Expanding the American Dream (Suny Series in the New Cultural History): Building and Rebuilding Levittown

Today, a new generation of architects and builders is emerging, intent on creating homes that meet human needs for shelter while causing only a fraction of the environmental impact of conventional housing. "The New Ecological Home" provides an overview of green building techniques, materials, products, and technologies that are either currently available or will be in the near future. Author Daniel Chiras provides a wealth of up-to-date, practical information for home buyers, owner-builders, and anyone interested in building for a sustainable future. Included are chapters on: - The Healthy House - Green Building Materials - Wood-Wise Construction - Energy Efficiency - Earth-Sheltered Architecture - Passive Solar Heating and Passive Cooling - Green Power: Electricity from the Sun and Wind - Water and Waste: Sustainable Approaches - Environmental Landscaping

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The New Cottage Home: A Tour of Unique American Dwellings

The New Cottage Home taps into today's move toward lifestyle simplicity and the idea that living space should be rich in details, conservative of resources, and no larger than necessary. Jim Tolpin celebrates the diversity and charm of 30 sample cottages, from a Pacific Northwest cottage modeled after a French hunting lodge to a "salvage yard vernacular cottage" built with junkyard materials.

Each featured home reflects individual personality, priorities, and lifestyle. Whether by the water, on a mountain, or in a forest, field, or town, these homes emphasize quality of place over quantity of space.

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Creating a New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home (American Institute Architects)

At the beginning of the new century, there's a groundswell of popular nostalgia for period houses with an authentic pedigree. Regional styles of old homes in all parts of the country have captured the imagination of homebuyers who are disillusioned with the cookie-cutter sameness of new home construction. Many are turning to the history and tradition of their own neighborhoods for inspiration in old houses--themes that will inspire and inform them in building a new home that will preserve a sense of place and the feeling of "home."
Creating a New Old House explores how architects, builders, and craftsmen are reinterpreting the traditional American house. Through photographs and engaging text, brief discussions of history and craftsmanship, and occasional sidelong glances at the workings of real old houses, Versaci employs his "Pillars of Traditional Design" to explain how traditional houses go together and what gives them their unique design appeal. The author explores the creative work of architects, builders, and craftsmen from all corners of America who are creating new "old" houses in a revival of the distinctive traditions of American homebuilding--and refitting them to work for the demands of modern family living.

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The New Cottage Home: A Tour of Unique American Dwellings

The New Cottage Home taps into today's move toward lifestyle simplicity and the idea that living space should be rich in details, conservative of resources, and no larger than necessary. Jim Tolpin celebrates the diversity and charm of 30 sample cottages, from a Pacific Northwest cottage modeled after a French hunting lodge to a "salvage yard vernacular cottage" built with junkyard materials.

Each featured home reflects individual personality, priorities, and lifestyle. Whether by the water, on a mountain, or in a forest, field, or town, these homes emphasize quality of place over quantity of space.

Price: $22.95

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Creating a New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home (American Institute Architects)

At the beginning of the new century, there's a groundswell of popular nostalgia for period houses with an authentic pedigree. Regional styles of old homes in all parts of the country have captured the imagination of homebuyers who are disillusioned with the cookie-cutter sameness of new home construction. Many are turning to the history and tradition of their own neighborhoods for inspiration in old houses--themes that will inspire and inform them in building a new home that will preserve a sense of place and the feeling of "home."
Creating a New Old House explores how architects, builders, and craftsmen are reinterpreting the traditional American house. Through photographs and engaging text, brief discussions of history and craftsmanship, and occasional sidelong glances at the workings of real old houses, Versaci employs his "Pillars of Traditional Design" to explain how traditional houses go together and what gives them their unique design appeal. The author explores the creative work of architects, builders, and craftsmen from all corners of America who are creating new "old" houses in a revival of the distinctive traditions of American homebuilding--and refitting them to work for the demands of modern family living.

Price: $24.95

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House on a Budget: Making Smart Choices to Build the Home You Want (American Institute Architects)

Until now, homeowners have had to choose between the twin worlds of budget-friendly mediocrity and unaffordable fantasy. Responding to this gap, acclaimed architect Duo Dickinson demonstrates that a custom house doesn't depend on a fabulous price tag. House on a Budget, originally published in hardcover as The House You Build, is about a third way of building grounded in the realities of time and money, but focusing on your fondest hopes and dreams. He offers 19 real-world situations where unique and imaginative homes were built on real-life budgets.

Duo's Rules for Getting What You Want (and Can Afford)
1.Use Standard Materials Creatively
2.Shrink to Fit
3.Don't Fight the Site
4.Take Your Time
5.Defer and Save: Building in Phases
6.Take Charge: Spending Time to Save Money

Price: $21.95

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