Windows
Making Curvilinear Sash
Making Window Sash
Reglazing Windows and Doors
Cranking Out Casements
Installing Fixed Glass Windows
Designing and Building Leak-Free Sloped Glazing
Screen-Porch Windows
Simple Joinery for Custom Windows
Installing Arch-Top Windows
Building a Kitchen-Counter Bay Window
Framing a Walk-Out Bow Window
Installing Glass Block
Acrylic Glazing
Site-Built, Fixed-Glass Skylights
Movable Insulation for Skylights
Installing a Factory-Built Skylight
Framing for Skylights
A Site-Built Ridge Skylight
Curbless Skylights
Skylights in the Eaves
Building Louvered Shutters
Finishing Touches
Index

Roofing, Flashing and Waterproofing (Best of Fine Homebuilding)

Publisher: Taunton (October 4, 2005)

Paperback: 160 pages

ISBN-10: 1561587788

ISBN-13: 978-1561587780

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To get the best remodeling results, you need solid advice from the best in the business. For Pros by Pros® books bring you field-tested techniques and real-world experience from the expert builders and remodeling pros who write for Fine Homebuilding magazine.

Roofing, Flashing, and Waterproofing gives you the technical expertise and seasoned advice you need to protect your work from water, the home’s eternal enemy. Leaks large and small cause the majority of damage in the house, and efforts to prevent or repair that damage account for most of the money spent on home repair. This book presents the basic principles you need to know to waterproof residential structures properly to protect them from water intrusion and to prevent callbacks for flashing or roofing failures.

Common-Sense Pest Control: Least-Toxic Solutions for Your Home, Garden, Pets and Community

Author(s): William Olkowski, Sheila Daar, Helga Olkowski

Publisher: Taunton Press

Hardcover: 736 pages

ISBN: 0942391632

ISBN-13: 978-0942391633

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Hardcover, 715 pages
Publication date: July 1991

Amazon.com:
If you have a home, an apartment, a garden, or a pet (or, in some cases, housemates or tenants), you’ve probably got pests. And if you want to control pests, there’s no need to poison yourself. While the Green Revolution and DDT and other pesticides dominated the world of agribusiness, thoughtful scientists world-wide were simultanously and silently working on “Integrated Pest Management”, which is often as effective as pesticides at reducing or eliminating pests. From ridding your apartment of cockroaches to dealing with the regional deforestation threats of Gypsy Moths, this is the authoritative book on how to control pests by using the natural mechanisms of control that have kept our planet from being savaged, prior to our human disruptions.

Customer Comments 02/19/97:
The best book for what’s bugging you.
If it burrows, crawls, flies or wriggles, it’s got to be in the book “Common Sense Pest Control” by Sheila Daar, et al. This comprehensive guide to pests in all forms is a must for everyone who wants to safely rid their environment of common (and not so common) pests. The chapter on human body pests will be throughly enjoyed by kids who love to gross out their friends and family. Still, this book is a serious and comprehensive bible for gardeners, homeowners and apartment dwellers – anyone who’s feeling ‘bugged’.

Table of Contents

1: Basic Concepts

Chapter 1: Naming Living Things and Understanding their Habits and Habitats

Chapter 2: Natural Pest Controls

Chapter 3: Introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Chapter 4: Pest-Treatment Strategies and Tactics

2: Beneficial Organisms

Chapter 5: Meet “the Beneficials”

3: Pesticides

Chapter 6: Choosing the Right Chemical and Microbial Tools

Chapter 7: Some Useful Inorganics, Organics and Botanicals

Chapter 8: New Frontiers: Microbials, Pheromones and Insect Growth Regulator

4: Pests of the Human Body

Chapter 9: Pinworms

Chapter 10: Mites

Chapter 11: Lice

Chapter 12: Bedbugs and Conenose Bugs

5: Pests Inside the House

Chapter 13: Pests of Fabric, Feathers and Paper

Chapter 14: Kitchen and Pantry Pests

Chapter 15: Fleas, Ticks, Heartworms and Mites

Chapter 16: Mice, Spiders and Bats

6: Pest of Indoor Plants

Chapter 17: Detecting Symptoms of Indoor Plant Problems

Chapter 18: General Management Strategies for House Plant Problems

Chapter 19: Preparing for Least-Toxic Pest Control

Chapter 20: Controlling Pests of Indoor Plants

7: Pests of the House Structure

Chapter 21: Identifying Structural Pests and Eliminating Moisture

Chapter 22: Wood Decay and Preservative Treatments

Chapter 23: Termites

Chapter 24: Carpenter Ants and Carpenter Bees

Chapter 25: Wood-Boring Beetles

8: Pests in the Garden

Chapter 26: Garden Design and Maintenance

Chapter 27: Meet the Weeds

Chapter 28: Safe and Sane Weed Management

Chapter 29: Preventing Lawn Pests

Chapter 30: Least-Toxic Lawn Pest Management

Chapter 31: Pests of Food and Ornamental Gardens

9: Pest of the Community

Chapter 32: Pests of Shade Trees

Chapter 33: Rats

Chapter 34: Filth Flies

Chapter 35: Yellowjackets

Chapter 36: Mosquitoes

Resource Appendix
Index

Timber-Frame Home: Design, Construction, Finishing

Author(s): Tedd Benson

Publisher: Taunton Press

Hardcover: 234 pages

ISBN: 1561581291

ISBN-13: 978-1561581290

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Publication date: May 1997

Author, teacher, and master craftsman Tedd Benson shows readers how to plan a timber-frame home to meet their own needs and concerns. Tedd Benson can be seen on the PBS series This Old House. 97 color photographs and 140 drawings. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Synopsis: Built for modern lifestyles, today’s timber-frame homes feature open spaces, durable craftsmanship, and an accent on comfort. This book provides a comprehensive reference to timber-frame house design, written by one of the nation’s foremost builders of this type of house. 145 color photos. 130 drawings.

Customer Comments

This is a wonderful book about timber frames. As an architect i can say this book is perfect from every aspect. Complete and understandable for every kind of readers. It gives a lot of important design and technical information in a form of an artistic photo album.