October 2011

Woodbridge, Sally Byrne. Bernard Maybeck: Visionary Architect. New York: Abbeville, 1992. Print.

Maybeck was mentioned in the introduction of Jim Tolpin’s The New Cottage Home, and my interest was piqued enough to put this book on hold at the library.  As I recall, he was mentioned in the context of someone who greatly influenced American architecture early in the 20th century, being mentioned in the same breath as Greene and Greene, and Alexander Jackson Downing.

This book was interesting, but I wouldn’t say ultimately what I was hoping for.  I had hoped that by going further back I would find an architect who designed houses that actually worked, rather than artistic statements.  When I got to a building he designed that had the rafters poking out through the roof, shingled separately so that they looked like little birdhouses shooting out from the main roof, I had to put the book down.

In reading a later book I think reading about Greene and Greene might be the next logical step, although there might be a little too much choice in that case.  If you want to read about Maybeck, this does seem to be the definitive work.

Wing, Charles. The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling: a Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Materials and Systems for Every Part of Your Home. Newtown, CT: Taunton, 2009. Print.

I could have sworn I’d recorded this book before, especially when I went through the list of building books I recorded last September.  I’m sure it was in that batch, but it must have either gotten missed, or was a little earlier than I started recording.

In any case, this book deserves to be recorded twice, but once will have to do!  As a visual learner, I benefit greatly from Wing’s careful illustrations.  He starts at the beginning, with site planning and diagrams of wind direction for the US, for example, and detailed charts showing exactly where you should plant what height of trees to block winter gale winds.  There is information on clearances for kitchens and baths, spans for various types of joists, R-values for insulation, and everything in between.  Some topics have installation tips and diagrams, although it’s intended more to help you decide what to use, not as a comprehensive guide to using it all.

Highly recommended for anyone building or renovating a new or old house.

Spence, William Perkins. Constructing Bathrooms. New York: Sterling Pub., 2001. Print.

I have to say this was an odd book.  The best thing about it is the miniature pedestal sink on the cover, unfortunately.  It came across as outdated, even though it’s only 10 years old.  The information was poorly organized, and many times discussions that I thought should be together were separated into two far-flung chapters (there were two different chapters with example floor plans, for instance).  His floor plans emphasized open space with no indication of how to make it look like anything other than a ballroom with fixtures.  The majority of the pictures appeared to be reprints from bathroom fixture manufacturers, rather than being of real bathrooms showing real layouts and ideas.  The balance of the photos were amateurish.

A disappointment, and not recommended.

Easy Upgrades: Bathrooms. New York, NY: Time Home Entertainment, 2010. Print.

I’m not sure why this book is called “Easy Upgrades”, although I assume it’s because it’s in a series of that title (there’s a kitchen one out now too).  It made me think it was going to be about quick and easy things you could do to update your bathroom *without* ripping everything out, but as you can see from the orange starburst saying “26 real-world BEFORE and AFTER Projects”, it’s really about gutting your bathroom and starting over.

Not totally, to be fair.  They did feature a few bathrooms where fixtures were retained, or stayed in the same place to save on plumbing costs.  In the main, though, it was a standard book on renovating your bathroom.  The content was good, the pictures great, and there were lots of useful ideas; just as you would expect from the “This Old House” people.  I’d look at it again but don’t need it on my shelf.