Good Used Books
for Building

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Build or Remodel

• The Builder's Secret by George Ehrenhaft ...$12.00..(1999 new $21.95) This wonderful book describes what people go through to build a home themselves, the joys and perils, problems, and costs, experiences and motivations.Very helpful in understanding yourself in the process. 251 pages, index, useful glossary.

• House by Tracey Kidder... $16.00 This fictional tale of a new custom frame house covers the builder/carpenter's, architect's, owner's sides of the homebuilding story. Well described as to costs, what quality workmanship is, the emotions of building, mistakes, cost overruns, problems and more. 341 pages
• This Old House....1980, 270 pp. Yes it's Bob Vila's print version of the PBS program. Complete renovation tips of a house, covers heating, foundation, walls, floors- all of it. by Bob Vila... #UTOH...$10.00

• Bob Vila's Guide to Buying Your Dream House– $4.00

• The Frugal Shopper Checklist Book : What You Need to Know to Win in the MarketPlace– $8.00

• Good Shelter-Guide to Mobile home/Domes $16.00

• Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook : The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy $7.25

• This Old House...$12.00 , 1980, 270 pp. Yes it's Bob vila's print version of the pbs program. Complete renovation tips of a house, covers heating, foundation, walls, floors- all of it. by Bob Vila

• This Old House Book of Bedrooms...$3.00... Practical and expert advice on decorating to the historic period for furnishings, draperies, wallpapers, window styles and more. 95 pages, Color and b& w photos, sketches. 1980

• This Old House Book of Living Rooms and Parlors...$3.00... Shows woodwork, extensive fireplace and stove use, windows, wall coverings, furniture, roof details such as Southwestern vigas, an adobe fireplace, outside horno oven and more. Color and b& w photos, drawings throughout. 95 pages. 1980.

• Masonry & Concrete Work ...$25.00, 1978, 496 pages, by Max alth. This is an excellent, complete manual and how to on all aspects of masonry. A perfect book for any owner builder. Perimeter foundations, footings, driveways, brick veneers, below grade use, fireplaces, masonry walls, cement mixing, concrete use, stone working and paths, repair and ornamental use. Extensive information, photos and how tos throughout.

  Solar Design & Home Planning

  MANY used SOLAR related books just in...

• The Solar Decision Book: A Guide to Heating Your Home with Solar Energy... $14.00...1978, by R. Montgomery . This is a well done technical book, with planner, charts, conversion guides; shows designs for hot water heat exchangers. Excellent detail, color cover, B& W photos, good sketches. 290 pages
  
• Growing in Solar Greenhouse $13.

• A Golden Thread-2500 years of solar architecture..$20.

• Renewables Are Ready -a many example guide $12.

• Low Cost Energy Efficient Shelter- Eccli ( a classic) $14.00

  Carpentry & Cabinetry

  Please request a specific title or I can suggest a book to meet your needs, there too many to list here. Most are solid texts from the 1960s-80s on basics of construction. These are a good value despite the sometimes dated photos. Most are under $13.00.
• Furniture Finishing and Refinishing by Johnstone, James B [1st ed. ]. Paperback. Lane Books, Menlo Park, Calif. ([1969]) Good condition.

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  Decks, Patios & Fences

  Many Yurts, and temporary housing designs can be, and are, placed on decking, and these low cost books are a good guide for that type of raised wood foundation.

  MANY more books in this subject now in stock.

• The Complete Terrace Book; how to design, build, furnish, plant and enjoy your terrace, patio, lanai, deck, porch, atrium, or engawa by Stanley Schuler, ISBN: 0020637101, B&W photos, 243 pages, plant lists, color cover, Publisher: Collier Books, $8.00.

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• Landscaping Illustrated...175 pages, color and B&W photos, illus, beautifully done...waterfalls, decking, walkways of all materials, building a stone/brick wall, an arbor, a deck, plus all l plants, shrubbery,and space plants for border definitions and really good advice on doing your own landscaping to save money. Has charts to determine your best planting by region of US...#ULI...$6.00

• Deck Plans:Adaptable Designs...$5.00, Color art, 96 pp, Easy to follow, well explained drawings, what materials are needed, 15 plans are given, index, also a well done book. Sunset Books

• Decks & Patios: How to Build...$5.00, Color photos, 112 pp. Covers design, basics, stone, and wood types, handling tips, paving, charts, index. Ortho Books.

• Building Fences of Wood,Stone & Metal...$10.00,190 pp. vivian's touch and good design is here; photos, drawings. by John Vivian, Mother Earth News Editor.
• Patio Book- Sunset 128 pages, B&W photos, illus, decks, atriums, paving, overheads, lighting..well done, #UPB...$3.00

  Heat & Fireplaces

• The Complete Book of Heating with Wood...$7.00, 1974,128 pages. Explains fuelwood and the environment, improving woodlands, tools/equipment needed to chop and harvest wood.Describes all the old style metal and soapstone/tile stoves, building a drum heat exchanger for more room heat, and for hot water heating, covers the basics of how to install a stove safely, tips for cleaning. Index, many drawings and how to sketches. Also very good! by Garden Way Publishing, author Larry Gay.

• Wood Heat..$16.00..By John Vivian John Vivian still writes for Mother Earth News, and created this popular book in 1976. It is still as useful today, and includes hard to find information on building a stove from a metal barrel or drum.

  Directions for making the door, feet, chimney flue and bead making options. Popular in the 1970s, these drum stoves are efficient and can be made for about $50 in parts, and last for several years with constant use.

  Clear drawings cover all the how-to aspects of a using wood fired stove.

  Vivian covers all the old style metal stoves, Scandinavian, and air-tight, how to repair them, clean, and use them properly, getting rid of smoke problems, and reclaiming heat for use in making a hot water heater.

