Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid

Phenomenal book that talks about the historically correct way to style an Adam, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, or Neo-Colonial style house. Also quite useful for Victorian style homes, but less authoritative. Once you get into Craftsman-style homes (turn of the 20th century) and later there really isn't anything of value in this book. There's absolutely nothing on mid-century modern. Lots of information about proportion and the Greek/Roman orders of architecture. Great reference if you want to create a historically accurate home from one of the specifically mentioned styles, or need to do historic restoration without butchering its character. The book mostly focuses on the exterior, admitting that interior was beyond the scope of the book. There is one short but useful chapter on the interior, however. For historically-correct interiors I really liked Traditional American Rooms (Winterthur Style Sourcebook): Celebrating Style, Craftsmanship, and Historic Woodwork , which covers the traditional woodwork of homes from the same era, with examples from 12 of the original 13 colonies. Also worthy of note are pattern books from those eras, many of which are still in print, such as the works of Asher Benjamin. The strength of this book is that it explicitly shows common mistakes and explains why they look odd, whereas most historic references (like "The American Vignola") often skip details, or are harder to follow. If you're interested in a more detailed understanding of the classical orders, Robert Chitham's "The Classical Orders of Architecture" has this book beat in its sheer depth, although that book is geared toward architects, not homeowners. Still, this is a great addition to the library and one I find myself referencing more.

I am completely gutting and restoring/remodeling a house from 1871 and this book is helping me make smart decisions that I never would have made otherwise. I would have continued doing the things that everyone does nowadays that we think is normal, but is actually wrong, and I would have ended up with another bland house that lacks real character. The key to this book is the large amount of illustrations that show what you shouldn't do, and then more illustrations of what you should do. Its awesome. There are words, and you should read them, but the illustrations are what make this book special. From chimneys to casing to porches, windows, and doors, this books covers all the major exterior and a few of the interior elements of a house, and the proper way they should be designed and executed.

Throughout the planning and building process, this book stays at my side. Modern house construction should still use the classical orders in design, even on a Craftsman or farmhouse. Balance and proportion are key to making your house look RIGHT. Why spend all that money and have an out of balance house when we have these guidelines? Every single page of this book has been so helpful. I especially like the drawings of AVOID and USE, and drawings showing Better 1, Better 2, Best, etc. It makes sense, it's easy to follow, and it is by far the best book I used when planning my house. BTW, my other most helpful source is Old House Guy's website for Windows, shutters, and porches. I'm positive I won't get everything right on my new house, but with this book's information it'll look better than it would have with my limited architectural knowledge. Buy this book and buy one for your builder and framer.

Let me start by saying that this is a great book, every homeowner and builder who cares about home aesthetics should own this. That said, I think it falls short on some details. The book gives great background on classic architectural orders and how they apply to modern building and trim design. What it lacks, for example, are things like how to size exterior window casings and corner boards, or what height to build wainscot, or how to design and proportion a coffered ceiling. Its also got only a single chapter on interior trim design. I suppose I can't fault the author for this as much as I can recommend that she write an entire book on interior trim design. You should definitely buy this book, but don't expect this to be your only resource for designing a beautiful home.

I have struggled for years with design issues in the buildings I renovate and (sometimes) modify. It is the "just doesn't look right" syndrome where you spend money and time on what you think is a good idea, but when it's done you can tell it looks goofy, or backwards, or convoluted or something. Well this book is exactly addressed to people like me - indoctrinating the reader to the (seemingly) rigid rules of traditional architecture that have evolved over the centuries since we emerged from caves. It's like getting an abbreviated overview of the lessons learned by earlier generations of builders, condensed into a readable book. Probably the most notable lesson I gleaned from it is the importance of details on the overall look and feel of a building. I know I'm not going to necessarily follow every rule on every decision I make - economics play an important role too - but at least now I have a little better understanding of where I can cut corners, and where spending a little more on the right details will be crucial. It's like having the wisdom of the ages at your back when making design decisions. One thing that attracts me to traditional architecture is that it comes from times where buildings were much more monumental accomplishments than they are today. With our concrete and steel, equipment and technological advances, buildings go up in a matter of days rather than years, and will be replaced just as quickly if we decide we don't like them. Sometimes the way they look reflects this lack of thought necessary for their contstruction. If you follow the guidance provided by this book, you building will at least look like an accomplishment worth celebrating.

