Spirit of the Home is a wonderful guide to creating your own sacred space and sanctuary and discovering peace and tranquillity. Home is a reflection of the self. It tells us, and other people, who we are. The type of home we live in, the style of the furnishings and colours, all work together to remind us of our personality, our taste, our values and interests. Creating a soul-sustaining space, an intimate and emotional connection with our home, has become a pursuit of the 90's. As we change our lifestyles, downshift, work at home, deal with stress, live in different communities, we look towards home as a haven for peace and tranquility. The Spirit of the Home is a practical book, packed full of simple, easy-to-follow advice on how to make the most of your home: What does your home mean to you? * Does every space in your home have a special mood and purpose? * Does a healing home have to be a clean home? * Does energy, ch'i, flow smoothly? * Do you have good Feng Shui in your home? * Does your home feel good, smell good, and sound good? * Do you have a quiet corner? * Is your bathroom your sanctuary? * Can your home bring about change in your inner life?

Water chemistry in a swimming pool is ever evolving. As the temperature, weather, wind and seasons change, so does the chemistry in your pool and the associated tasks needed to keep everything in balance. In this book, we focus on concrete in-ground pools. While there are other types of pools such as fiberglass, vinyl and above ground pools, most salt-water pools are the in-ground type and built of concrete. We are going to start out talking about concrete pools in general and then move on to how the plumbing in a pool works. It is important to understand what each piece of the plumbing puzzle does in order to understand why for example you add certain chemicals in the return line back to the filter verses adding it directly in the pool or in a line going back into the pool. You have to know which one is the return line first before you can add the chemical. From there we move on to water chemistry and what each test and chemical controls and how to make an adjustment when necessary. Next we talk about routine and seasonal maintenance that has to be done. Once you have finished reading through this book you should have a good grasp on how to properly maintain your salt pool throughout the various seasons both when using it (late spring, summer and early fall) and when not (late fall, winter and early spring, unless you heat your pool and then you can use it year-round).

Raising African Nightcrawlers shows anyone, even the beginner how to raise these worms which are the best fishing, composting and worm casting producers. The book shows how to make simple worm bins from Rubbermaid style bins, step by step with pictures to illustrate each step. Also gives rough outline for building a stacking tray system. You get all the information from Bruce Galle in this book including where and how to sell your worms and worm castings should you wish to Bruce aka The Worm Expert takes you step by step and even offers a trouble shooting guide for your worms and steps to help prevent it.

Have you ever wished you had a Mentor to help you teach your daughters (and you ) the practical skills and inspiration needed to manage a happy, organized household?
You've found it
The Girl's Guide to Home Skills is a comprehensive guide that will walk you and your daughters through every step of how to turn a house into a warm, inviting, organized home. Filled to the brim with practical, tried-and-true advice, it's the perfect way to teach home cleaning methods, organization skills and hospitality to daughters and young homemakers.
The Girl's Guide to Home Skills is divided into EIGHT comprehensive sections covering every area of the home: Cozy & Inviting Kitchens, Sparkling Clean Bathrooms, Lovely Living Areas, Provident Pantries, Organized Closets, Tidy Yards & Porches, and Genuine Hospitality. Each section includes checklists for daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal tasks, along with instructions on how to most effectively accomplish each job. Also included are hands-on assignments, side projects, recipes and more.
This guide is especially designed for teaching younger girls ages 8 - 14... but it's also perfect for homeschooling, small groups, or individual readers of any age who need some guidance in home domestics

This book is a unique look into one of the most unusual building techniques - underground installation of shipping containers - finished out into a very modern, energy efficient home that has proven to be a delight to live in. Detailed how-to instructions from start to finish give the reader a real handle on how they could build this home for themselves successfully and enjoy the wonderful benefits of living underground and off the grid. A real must for those who are considering cutting the city ties and venturing out into the country to establish a successful homestead. Well worth a read

A book containing various vintage designs on making wooden lamps, using different materials and methods. The content has been carefully selected for its interest and relevance to a modern audience.

Trust Martha to help you master all things organising - sorting, purging, tidying, and simplifying your life - with smart solutions and inspiration. Here, she offers her best guidance, methods, and DIY projects for organising in and around your home. Topics include room-by-room strategies (how to sort office paperwork, when to purge the garage or attic), seasonal advice (when to swap out bedding and clothing, how to put away holiday decorations), and day-by-day or week-by-week plans for projects such as de-cluttering, house cleaning, creating a filing system, overhauling the closet, and more. Martha's indispensable expertise walks you through goal-setting, principles of organising, useful supplies, and creating systems for ongoing success. A look into Martha's own personal calendars offers a template for scheduling essential tasks. Last, plenty of strategies, how-tos, timelines, and checklists will help you stay organised all year long.

