Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid

Even as oversized McMansions continue to elbow their way into tiny lots nationwide, a much different trend has taken shape. This return to traditional architectural principles venerates qualities that once were taken for granted in home design: structural common sense, aesthetics of form, appropriateness to a neighborhood, and even sustainability. Marianne Cusato, creator of the award-winning Katrina Cottages, has authored and illustrated this definitive guide to what makes houses look and feel right—to the eye and to the soul. She teaches us the language and grammar of classical architecture, revealing how balance, harmony, and detail all contribute to creating a home that will be loved rather than tolerated. And she takes us through the do’s and don’ts of every element of home design, from dormers to doorways to columns. Integral to the book are its hundreds of elegant line drawings—clearly rendering the varieties of lintels and cornices, arches and eaves, and displaying “avoid” and “use” versions of the same elements side by side.

• Designing Your Perfect House 2nd Edition: Lessons from an Architect
• A Field Guide to American Houses: The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture
• The Ten Books On Architecture (Illustrated)
• The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling
• 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (The MIT Press)
• Designing Your Dream Home: Every Question to Ask, Every Detail to Consider, and Everything to Know Before You Build or Remodel
• The American Vignola: A Guide to the Making of Classical Architecture (Dover Architecture)
• The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home: A Step-by-Step Method for Managing Home Construction
• Building Construction Illustrated
• Turn-of-the-Century House Designs: With Floor Plans, Elevations and Interior Details of 24 Residences (Dover Architecture)