Wendy N. reviewed The House You Build : Making Real-World Choices to Get the Home You Want on + 177 more book reviews
This is a beautifully produced books with many page-sized full-color pictures. I appreciated that the floor plans and elevations were included. I was especially impressed by the inclusion of passive-solar building techniques in this book--something head-shakingly not often addressed in custom archtecture and hardly ever included in stock plans.
Much of the cost savings outlined are by the use of stock and off-the shelf materials in custom building. Not all of this is impressive--corrugated metal siding, for example, doesn't do much for me. More useful is how to include some fairly inexpensive "details" that really make the home stand apart.
The author went on about how a custom home is smaller than a spec house, because the floor plan matches the needs of the resident so well. I would have liked to see more about how those choices were made in the specific examples in the book. However, overall, this is an excellent book on its topic and a worthwhile read for anyone contemplating working with an architect.
Much of the cost savings outlined are by the use of stock and off-the shelf materials in custom building. Not all of this is impressive--corrugated metal siding, for example, doesn't do much for me. More useful is how to include some fairly inexpensive "details" that really make the home stand apart.
The author went on about how a custom home is smaller than a spec house, because the floor plan matches the needs of the resident so well. I would have liked to see more about how those choices were made in the specific examples in the book. However, overall, this is an excellent book on its topic and a worthwhile read for anyone contemplating working with an architect.
