1. Classic Household Hints: Over 500 Old and New Tips
By Susan Waggoner Stewart, Tabori and Chang, $17.95
Accompanied by retro illustrations for 1950s products, this book offers quick and easy tips for cleaning and decluttering the home, from washing windows to using garage space wisely. Throughout, author Susan Waggoner gives a fun and informative glimpse of home life in earlier days.
2. Home Sense: Simple Solutions to Enhance Where and How You Live
By Eduardo Xol Rayo, $24.95
Designer Eduardo Xol identifies and fixes house problems by adding new colors, rearranging furniture and changing accessories. Xol, designer for “ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” tackles problem areas, such as small bathrooms or boring bedrooms, and offers ideas, through dozens of photos.
3. The Southern Cottage: From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Florida Keys
By Susan Sully Rizzoli, $39.95
Author Susan Sully takes readers on a tour of Southern cottages, some stylish and neatly surrounded by picket fences and filled with heirlooms, and others weather-beaten wood structures along shorelines or rustic mountain cabins of casual design.
4. Prefabulous: The House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh From the Factory
By Sheri Koones The Taunton Press, $25
Americans build about 40,000 modular homes a year. Imagine if new home buyers and builders realized all the advantages of building a home in a factory setting. No exposure to the elements. No loss of materials. No work days lost to bad weather. The ability for more precise measurements
This book gives readers an up-close-and-personal look at the modular industry. Unlike site-built homes, modular homes often are built stronger, with tighter insulation and more efficient use of materials. Koones’ book examines modular structures from Long Island, N.Y., to San Francisco and building techniques that range from sticks to concrete. If you’re considering a new home, this book is a must-buy.
5. Renovating for Living
By Llorence Bonet Loft Publications, $39.95
The hard work of renovating buildings gets careful scrutiny in this collection of architectural projects around the world. Editor Llorence Bonet shows buildings from New York to Hong Kong as they undergo renovations large or small.
