CP - I asked the same a couple years ago, here's a link to that. Hope someone chimes in with some new ones too!

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2283666/suggestion-on-books?n=7

Yes, I read this book Designing Your Perfect House - William J. Hirsch Jr. and actually I purchased a e-copy after GW recommendations and keep going back to the book many times during our design phase.

just finished the hirsch book today, a good easy read with lots of great info.

One of my favorite books is a history book, not a "how to do it" book. It's "A Field Guide to American Houses", by the wife and husband team Virginia and Lee McAlester. It's one of the classic books which describes and illustrates the many styles of folk and designed houses in the U.S., explaining why they are the way they are. So it becomes a wonderful reference for someone who wants to build a "Shingle Style", or "Greek Revival" or something else. And for those who don't know what styles they may or may not like, it's a great resource enabling lots of exploration and comparison. What I like best, however, are the basics of house design from a simple historical perspective. The authors spend time in the first chapter, "Looking at American Houses" exploring (explaining and illustrating) how houses came to be and how they evolved over time. They explore "Form" (the plans of houses), "Shape" (the elevation of houses), "Structure" (walls and roofs), and "Architectural Details" (windows, doors, chimneys, porches, and decorative details) in simple, understandable verbiage with many illustrations. The authors even touch (briefly) on the three technological innovations which have drastically altered home design over the ages--heating, and later air conditioning; the change from load-bearing masonry walls to wood balloon and platform framing; and integral garages. For those who want to understand houses and house architecture, this is an ideal place to start! :-)

All these are going on my IPad for my trip to down to FL and then to Europe later this month.

I'm currently waiting for the latest revision to A Field Guide to American Houses. I believe it's coming out this fall.

Edited to add: Oops, the latest revision IS out already. I'm waiting for the trade paperback.

I've read and enjoyed many of the books above. Let me add to the list:

Better Houses, Better Living by Myron Ferguson. Less of a design-your-perfect-house than the above mentioned books, more of a get-the-details-right book. Mr. Feruguson spent a career inspecting houses, and his heavily illustrated book is full of small things that will go unnoticed if they're done right ... but will drive you nuts if they're done wrong. He talks about problematic dishwasher placement, good vs. bad door swings, and all sorts of other small things that you might not realize are problems -- until you've built them and committed to them. Don't be dissuaded by the book's high price tag; I'm certain I didn't pay $60. I might've bought my copy used. A negative: Though the guy clearly knows his stuff, he would've been wise to spend money hiring a professional writer to put pen to paper.

Designing Your Dream Home by Susan Lang. Not so valuable as some of the other books mentioned here. It's more of a checklist of things you don't want to forget.

What Your Contractor Can't Tell You by Amy Johnson. Again, this isn't so much a design book as a how-to-built-it-right book. It's full of information about the order in which things are done (something that most of us probably don't know). It describes materials in detail, which I found particularly useful; I mean, when you look at descriptions of materials online, they ALL claim to be the best. The latest and greatest item isn't always the right answer for your project.

Get Your House Right by Marrianne Cusato. This book addresses details on your design such as whether your windows are appropriate for your Cape Cod design, and whether your front door fits the Colonial style for which you're aiming. It's not a particularly interesting read, but I must admit that I haven't really applied myself to it. It probably deserves another shot.

I must've read dozens of other books from the library; thus, I can't remember their names. I know that the book I read on HOW a house is built -- that is, a discussion of foundations, trusses, roofs, etc. -- was quite enlightening.

Don't neglect landscaping books in your reading. I particularly enjoyed one book about edible landscaping, and I am now enjoying my blueberry hedge. (Blueberries are very expensive to buy, but they're no effort to grow in my climate, and they freeze well.)

And one last thought: Though I am a dedicated Kindle reader and actually killed my first Kindle though heavy use, I don't recommend that you buy any of the above in electronic format. House books rely so heavily on photographs that they're poor candidates for Kindle reading. So often the photographs end up on the wrong page, or the photographs are small and difficult to see. Just as I don't care for cookbooks or gardening books on the Kindle, I'm not a fan of house books on Kindle.

I also recommend What Your Contractor Can't Tell You by Amy Johnson. And, The Well-Built House, by Jim Locke. There's also How to Be Your Own Contractor, misplaced around here so I don't remember the author's name. The latter may well be useful for those who really want (have the time, skills, and contacts to do so) be their own contractors -- I didn't and don't, but reading it opened my eyes to MANY questions to be asking my own GC as we go along. And to know the stages of building process and progress. It contains a plethora of worksheets which even if you don't GC yourself, are helpful for the progress and timeline of what you need to have ready when.

None of these are design books, although some design may be incorporated.

Jim Locke's book contains few illos (some simple line drawings), so getting that one on a Kindle is okay.

While the books are not good on a kindle, they are fine on an Ipad.

I Love Sarah susanka's concepts for building.

I am going to purchase the other recommended books as well.

I received A Field Guide to American Homes for Christmas in 1985, the year it was first published and bought a new version in 2006. I hope I don't have to buy another one.

