Residential Books

Definitely one of my favorite books on the shelf. STADIA provides a unique, not seen before look at the architectural structures of todays sports stadiums. Fun to read over and back and around again. Gives ideas that provide a basis for drawings and blueprints.

I like going out to the ballpark and looking at the ballpark itself. I like finding the stats about it. What things there are to do. And how it was designed. This book gave me wonderful ideas on how to design my own stadium. I recomend this book to anyone.

My husband wanted this book for the architectual designs. After finding out it was out of print, I thought he'd have a stroke. "Find it" he said and I did. Thank goodness for a pretty good price. If you're interested in this book and can get a fairly decent price, do not be intimidated (because it won't be cheap), buy it.

If you love beautiful homes you will love this book. It is full of homes with great bones and lovely details. One is more striking than the other. The photography is excellent, but what makes it different is that these are homes with a wonderful marriage of traditional lines and contemporary design. This is a book for people with a very refined taste in architecture.

This book is just as at home on your coffee table as in your collected works on masonry. Goff provides a wonderful pictorial tour of stone buildings, from simple country cottages to splendid manors. The pictures are of excellent quality, and done by someone who knows a thing or two about how to compose with light and shadow. He provides some interior views as well, which give an added perspective to the house you've seen from the outside. But a weak spot is a distinct shortage of interior stonework photos, save for fireplaces.

The text is relatively sparse; Goff clearly lets the pictures speak for themselves while providing some historical perspective. This isn't a book you pick up to learn about the evolution or science of masonry, it's something you use for inspiration and ideas before you start to incorporate stone into your own design. Well worth the price.

Full of beautiful photo's of exteriors and interiors of 43 different Stone Houses built in America from prehistoric times through the twenty-first century, along with descriptions of each house and discussions on each time period. This is a great book for anyone interested in stone work of any kind.

Stone Houses is a splendid survey which focuses exclusively on residential architecture in the USA. The book begins with several breathtaking photographs of historical sites in the Southwest where the Anasazi built beguiling settlements out of local stone over one thousand years ago. It then proceeds to document numerous stone structures of interest from colonial times right through to the present. Moreover, in addition to his commentary on the buildings presented within the pages of this beautifully realized volume, Lee Goff provides a thoughtful discussion of the qualities of stone itself which makes for such a superb, durable building material in the first instance as well as an inspirational source for imaginative residential design. To quote briefly from the introduction: "Stone has different moods. It can be warm or cold, protective or inhospitable. Before all else, however, stone evokes an image of power, strength, impregnability and endurance. Even more subliminally it conveys a sense of the primordial...Instinctively, we feel the millions of years ago the stones were formed. Thus, the materials of nature become the material of shelter, and the form the shelter takes in turn reflects the origin of the stone and the house's setting, connecting the dwelling and its inhabitants to the most permanent world of all-the natural world."

Stone was the first material used for shelter. It can be (and has been) assembled in any number of creative, aesthetically pleasing ways. Stone Houses takes us on a wondrous tour of many of the possibilities inherent to this medium of construction. "Whether cottage or château, cabin or castle, stone houses embody feelings of romance and the picturesque. Their walls speak of permanence and history; their stones give whispered accounts of their prehistoric creation. They are an ongoing part of what Tennyson referred to as 'the eternal landscape of the past.' "

I heard the author at a financial seminar in Dallas in October of 2000. He spoke immediately after Wade Cook. Mr. Cook mentioned Charles Steed had a really good book about real estate (this was not a real estate seminar). After that, I heard about this book again so I ordered a copy. I must say, this is the easiest book to follow on buying real estate I've seen, and I've read most of them. It outlines a step by step plan a child could follow. Steed also uses stories that help make his point. Although the author seems to be speaking to people buying a home, the techniques are ones he has used in his investing career and are great for investors just beginning as well as people with some experience behind them. The technique for generating a cash down payment is EXCELLENT. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to get started investing in real estate or simply buying a home.

There are many more ways to buy a piece of property than just going to the bank and begging for a mortgage - this book explains them. I was told we couldn't qualify for a loan. I heard the author of this book on the radio in Florida, bought the book, and within 3 months was able to make a deal to buy a nice three bedroom house in Tampa with 100 percent seller financing. It is also filled with ideas on how to make money investing in real estate. The book comes from the standpoint of being optomistic while shopping for your house and always going for what you want. I doubt we'd be in our new house now without it. It also does a great job of explaining real estate finance so even a novice can understand it.

This book is very interesting as far as the information about certain subterranean areas within Rome. The only problem I saw right off was that there is unfortunetly a great deal of repetition in the photos--as if there wasn't enough to photograph of ancient Rome. The author includes, in my opinion, too many pictures of paintings and art on the walls and not enough pictures of the area itself.
All in all, I sincerely recommend this book if you are very interested in Catacombs and other parts of ancient Rome.

