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Charles G. Woods
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Designing Your Natural House Paperback – January 1, 1992

5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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"Everyone who designs a house should have to memorize the rules in this book before being allowed to purchase a drafting pencil. Mac and Charles have managed to consolidate most everything they know about residential design with wit, Clarity, and excellent sketches" David Wright, Noted Solar Designer and Environmental Architect Designing Your Natural House Charles G. Woods and Malcolm Wells As concerns about our mistreatment of the environment keep growing, the trend toward housing that blends with rather than works against natural surroundings continues to accelerate. This important guide explores and illustrates all aspects of how to integrate dwellings with their natural settings. The authors are leading names in the natural design field whose work has been inspired by the contour-friendly, organic style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Charles G. Woods and Mclcolm Wells offer a wide range of invaluable design tips for both constructing new houses and remodeling existing ones. Every design they cover is in accordance with today's ecological and environmental concerns. Beautifully illustrated and hand lettered throughout, this guide explains how to choose the best site design, lay out floor plans, landscape, and incorporate energy-efficient features wherever possible. You're shown how to solve many design, ecological, and environmental problems, as well as how to keep design costs as low as possible. Numerous before-and-after graphics clarify every stage in the design process, and do and don't examples help you avoid common mistakes encountered when designing natural dwellings. Included are 150 money- and energy-saving tips more than 200 tricks of the trade that help assure exemplary results, and sample house plans (which you can order) that promote further understanding of how to integrate designs with the natural site. Designing Your Natural House is timely, comprehensive, and visually appealing, making it an ideal source for architects, contractors, interior designers, landscape architects, do -it-yourselfers, and remodelers.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    243 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    an Nostrand Reinhold
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1992
  5. Dimensions
    0.5 x 11 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0442013272
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0442013271
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ an Nostrand Reinhold (January 1, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 243 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0442013272
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0442013271
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.5 x 11 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

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Charles G. Woods

Charles G. Woods

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Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

M. Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Fundamental values and ideas for all houses
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2009
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.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Creatively written with provocative ideas
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2002
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.)
11 people found this helpful
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preil@pinehurst.net
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview and comparison of architectural concepts
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 1999
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.
16 people found this helpful
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