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3 Works 202 Membros 2 Reviews

About the Author

Marianne Cusato, creator of the Katrina Cottages, is an award-winning designer who was dubbed one of the most influential people in home building by Builder magazine.

Obras de Marianne Cusato

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
female

Membros

Resenhas

This is a short (50 pg) guide to designing better communities. From the back:
Design matters. Design adds value to our homes and communities in terms of dollars and cents, but its value is deeper than monetary. Design can greatly improve our quality of life and the condition of our fragile environment. How we build our homes and communities is a choice, not a given. It is within our reach to build nice places, to find change and to live more sustainable on our planet. This is the true value of design.


This book uses lots of pictures to explain what design elements make for good neighborhoods and homes and which detract from the quality of life defined by a place. For example, I now understand why I hate the brick or stone false fronts most contemporary construction. First, a home is three dimensional, and it is only in listing photos that you can see the front of the house without seeing the plain siding sides. Second, false fronts use things like brick and stone like they are wall paper and contradict our understanding of those materials as structural elements. Even though the brick and stone are not structural, when the front of a house is covered with brick and the rest is not, it feels like the front is going to tip over and fall off.

My one negative comment about this book is that there are a few places throughout where it reads like an advertisement for JamesHardie, the fiber cement siding manufacturer that sponsored the book (mostly at the very end). That said, it is still worth a read, especially if you just want a quick overview of what makes for a well designed community and home.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
eri_kars | Jul 10, 2022 |
I received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.

Before I explain why I really appreciated this book, I need to talk about what this book is NOT. Although this book does talk a little bit about the buying, selling, and renting process, this book is not going to walk you through the ins and outs of purchasing or renting a home. This is the book you read BEFORE you read that book.

The Just Right Home: Buying, Renting, Moving--Or Just Dreaming--Find Your Perfect Match! walks you through the process of figuring out what your next house should be. You might think that you don't need to read a whole book on this, but believe me, you do. Marianne Cusato discusses what to think about in terms of areas of the country, cities, neighborhoods, and houses. She also gives information on websites that can provide further information on these matters. I used to watch tons of HGTV home buying and renting shows. I have realized after reading The Just Right Home: Buying, Renting, Moving--Or Just Dreaming--Find Your Perfect Match! that those shows taught me nothing about the home buying/renting business. Those shows just discuss the trivial parts (e.g., stainless steel appliances and close to good schools), while Marianne Cusato discusses the most important parts (e.g., how old are the appliances [stainless steel appliances don't mean new] and safe sidewalks [kids can't walk to the close school if there are no sidewalks]).

This is a book that I am going to keep for a long time, because the information is tried and true and will continue to be useful years from now (unlike the McMansion craze). This book helped my husband and I pick a new apartment (it was if GoodReads knew I was moving in a few months), and I know this book will help us discover what our next "just right home" will be.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
silverarrowknits | Sep 8, 2013 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
3
Membros
202
Popularidade
#109,082
Avaliação
½ 4.4
Resenhas
2
ISBNs
6

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