The engineering of these people was amazing. It's awesome how these subterranean structures and buildings can hold the weight of the city above. Reminds me also of Istanbul, which if you are interested in this book, you should check out subterranean Istanbul as well. The pictures in this book are of very good quality and nice and big and colorful. This book is also very explanatory and gives a detailed accounting of the history that happened in each room. I would recommend this title to anyone interested in ancient architecture or even a general history of pagan Rome.

A great book to browse thru on a winter weekend afternoon - the beautiful photos remind you of the best of summer in the country.

This beautifully illustrated book captures the essence of what makes summer cottaging so enjoyable. The settings are perfect for magical experiences & memories.

"Sun Valley is an oasis between desert and lava of the Snake River Plain, an isolated haven and difficult place to reach from just about anywhere. It is wedged between surrounding peaks of Sawtooth, Smokey and Boulder Ranges with a high desert climate."

For anyone living in Sun Valley, the history at the beginning of the book will be of interest. Then, if you have ever been skiing in Sun Valley, this has interesting historical pictures. Golfing and fishing are also of interest.

In regards to the beautiful architecture in this book, you may notice the abundance of open space and walls of windows. Living inside, you feel a sense of communion with nature. Garden showers and retreat rooms are an essential. Modern log cabin styles contrast with the more traditional mystique of old-world adventure.

The homes do not seem overly opulent on every page. There are some quaint pictures of decorating with quilts and small porches with aging chairs. The retreat style homes have a cozy country feel and there are even pictures of restored trailers.

There is a gorgeous kitchen complete with rows of copper pots and a huge island. Fireplaces, libraries, lush gardens, modern art, fishing lodges and barns all mingle nicely together. The picture of the kitchen in the fishing lodge is amazing in detail. Now that is what I call a sink on page 205.

~The Rebecca Review

Sun Valley has long been a vacation area for the rich and famous. It is large enough that houses don't have to be next to each other, each home can have its own surroundings out of sight of the neighbors. Further, each home can be constructed to meet the desires and requirements of the individual builder. There is no standard architecture like you find in many communities. Here is an ultra modern concrete and glass structure, there is a 'log cabin' but not the simple one room cabin the pioneers might have had. Somewhere else there is a converted barn, here is a house decorated with oriental art, more common is a western Americana theme. There are some homes that are not too large, and there's one that's 19,000 square feet that houses a private art collection of some 650 pieces.

All in all, a spectacular set of photographs beautifully printed that shows some of the best in the valley. My one complaint is that I would like to know who owns these homes. Pure curiosity I know, but I'm certainly curious.

If you're a design professional or homeowner looking for a detailed reference manual on sustainabilty for your home - look no further. This is a thoughtfully compiled book with interesting as well as practical information to help make good choices as you make your home healthier for your family AND for the planet. The well designed projects are beautiful, showing green can be good looking too.

This book has the format of a text book and it is a fundamental read for any architect, interior designer or product designer. Very clear explanation of materials and systems used in construction, what is bad about them, what is the better alternative and why we should, as resposible beings, be practising sustainability. Not just recommended, it should be compulsory reading for every building professional and student!

The careful photographs compliment the equally fine details in the buildings of this excellent architect. After a year, I'm still looking at it often.

This is perhaps the best value in pictorial architecture books. For under $20., this book has great photos, straightforeward text, clearly reproduced drawings (including construction details!!), all superbly graphically designed. Even if the architecture doesn't appeal to you, the overall presentation of it in this book will. If you do like the architecture (which I think is a beautiful modern adaption of conventional New England vernacular), then this book is a must-have. You won't find this quality in books two or three times the cost!!

If you're interested in antiques, American furniture, or architecture, I'm sure this book is full of indispensable information. I'm not interested in any of them, and I loved the book.

It's just plain fun! It reads like a collection of short stories. You can't wait to see what happens next in the evolution of the chest of drawers or the porch -- because you don't learn only about the chest or the porch, but about the people who designed and used them. And you learn answers to all those questions you've always wondered about and never known whom to ask.

The pictures not only make it a great gift and perfect coffee table book, but tell you what something looks like exactly when you're trying to imagine it.

Most of all, I learned a lot without it even hurting a little bit!

Sometimes suffering from a forced theory or analogy, the book is nevertheless strongly recommended. It contains many insights into the American mindset as seen through objects. The black and white illustrations are well-chosen for their ability to inform. The author's grasp of modern scholarship is impressive, and many other authors are cited. Throughout, the author keeps up her commitment to debunking myths by including what she has dubbed the "fawbit", a "fictional account without basis in truth" (x). An example of a fawbit from the room use chapter is the assertion that a small, downstairs room in an 18th century house was the "borning room". Kaye reminds us that scholarship has never turned up a period inventory that included a "borning room"; more likely, it was a sleeping chamber for a servant. Kaye moves easily through styles and time periods, providing remarkable examples and details while keeping the big picture in sight.