Here are the 50 books I have found to be the most helpful in designing homes:

Get Your House Right
– Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid

Marianne Cusato & Ben Pentreath (2007)

Great American Houses
and Their Architectural Styles

Virginia and Lee McAllester (1994)

American House Styles
– A concise Guide

John Milnes Baker, A.I.A (1994)

What Style is it?
– A Guide To American Architecture

John C. Poppeliers, S. Allen Chambers JR, Nancy B. Schwartz
(1983)

Traditional
Construction Patterns – Design & Detail Rules of Thumb

Stephen A. Mouzon (2004)

Greene & Greene:
Masterworks

Bruce Smith and Alexander Vertikoff (1998)

C.F.A Voysey - An
architect of Individuality

Duncan Simpson (1981)

Big House, Little
House, Back House, Barn – The Connected Farm Buildings of New England

Thomas C. Hubka (1984)

Identifying American
Architecture – A pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms 1600-1945

John J-G Blumenson (1977)

Creating a New Old House – Yestersay’s Character for Today’s Home

Russell Versaci, AIA (2003)

Inventing the New American House - Howard Van Doren Shaw, Architect

Stuart Cohen (2015)

The Houses of McKim, Mead & White

Samuel G. White (1998)

Designs For Living – Houses by Robert A. M. Stern Architects

Roger H. Seifter, Randy M. Correll, Grant F. Marani & Gary L Brewer (2014)

The Houses We Live In – An Identification Guide to the History and Style of American Domestic Architecture

Editor: Jeffrey Howe (2002)

Plantation Homes of Louisana and the Natchez Area

The David King Gleason Collection (1982)

Colonial Interiors – Federal and Greek Revival

Harold Donaldson Eberlein and Cortlandt Van Dyke Hubbard (1937)

North Carolina Architecture

Catherine W. Bishir (1990)

American Home – From Colonial Simplicity to the Modern Adventure

Wendell Garrett, David Larkin & Michael Webb (2005)

Shingle Styles – Innovation and Tradition in American Architecture 1874 to 1982

Bret Morgan and Leland M. Roth (1999)

Newport Shingle Style

Cheryl Hackett (2010)

Maine Cottages and the Architecture of Mount Desert

Fred L. Savage (2005)

Barn – reservation & Adaptation – The Evolution of a Vernacular Icon

Elric Endersby, Alexander Greenwood, and David Larkin (2003)

Coming Home – The Southern Vernacular House

James Lowell Strickland and Partners of Historical Concepts (2012)

Patterns of Home – The Ten Essentials of Enduring Design

Max Jacobson, Murray Silverstein & Barbara Winslow (2005)

A House on the Water – Inspiration for Living at the Water’s Edge

Robert W. Knight (2003)

The Colonial Revival House

Richard Guy Wilson (2004)

Celebrating the American Home – 50 Great Houses from 50 American Architect

Joanne Kellar Bouknight (2005)

New Classic American Houses – the Architecture of Albert. Rightner & Tittmann

Dan Cooper (2009)

American Vernacular – Regional Influences in Architecture and Interior Design

Jim Kemp (1987)

American Shelter - An illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Home

Lester Walker (1997)

American Homes – An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Domestic Architecture

Lester Walker (1981)

The Distinctive Home – A Vision of Timeless Design

Jeremiah Eck (2003)

Saltbox and Cape Cod Houses

Stanley Schuler (1988)

Old New England Homes

Stanley Schuler (1984)

Architectural Details from Old New England Homes

Stanley Schuler (1987 & 2000)

Updating Classic American Capes – Design Ideas for Renovating, Remodeling and Building New

Jane Gitlin (2003)

Nantucket

Robert Gambee (1993)

New Old House – Restoration Renovation Decorating Landscaping

Martha Stewart (1992)

An Introduction to English Medieval Architecture

Hugh Braun (1992)

More Classic Old House Plans – Authentic Designs for Colonial & Victorian Homes

Lawrence Grow (1986)

Old House Measured and Scaled Detail Drawings for Builders and Carpenters

William A. Radford (1983)

American Country Homes of the Gilded Age – Sheldon’s “Artistic Country-Seats”

Arnold Lewis (1982)

Turn-of-the Century Houses, Cottages and Villas – Floor Plans and Line Illustrations of 118 Homes from Stoppell’s Catalogs

R.W. Shoppell et al. (1983)

Victorian Domestic Architectural Plans and Details – 734 Scale Drawings of Doorways, Windows, Staircases, Moldings, Cornices and Other Elements

William T. Comstock (1987)

The Elements of Style – A Practical Encyclopedia of Interior Architectural Details from 1485 to the Present

Stephen Calloway and Elizabeth Cromley (1991)

Sketches by Edwin Lutyens

Margaret Richardson (1984)

A History of Architectural Styles

Fritz Baumgart (1969)

The American Houses of Robert A. M. Stern (1991)

Robert A. M. Stern – Buildings and Projects 1987-1992 (1998)

Robert A. M. Stern – Buildings and Projects 1993-1998 (1992)

Just have to 3rd " Designing Your Perfect House - William J. Hirsch Jr." , that was my hubby and my favorite. We took it to the park with us, and would read a chapter in the outdoors mulling over our responses to the questions he asked.