I bought this book about a month or so ago. I have read through it once. While I will skim it again, from time to time, I'll be keeping it as an irreplaceable reference manual for home design or purchase. The illustrations are gorgeous and pure genius. Most of them are NOT CAD drawings, but honest-to-goodness pencil illustrations, which all have a definite artistic flair to them. The premise is simple: the Greeks and Romans got it right, and modern home designers try to ape their aesthetic without doing the requisite homework make awful looking houses. Once you read this book, you'll never be able to go into a rich new suburban development without easily being able to point out the painfully obvious design gaffes that abound. That's the downside--you're an instant architectural snob after one read. But the upside is that when it is time to YOU to buy or build, you'll know precisely what to look for and what to avoid. Marianne Cusato has proven her genius with the "Katrina Cottage" design, which will probably set her for life financially. I hope it does, so she can focus all of her energies toward the classicist movement. I'd sure love to hire her to design my next home (if I could ever afford her now). The modern architectural ethic of the last century, emphasizing a lack of details, machinelike designs, and a material driven ethos (steel, glass, and concrete) is absolutely put to shame by the Greek and Roman orders of proportion, balance, and detail. Hopefully, Ms. Cusato and her classicist colleagues can put the last few nails in that coffin. I could live the rest of my life quite well without having to view another gawd-awful building that looks like it was designed by Fisher Price. This book is a masterpiece.

Ever drive down a beautiful street of houses, and then see one house that just doesn't fit? The first question we usually ask is "why would they do that here?" I can think of a few houses in some of my town's historic streets where people ask this question all the time. Often some small changes of just smaller windows, proper window panes, or appropriate styling for the neighborhood would help make this work. This book helps put us all down this path - and teaches us about the details we often intuitively see as wrong, but do not understand or "see" why they don't fit. I learned quite a bit about design, style and an understanding of not only the reasons why the pre-fabricated house in town does not fit in, but how the design could have been changed - and the house could likely have been built at the same cost, yet fit into the streetscape. If you are building a house, restoring a house joining a historic Commission, planning board, or anything that has authority over buildings, you should read this book...

"Get Your House Right" is a breakdown of why some houses are appealing to almost everybody, and why some houses are just plain ugly. This book is absolutely packed with genuinely useful content. The author is meticulous, giving measurements and ratios that are easily incorporated into any project. I especially like the side-by-side comparisons of "good" and "bad" elements, which the author labels "use" and "avoid". For example, the author includes drawings of the same facade. On one house, the windows seem too small, on another too large, and on the final house, they're just right. She explains that (with certain noted exceptions) the percentage of wall openings (windows and doors) should be 15-35% of the total wall area. While most of the author's suggestions are much more technical ("avoid cantilevered ogee gutters"), they are all extremely clear and concise. With just the right balance of text and visuals, including clear line drawings and photographs of actual houses, this is an excellent reference for professionals and novices alike.

Such a great resource for someone wanting to better understand the why of some architectural details. Great especially for the builder or homeowner looking to restore, maintain or even correct and enhance architectural elements of a home. Even if you are planning a simple bungalow, one can pick up plenty of good ideas, rules of thumb and reasons why, that can contribute to making a home so much more aesthetically pleasing over todays average characterless square box that’s referred to as a home.

Livro mais do que indicado para arquitetos que querem aprimorar-se. Indicadíssimo para arquitetos que trabalham com projetos tradicionais.

Very good book for architecture students interested in residential design or anybody who wants to add elements of western traditional architecture to their homes.

I thought I had a good eye for these things, but this guide really goes into the details that distinguish professional from amateur classical designs.

Anyone thinking of creating a home, renewing a house or just interested in why things look the way they do will both enjoy reading the book and find the contents very useful