Backyards: A Sunset Design Guide (Paperback)

~ Bridget Biscotti Bradley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

All the latest ideas on design and materials, along with essential landscaping advice from professional garden designers, so that you can create a uniquely livable backyard.

Expert designers | Experienced design and landscaping professionals help you get the backyard you want on the budget you can afford

Real-world solutions | Pro-designed patios and gardens show the best ways to pull all the elements together to create a cohesive, comfortable space

At a glance | Clear, concise charts make it easy to choose materials based on appearance, durability, ease of installation, and price

Go green | The latest information on green materials, water conservation, and safety issues

About the Author

Bridget Biscotti Bradley is a writer and editor specializing in home improvement and green building. She is also the owner of Reclaim, a green home boutique in Menlo Park, California. For more than half a century, Sunset has been helping readers remodel their homes and improve their lives. During that time, Sunset has published numerous books on how to actually build a wide variety of subjects, cementing its authority in House & Home publishing. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Oxmoor House; Pap/Dvdr O edition (February 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0376013486
• ISBN-13: 978-0376013484
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,373 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #24 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Outdoor & Recreational Areas
  #63 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Do-It-Yourself

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspired Backyards, April 17, 2009

By	Sacramento Book Review "SacramentoBookReview.com" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

Looking to add some color, ambiance, or even excitement to your backyard? Backyards: A Sunset Design Guide offers it in spades. This guide offers something for everyone: For kids, the book covers skate ramps and backyard playhouses; for entertainers, you'll find a wealth of ideas from pools and spas to kitchens, pizza ovens, and fire pits; but if your tastes are simpler, you'll learn about container planting and lighting.

To get started, you'll find pros, cons, pricing, and tips for designs ranging from vegetable gardens to fences. Allow the full color images to spark your creativity, and then use the tips and supply lists for implementation. The lavish photos might not allude to it, but the carefully written building recommendations incorporate environmental planning into every gorgeous concept.

The book comes complete with an interactive DVD, which only works on computers with a DVD-ROM drive. But you don't need the DVD to benefit from the wide range of classy ideas and advice the book provides.

If you're ready to make the investment, Backyards... promises to inspire.

Reviewed by Amber K. Stott

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Backyards review, September 28, 2009

By	G. Strout (Chula vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Was looking for a book with pictures of attractive gardens, yards, and landscapes to brainstorm ideas. This book has lots of pictures with relevant information of important aspects observed in the pictures. The pictures cover a variety of yards from inner city, northeast yards, dry areas, big and small areas. Coverage includes use of accent pieces, colors, focal points, a variety of styles of walls, walkways, heavy plant areas, limited plant areas, high maintenance and low maintenance backyards. If there is a weakness, I would have like to see a few more "artsy" backyards, but there were plenty of creative, cleaver, and attractive backyards from which to get ideas.