From Book News, Inc.
A guide to understanding the drawings used in the major construction trades, including carpentry, electric, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning. The author includes information for styles of building from small-scale residential to large-scale commercial.

This book is my favorite of many home plan books. Lots of interesting design ideas. Though I believe any "canned" plan like the ones in this book needs to be adjusted to the site and to personal tastes by a architect or designer, this has a lot of choices and orientations.

Luminous photographs feature appealing private residences from all corners of the world. Whether houses totter on a precipitous hilltop or lay by a gently murmuring stream, the water nearby will allow tranquil repose.

Farmhouse and Country Plans: 300 Fresh Designs from Classic to Modern

Jim Tolpin's The New Cottage Home represents a return to a previous school of thought about living space: that it should be no larger than is needed, conservative of resources, rich in detail-- in short, that it should pay homage to honest architecture and fine craftsmanship, not to conspicuous consumption

Descriptors like "spacious" and "expansive" fill the real-estate promos, but Susanka seeks the elusive yet affordable qualities that turn a house into a home. And she provides more than mere ideals around which to rally. She selected 25 house designs, from a southwestern adobe to a Minnesota farmhouse to a New York apartment to a Rhode Island summer cottage, and she profiles each home in great and well-illustrated detail.

Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes
George Nash; Paperback; Buy New: $21.76

For those who love to live in old houses or want to invest in one, this completely revised and updated book leaves no stone unturned. From evaluating a property to making foundation repairs to adding on a porch, it's a comprehensive guide to every aspect of making renovations and repairs — whether you already live in, or are contemplating buying, an older home. Over 450 color photos and drawings are featured.