Buy fewer (and better) things. Store like with like. Get rid of the plastic. Display - don't stash - your belongings. Let go of your inner perfectionist and remember that rooms are for living. These are a few of the central principles behind A Remodelista Manual, the new book from the team behind the inspirational design site Remodelista.com. Whether you're a minimalist or someone who takes pleasure in her collections, we all yearn for an unencumbered life in a home that makes us happy. This compact tome shows us how, with more than 100 simple and stylish tips, each clearly presented and accompanied by full-colour photographs that are sure to inspire. Readers will learn strategies for conquering their homes' problem zones (from the medicine cabinet to the bedroom closet) and organising tricks and tools that can be deployed in every room (embrace trays; hunt for unused spaces overhead; decant everything). Interviews with experts, ranging from kindergarten teachers to hoteliers, offer even more ingenious ideas to steal. It all adds up to the ultimate home organising manual.

Experts agree everyone will have to confront at least one type of natural or man-made disaster in his or her lifetime. This resource allows the reader to customize and personalize each step to preparedness and develop self-reliance with dozens of supply checklists for building home, car, work, school, and pet emergency kits and organizing important financial, legal, medical, and insurance information.

A comprehensive book that covers all aspects of timber framing and hewn log construction. The book covers information on design, tree selection, tool selection, hewing, and framing. The author sequentially guides the builder through the process, revealing various options for every aspect of framing. The book is profusely illustrated, relying on pictures to convey the process. Whether one wishes to learn how to hew a timber, cut mortise and tenon joinery, create a King post truss or raise a timber frame by hand or with a crane, it is covered in this book.

A completely revised and expanded edition of the "New York Times" bestselling guide to putting things in order
Getting organized is a skill that anyone can learn, and there's no better teacher than America's organizing queen, Julie Morgenstern, as hundreds of thousands of readers have learned. Drawing on her years of experience as a professional organizer, Morgenstern outlines a simple organizing plan that starts with understanding your individual goals, natural habits, and psychological needs, so that you can work with your priorities and personality rather than against them. The basic steps-Analyze, Strategize, Attack-can be applied to any space or situation.
In this thoroughly revised edition, Morgenstern has incorporated new information in response to feedback from her clients and audiences. These changes include
- new chapters on living or working with someone who is disorganized
- new chapters on organizing photographs, handbags, briefcases, and travel bags
- an expanded program for organizing your kitchen
- a new guide to getting started
- a fully updated resource guide

For homeowners with an interest in green issues and energy efficiency, this guide considers the impact of global warming and the international energy crisis before explaining how to evaluate the energy performance of a house and make better use of natural lighting. All aspects are covered of the installation of photovoltaic cells to a residential property using solar power to produce domestic electricity and to heat water. The costs are calculated and the benefits of installing a solar energy system are assessed. This is essential reading for homeowners who wish to take advantage of free environmentally-friendly solar energy, reduce their energy bills in the long run, and help the environment.

This book is an essential companion for all those considering a house extension. Featuring checklists and guidance on how to ensure your project is a success, this essential guide distils all the practical information needed to run a project from dream to reality, highlighting the pitfalls along the way and suggesting ways to avoid them. Richly illustrated with inspirational examples and case studies, this book demystifies both the building process and all the surrounding issues to do with design, sustainability, budgeting, planning, regulations and the use of building contracts.

"Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small Scale Community in a Large Scale World "introduces an antidote to faceless, placeless sprawl -- small scale neighborhoods where people can easily know one another, where empty nesters and single householders with far-flung families can find friendship or a helping hand nearby, and where children can have shirt-tail aunties and uncles just beyond their front gate.

The book describes inspiring pocket neighborhoods through stories of the people who live there, as well as the progressive planners, innovative architects, pioneering developers, craftspeople and gardeners who helped create them.