'What not to build' was another good one, while i found "Get your House Right" to be lacking in areas I was (more) interested in.

Get Your House Right deals the limited subject of traditional/classical exterior detailing and for that purpose it is excellent but it won't teach you how to design a house. A building design process is so complex no one book is likely to be adequate to that task.

Yes, JDS, that's what I meant by my comment exactly - as I was looking for more info on the interior aesthetics of a French Eclectic home, I found Get Your House Right to just not be in the era I was looking for.

The Honest House by Ruby Ross Goodnow (a rare book)

https://archive.org/details/cu31924015399722

Unfortunately for lovers of French Eclectic design, there is no one historic period or original examples to emulate since its a uniquely American invention like the American Tudor style of the 20's.

When looking for ideas, its wise to search for the term preferred by American architects, "French Inspired", because that is more likely to include more work of architects.

I've attempted this sty;e only once and found it to be quite difficult. One or two poor choices can create a monster. My advice is to be stingy with front facing gables ands steep hipped roofs. Don't corrupt it with Medieval English elements or double-hung windows.

Mark, what a great book! I like the chapter titled "The Vexatious matters of Proportion & Balance." I will add it to my list of great names, my favorite of which is the "The Irony of Pipe Sizes".

The Honest House can be downloaded in PDF format or bought from Amazon for $19 +/- so I did both.

I was just going to say it can be bought on Amazon. I'm definitely buying a copy. When it comes to books with pictures, I definitely prefer actual books.

I have a first edition that I bought for $18 at an antique show outside of Chicago about 28 years ago. I found the drawings and pictures in the book very inspiring. One of these years I should read it.

Well I just look at the pictures too. ;)

If you are going to build a large high quality home, I like this one:

The Great American House by Gil Schafer

It will not tell you how to do it, it only shows a few houses of great detail and understated elegance at the same time. Lots of inspiration exterior and interior pics. Disclaimer: Maybe I like it because it shows one of my favorite houses.

Here's another goody from the vault, "Farm Economy: Twelve Courses in Agriculture" 1915. In particular interest is Course VII Lesson I (The Farmstead) and Lesson II (The Farmhouse).

I really enjoyed paging through "Roots of Home" by Russel Versacci - which I snagged from the library. The evolution of styles from the originals is really interesting. And it gets you thinking about why, for instance, it might not be the best idea to build a Southern farmhouse with a dog trot way up here where, 4 months out of the year, the air hurts your face. ;-)

I don't have a book recommendation, but I have received several recommendations and plan on ordering a few... I may have 7 in my cart...

My question is: Are there any books on how to determine a budget for building a house?

"Budget" is an entirely different category of information. What makes it challenging is that it is 1) Regional; 2) Affected by constantly changing prices for materials and labor; 3) Impacted by climate and weather conditions; 4) Subject to individual contractor's overhead and profit motivations; 5) Economic conditions; 6) Type of design and construction.

The cost to build the same house will certainly vary from one part of a country to another part of the country.

Thus, it's impossible to generalize, and about all one can say, with some certainty, is that the longer one waits to build the more expensive its likely to be. But that may not always be true in various micro geographical locations?

There's one constant about cost control and management, however: the best method remains to have an experienced and knowledgeable architect AND a general contractor working together with an owner to evaluate and manage costs from the initial design phase through the completion of construction documents.

@Virgil Carter Fine Art -- I was afraid of that.

We are planning on scheduling a "meeting" with ARG, but we thought we would need a budget before we did that. We didn't think an architect could design something without a budget. We don't know who the GC will be yet.

Is there a post floating around here about "everything to do to start building a house"?

Lots of threads dealing with "how to work with an architect", what's needed, etc. Do some searches. You are in good hands. Just ask ARG.

Contact Douglas Burke at dburke2@ix.netcom.com or (302) 727-5411; He can tell you exactly what ARG needs to know.

And since this is a discussion about books: The Buildings of Detroit: A History by W. Hawkins Ferry

Bumping an old thread, but here is a list of mini-reviews of books we've found helpful. And some other not-so-helpful books on a linked page.

Greene & Greene: Architecture as a Fine Art by Randell L. Makinson

(I had dinner with Randell years ago)

New Old House – Restoration Renovation Decorating Landscaping

Martha Stewart (1992)

this one is pretty old, but still actual and full of useful information. By the way, for those who don't like reading large books - try reading the summary of those. For example, this way I have read an entire book "when the legends die" on https://freebooksummary.com/category/when-the-legends-die , and thats really cool, isn't it? I would have spent a couple of days on reading that book, but instead of that I have read the summary in just a couple of minutes!

Mark wrote: "Greene & Greene: Architecture as a Fine Art by Randell L. Makinson"

I'll look for that book, thanks for the recommendation. I've toured both the Gamble House in Pasadena and Charles Sumner Greene's personal home in Carmel. What a great experience!

I usually read scientific literature, I think not many people like that, but I see them as more useful than fiction.

pikaTusa, huh?

Just wait for the edit.