Designing Your Perfect House is the ideal guidebook for navigating the often mystifying process of house design and building. It's full of sage advice from a master architect about how to design the perfect house for you.Presented in twelve understandable "lessons," this book moves from wonderful concepts to a finished dream home. Beginning with an exploration of the philosophy of design, the grammar of architecture, the creation of space, and discussions of how to make spaces be appropriate and gratifying for the people living in them, the "lessons" explore issues of scale, daylight, how to make a house feel like a home, unifying a design, flow, and proportions.This book answers questions like: How do I get started? How do I select a building site? What kind of house can I afford with my budget? How do I make my dream house just right for me? Other topics include: site analysis and selection, programming, schematic design, style, room relationships, budget, working with professionals, methods of contracting, and more.Numerous color photos and drawings illustrate the book's major points
The decision to build a new home can be daunting for an amateur. Architect Hirsch takes one through the process from idea to completion. Drawing many examples from his own practice, he explains the process and philosophy of residential design as seen from a professional's view and discusses what to consider when creating one's dream home. Recommended.
Anonymous
Posted December 2, 2008
Unfortunately, I searched for just this book but did not find it during my building process. Now, after the fact, the author has come up with just the guide I would have benefited from. This book leads you through the enormous process of homebuilding starting from the beginning with the Needs and Wants and safely carrying you through the remaining steps. The photos are not only helpful but beautiful. An inspiration! Loved it!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JudyMalloy
Posted October 24, 2008
Sometimes the hardest part of any project is deciding where to start first. "Designing Your Perfect House" not only shows you how to find the beginning, but also gives you an advance preview of what the ending will look like. We have been building high-end custom homes for over thirty years and this is the first time we have seen the designing process so thoroughly explained and easily understood for prospective homeowners (as well as builders). Bill Hirsch's liberal use of illustrations, check lists and photographs aid in refining the reader's ideas and organizing the design process. But the author is careful not to over-simplify a complex task. He cautions the reader to take the time to think things out, warning about: proper site planning, sizing spaces to create the best "people" effect and checking out prospective builders. But lest you think this is a dull "text" book, "Designing Your Perfect Home" includes plenty of good humor and outright fun. It starts with an optical illusion: A Rorschach test of a man playing a saxophone vs. a woman's face, to illustrate how we can achieve the "Aha" effect. Later we meet; "Just Say No to Avocado", "Why Did They Ever Call it a Living Room?" and my all time favorite; "Windows Are the Eyes and a Door is the Mouth of the building". When I got to the end of this very readable book I kept hoping that this would be the beginning of a series: "Designing your Perfect Remodel Project....? ¿
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MaryEllenSong
Posted October 16, 2008
This book puts design theory into terms that I can understand. Using conversational tones, the author explains how some not so obvious design components can make the difference between a comfortable space and one that doesn't quite feel right. Beautiful photos and sketches illustrate the points. The book is spiced with humor, and incidental information, making it a pleasure to read.
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Posted October 3, 2008
This book is easy to follow and to understand - architectural principles made easy for the lay person. A must if you want to build your perfect house!
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Posted December 15, 2009
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Posted January 2, 2010
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Overview
Designing Your Perfect House is the ideal guidebook for navigating the often mystifying process of house design and building. It's full of sage advice from a master architect about how to design the perfect house for you.Presented in twelve understandable "lessons," this book moves from wonderful concepts to a finished dream home. Beginning with an exploration of the philosophy of design, the grammar of architecture, the creation of space, and discussions of how to make spaces be appropriate and gratifying for ...