Paredes y Techos

Winifred Gallagher

House Thinking: A Room-By-Room Look at How We Live

"A fascinating book that investigates and explains the emotional impact our homes have on our lives. House Thinking . . . guides the way for us to live out our most creative selves at home." --Wendy Goodman, interior design editor, New York magazineIKEA, Ethan Allen and HGTV may have plenty to say about making a home look right, but what makes a home feel right? In House Thinking, journalist and cultural critic Winifred Gallagher takes the reader on a psychological tour of the American home. By drawing on the latest research in behavioral science, an overview of cultural history, and interviews with leading architects and designers, she shows us not only how our homes reflect who we are but also how they influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions.How does your entryway prime you for experiencing your home? What makes a bedroom a sensual oasis? How can your bathroom exacerbate your worst fears? House Thinking addresses provocative questions like these, enabling us to understand the homes we've made for ourselves in a unique and powerful new way. It is an eye-opening look at how we live . . . and how we could live. ...

David Giffels

All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House

As wry as Bill Bryson's I'm a Stranger Here Myself, as insightful as Tracy Kidder's House, here is smart, engaging tale of one man's stuggle to restore his family's new home--a decrepit old mansion--and discover himself With his pregnant wife and their 18-month-old son in tow, David Giffels scoured the environs of Akron, OH, in search of the perfect house. But nothing seemed right . . . until he spotted the beautiful, decaying Guilded Era mansion. A former rubber robber baron's domain, the once grand house does need some repair . . . okay it's a dump. So what if, there's “nothing holding this place up but memory,”--the assessment of his father, a structural engineer? It wouldn't be perfect if it were easy, and Giffels relishes the challenge. He's a committed do it yourselfer who fears a life without struggle--and Home Depot. All the Way Home follows Giffels's funny and sometimes frustrating journey as he and his young family turns a decrepit money pit into the the home of their dreams. From outwitting squatters (both four- and two-legged) to rebuilding termite ridden walls, battling wisteria vines and finding $14,000 in Depression-era cash hidden in a bathroom wall, ...

Stephanie Glakas-Tenet, Julie Sussman

Dare to Repair, Replace & Renovate: Do-It-Herself Projects to Make Your Home More Comfortable, More Beautiful & More Valuable!

There's no place like home!And that's why we're back. Dare to Repair, Replace & Renovate is the sequel to Dare to Repair, the national bestselling home repair book for women.In our first book, we taught you how to fix a leaky faucet. In this book, we teach you how to replace it. In our first book, we showed you how to change the direction of ceiling fan blades. In this book, we show you how to install a new fan. We've gone from basic repairs to easy projects that can make your home more comfortable, more beautiful, and more valuable. We will show you how to: Put up a tile backsplashInstall a closet systemInstall a deadbolt lockReplace a medicine cabinetMount blinds, shades, and shuttersInstall landscape lighting And we provide easy, step-by-step instructions so you can get rid of the things in your home that are making you crazy: Ugly chandelier? Gone.Outdated vanity? Out of there.Broken garbage disposal? History.Torn wallpaper? Buh-bye.Incorporating detailed illustrations with witty and encouraging instructions, Dare to Repair, Replace & Renovate will allow you to turn your project wish list into a can-do list. ...