  Also covers wood chopping and storage, proper burning, tools, safety, and much more. Photos and drawings. Index, 320 pages, hardback.
  Order here: Wood Heat book page

  Plants, Gardens & Landscaping

  MANY gardening books on all topics from grafting and mulch to roses.

  mulch,

• All About House Plants : Their Selection, Culture, and Propagation and How to– $9.00

• Rx for Ailing House Plants–[Paperback] Evans– $5.00

• Landscaping Illustrated...$3.00, a Sunset book, 176 pp. Color photos and extensive drawings on how to plan, design; covers plant selection, basics on installation of plants and design elements. Sunset Books
• 52 Weekend Garden Projects by Bubel, Nancy
  Out of Print Paperback. Rodale Press; Emmaus, Pa. (c1992.)
  learn to dry flowers, herbs for shady areas, a fast food garden, and other fun ideas that are fast and let you garden without making a major deal out of it! Very Good. Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-345) and index. xii, 354 p. : ill. , map
  only 1 copy
  #N52 Regular price: $15. Sale price: $8.00

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• 365 Days of Gardening, A Day-by-day Book of More than 1,000 Terrific Facts, Tips, and Reminders by Christine Allison
  12 chapters, one for each month. "...practical tips, ideas, inspiration for every day of the year ... old-timers' secrets, home remedies, and the latest research on growing ... when to prune, boost your yield ... ways to get rid of ants, slugs, raccoons, deer ... family recipes." Index, B & W illustrations.
  Hardback, 403 pages, Harper Collins Publishers, 1995 U580, Like New-only 1 copy
  # U580... $18.00

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• The Vegetable Gardener's Bible Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions
  by Edward C. Smith
  ISBN 1-58017-212-1 320 pages; 8 1/2" x 10 7/8"; Full Color; Paperback. Discover the last W.O.R.D. in vegetable gardening with Ed Smith's amazing gardening system. By integrating four principles, Smith reinvents vegetable gardening, making it possible for everyone to have the best, most successful garden ever. Ed Smith's "book is thorough and infused with practical wisdom and a dry Vermont humor that should endear him to readers." --Publishers Weekly
  "Smith gives insight into the gardening world through pictures, sidebars, and a thick easy-to-use section on nurturing vegetables with names from A-Z....The book takes the reader through an entire growing year, with photographs of Smith's garden to illustrate the wonderfully conversational text."--Today's Librarian--- NEW- 1 copy in stock.... Regular price: $25.00

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• he International Cultivator's Handbook... by Bill Drake
  6 chapters: Covering aspects of hashish, coca, some interesting concoctions of opium and cannabis, opium, new immigrants and global villagers, commentary on the being eclectic; B & W photos and illustrations.
  Softback, 140 pages... Wingbow Press, 1974 ... Used- 1 copy... #U587...$15.00

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• The Gardener's Sourcebook, A Guide to Horticultural Sources, by Sheila Buff
  14 chapters: plant sources, specialty gardening (alpine, bonsai, fragrance, historical); indoor gardening, tools, composting, fertilizers, pest & week control; garden furnishings (gazegos, arbors, trellises, benches ...); organizations for gardeners, government sources; magazines, newsletters, regional periodicals, book dealers, book clubs; software & world wide web; list of gardens and arboretums by state; travelling to see gardens; LISTS! Hardback, 268 pages... Lyons & Burford, Publishers, 1996
  Like New-1 copy... #Regular price: $30.00

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• Introduction to Basic Gardening, by the editors of Sunset Books and Sunset Magazine
  13 chapters: understanding soil, planting, fertilizing, basic garden plants (shrubs, trees, annuals, biennials, perennials, bulbs, lawns, ground covers, vines); watering, weeds, propagation; vegetables, fruits, berries herbs; pruning, pests, diseases, tools, bees, butterflies; glossary, index, color and B & W illustrations, color photos. Softback, 160 pages, Lane Publishing, 1984.... New book- 1 copy in stock.. #U563...$12.00

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  Miscellaneous Books

  These unusual titles don't fit anywhere else!

• Complete Trash: The Best Way to Get Rid of Practically Everything Around the House by Norman Crampton A fun little book on how to dispose of Aluminum cans, coffee grounds, to big appliances, and wire coat hangers...Alphabetically arranged by item. 136 pages, color cover. One copy...#U-CT...$3.00

• From the Redwood Forest: Ancient Trees and the Bottom Line: A Headwaters Journey..by joan Dunning. Joan is a local author, and all of us in humboldt County have been in the thick of this struggle with the maxxam corp. clear cutting the last of ancient redwoods. Described is her journal of interviews, protests, pleas, plans, the infamous Eureka "pepper spray" incident and an interview with tree sitter "Butterfly ".

• Model Car, Truck and Motorcycle Handbook–[Paperback]– $5.00

• Growing for MarketÐ[Paperback] Yepsen, Roger B. –$4.00

• The Canoe Book–[Paperback] Gordon, I. Herbert –$6.00

• Don't Throw It Away...$5.00, Color photos throughout, crafts making, 1973. Very 70's ideas, but good ones to update! make lamps, picture frames, ornaments, etc. clever!
• ScrapCrafts A to Z...$12.00 1995, 207 pages, brand new hardback book. Full color throughout. Engaging and simple projects to make using recycled and household items. Like: Neckties to make great pillows, crazy-quilt mittens made from flannel shirts, custom umbrellas for kids, soft sculpture jewelry, vests, sewing and glueing projects of all types, for all levels of interest. Great projects and rainy day activity book for all ages. by Better Homes & Gardens
• How to Buy a Sailboat–[Hardcover] Schlereth, Hewitt – $9.00

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