Sarah Susanka, author of the best selling "Not So Big House" series, wrote the Foreword to the book, placing pocket neighborhoods within context of the contemporary trends in housing and community. Ross Chapin begins the book by outlining the shifts in the scale of community and the American Dream over several generations, leading to super-sized houses in a sea of development, then describes a solution to help restore healthy, livable communities. The first section of the book looks at historic precedents of pocket neighborhoods, from 15th century hofje almshouses in the Netherlands, to a 19th century Methodists Camp Community on Martha's Vineyard, to early 20th century Garden City models and Southern California Cottage Courtyards. The second section covers a wide range of contemporary pocket neighborhoods, including New Urban communities, affordable housing, houseboat communities, eco-neighborhoods, and Ross Chapin Architects' own pocket neighborhood examples. The third section focuses on 'cohousing' communities, from Danish origins in the 1960s, to examples across America, Australia and New Zealand, including a chapter on senior cohousing. The fourth section looks at retrofitting pocket neighborhoods within existing communities. Throughout the book are series of "Design Keys" that highlight the essential principles of pocket neighborhood planning and design, and short stories about "Pocket Neighborhood Pioneers" who blazed new trails. The book is filled with rich photographs, drawings, illustrations and site plans, and a Resources section at the end provides leads for the reader to explore the topic in further detail.

Create your own cookbook! Keep all your favorite family recipes in one handy place with our blank cookbook organizer. Organized into 6 chapters from breakfasts to desserts...there are even 3 blank chapters to name your own, plus dozens of tips.

Bathroom remodeling continues to top the list of the most common remodeling projects. All New Bathroom Ideas that Work contains essential information on all aspects of a bathroom update or complete remodel, from fixtures to lighting and cabinetry to flooring, so homeowners can make smart choices about what they want and can afford. Completely updated to include over 250 photos Addresses design trends, accessibility, and high-tech options for the bathroom. All New Bathroom Ideas that Work is ideal for homeowner DIYers, homeowners who aren't handy enough to remodel their homes but who want to be informed consumers so they can make smart remodeling decisions, builders, and designers. The practical advice paired with David Schiff's years of experience come together to create the perfect primer for any homeowner looking to transform their current bathroom.

MAKE A BIG SPLASH--WITH A LOT LESS CASH!

Let Terry Tamminen, "poolman to the stars," show you how to have a beautiful, hassle-free pool for thousands of dollars less than commercial installers charge -- by doing it yourself. Pool expert Tamminen helps you purchase, install, repair, maintain, and upgrade above-ground pools. You get parts and tools lists, tricks of the trade for each procedure, and a difficulty rating to help you decide if it's time to call a professional.

Soon you'll be saying, "Okay, everybody into the pool!"
* Selecting the right pool (from over a dozen types) for your site, budget, and individual needs
* Realistic cost estimates
* Easy-to-understand, photo-illustrated installation and repair guides
* Heating inexpensively and heater repair
* Repairing and replacing liners
* Winterizing
* Decks made easy
* Pool enhancements for added enjoyment and value
* Sources of cost-saving generic parts
* And more!

An indispensable quick-check guide to saving money and headaches during home renovations

Lured by skyrocketing real estate values, more Americans than ever are renovating their homes. Some have had some experience with home renovations. Many are trying their hands at it for the first time. Most are totally unprepared for the thousand-and-one pitfalls, screw-ups, and headaches that can plague a home improve project, including runaway costs, unscrupulous suppliers and contractors, arcane building codes, and more.

Written by Americas #1 source of real estate know-how, Home Renovation Checklist is an indispensable guide to navigating the renovation process and keeping costs, time, and headaches involved to a minimum. Modeled after Irwins bestselling Home Buyers Checklist, this book is packed with hundreds of checklist questions (and answers) covering every detail of any home improvement project, including:

• Budgeting costs
  
• Dealing with contractors
  
• Obtaining financing
  
• Determining whether or not to do all or part of the renovations themselves
  

The book is a compendium of homes, including apartments and single-family houses, that have been remodeled to suit contemporary lifestyle needs. Rehabilitations of living spaces are often done to reanimate existing constructions that, over time, have become impractical, if not obsolete. The challenge is to adapt these existing buildings to contemporary standards while maintaining what might still be useful or what we like about them. Most old buildings are very compartmentalised, reflecting the human habits of their time and the available building technology. Nowadays, we like to live in much more open and airy spaces - and new building methods allow for the removal of walls that ultimately free up space. We renovate and upgrade living spaces to various degrees, ranging anywhere from upgrading fixtures and appliances to removing and reconstructing walls and expanding buildings. While extensive work is sometimes required, these rehabilitations can result in stunning transformations. Many add comfort and increase utility, not to mention that the investment generally adds value to the property. This inspirational book showcases a range of rehabilitated projects, from ones that begin by totally stripping out interiors to a clean slate, to less extensive work that might be limited to cosmetic changes or simple finish and fixture upgrades. Existing dwellings have proved themselves flexible to changing necessities, and they are key to the regeneration of our living environment. Text in English, German and French.