Customer Reviews

Designing Your Natural House (Wiley-Vnr)

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This inspiring book shows very clearly what kind of decisions can be made in home design.

Whilst not getting into the nuts & bolts of building, innovative ideas are shared page after page.

Humour and how-not-to examples effectively tackle the otherwise so-subjective topic of aesthetics.

An entertaining coffee-table book for wanna-be home builders and a good reference for teams bogged down by discussions of good taste in architecture.

This book is great for someone who is thinking about building a home with common sense.It explains and compares good and bad architecture, and gives examples and sketches of why it is good and bad. Now when I look at buildings and homes that have always seemed unpleasant,I say to myself "Oh, if the roofline was only at a little less of an angle", and so on. It makes you wake up and be more aware of the aesthetic relationship of a stucture to the earth. There are also exciting and innovative home plans in it that you will find nowhere else. The authors respond to inquiries and have a great sense of humor.

Malcolm Wells' dry wit and characteristic hand-written style appear once again in this collaboration with fellow natural architect, Charles Woods. Well and Woods share common goals of architecture that complements rather than covers the land, and offer myriad ideas and pointers to help you design a cohesive attractive structure, filled with visual balance and not-so-common good sense.

Although the authors don't always agree on the specifics of visual aspects, their playful banter reveals that not all their ideas are steadfast rules, and allows you to witness the brainstorming give-and-take between the authors while offering you enough information to make your own decision.

Few complete home designs are displayed, but they are reprinted from the authors' other books (Natural Architecture by Woods, Underground Designs by Wells), and are placed in context of demonstrating a point. Otherwise, pages are filled with illuminating commentary and ideas on specific components of homes, including roof lines, light fixtures, proportions, window types, door placement, siding, and lot layout.

You will not be told how to build a house, but rather you will develop a designer's critical eye and help you to understand why so many modern homes have visual aspects that just don't look "right". (Example: narrow shutters on wide windows -- how will the shutters ever cover the window space if they are not proportional?...you'd be surprised how often I see this faux pas in local posh neighborhoods).

A helpful bibliography points to other books to fill out your home design repertoir.

(Wells is the grandfather of earth-sheltered/underground architecture and still offers design services from Cape Cod. You can write to him (via snail mail) and he'll kindly reply.)

We loved this book! My wife and I have read and re-read this book for over a decade - always finding it informational, entertaining, and loaded with practical ideas and insights. WAY to many houses in America are ugly, perform poorly, and are wasters of natural resources. THIS book provides simple, learned values and insights as to what "works" ... and why. All the while the book is accessible to ordinary people dreaming and planning on building a new home or a major remodel.