Softcover, 80 pages
Book Description
Stairway design and construction is considered a cornerstone of homebuilding. To address this important topic, Building Stairs contains design, fabrication, and installation information for a wide variety of options, from simple, site-built utility staircases to elaborate spirals.
Customer Reviews:
Why bother.......2007-07-12
The book addressed building stair-related structures that were just not relevant to standard stair building needs...
Not enough detail.......2006-09-30
So I don't know why I bought this book without reading the previous reviews. I usually check those first and avoid books like this. It had too many types of stairs to be documented and not enough detail for each one. I would have rather had just three basic types of stairs covered in detail than all of the types in here. The writer appeared to be showing off.
Still, it did show me what I needed to purchase (bending rail) and had about two pages worth of useful information. I finished my curved baluster, but I see flaws in my work. I am a pretty ambitious DIYer and I would not recommend that anyone try doing this but a professional. This book did not give enough detail or complete instructions to help me through the rough spots.
do not buy this book!!.......2004-11-15
As an installer by trade, I urge anyone interested in learning the construction of stairs to consult another book. I wish I had read the other readers comments before I wasted my money on this book.
At best, a poor collection of ill-connected articles........2004-09-29
I have a large amount of admiration for the Taunton Press. Fine Homebuilding is quality magazine and the For Pros books have been worth the money. This book is a poor collection of disjointed FH articles that have no cogent flow to them. I should know better than to buy books by "Editors," but I made a mistake here. William Spence's "Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings," while not a perfect book, is much better than this collection.
Taunton's "For Pros" books on Electrical (Caldwell) and Plumbing (Hemp) are well worth the money, particularly Caldwell's offering.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent entry in the dystopian canon
- For Kids or Adults ?
- House of Stairs
- An older book that made an impression
- Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider
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House of Stairs
William Sleator
Manufacturer: Puffin
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ASIN: 0140345809 |
Book Description
One by one, five sixteen-year-old orphans are brought to a strange building. It is not a prison, not a hospital; it has no walls, no ceiling, no floor. Nothing but endless flights of stairs leading nowhere —except back to a strange red machine. The five must learn to love the machine and let it rule their lives. But will they let it kill their souls? This chilling, suspenseful indictment of mind control is a classic of science fiction and will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.
“An intensely suspenseful page-turner.” —School Library Journal
“A riveting suspense novel with an anti-behaviorist message that works . . . because it emerges only slowly from the chilling events.” —Kirkus Reviews
Customer Reviews:
Excellent entry in the dystopian canon.......2007-09-28
Sleator's writing has been up and down across his many books, but his concepts have always been excellent. He's at his best here, in a book for kids that will make them grow up too fast...
For Kids or Adults ?.......2007-09-01
This is nothing less than an alarmingly good book. I've read it twice and it seemed twice as good the second time. I read it outloud with my son, and some scenes are actually jarring to me because of the way they reflect how adults really are, and things they really do. Part of me wanted to stop reading and explain to my son that people aren't really like this, but they are.
And the motivations for such action is no loftier for adults in real life than they are for the kids in this book. Perceived survival.
Go read it.
House of Stairs.......2007-08-26
30 years later... I still remember how this book affected me as a 7th grader. I read it several times that year and the haunted feeling of it never really left. Having a discussion this evening with my 14 year old son about a book where kids are stranded and left to work it out for themselves, I immediately remembered the chilling feeling of this book. "1984" comes close, as does "The Giver" and "Lord of the Flies", but "House of Stairs" (as another reader stated) stole a little of my innocence that summer. I still hate it (as I do the others) and yet... it makes us think. This is definitely a book worth reading, yet a little more than I would read to my 6th grade students.
"Ancora Imparo" = "Always Learning"
An older book that made an impression.......2007-08-12
I think it's fascinating (Mr. Spock) that many of these reviews are from my peer group - mid-40s who read "House of Stairs" back in the 1970s. This book must have been on our 6th-grade summer reading list. Clearly it made an impression on us all, and continues to do so on our children (!) Re-reading it, "House of Stairs" still gives me the creeps, perhaps even more so now, with echoes of Guantanamo and the "black" prisons operated by the CIA. It's a fable for our times, but apparently the people in charge aren't listening.
Cat Club Review: www.freewebs.com/hlgstrider.......2007-07-13
Have you ever read a book that starts out so good that you find yourself at an intersection wondering if you could sneak in a few pages before the light turns green but which ends with a huge shriek of "That's it?" It's like you're standing in the middle of a blank Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo says, "You know if I got some paint. . ." and you say, "Yeah!" and he says, "And built a wooden scaffolding. . ." and you say, "Uh-Huh! Uh-Huh!" and he says, "It may take a year, maybe a couple of years. . ."
"Go on! Go on!"
"But I bet I could paint the world's biggest Nike Swoosh across this ceiling."
"Say what?"
That's basically what happened with me and William Sleator's House of Stairs. Now I'm not too worried about giving spoilers because Mr. Sleator wasn't, and if he rats himself out, he can't complain when I follow suit. This is the story of orphans who find themselves mysteriously deposited in a strange world made up of white stair cases and landings and one red, glowing machine. Now if it wasn't already obvious that these kids are part of some malicious government experiment, read the author's dedication: To all the rats and pigeons who have already been there. Ah ha! Take one blatant ending and call me in the morning.
However, I was hopeful. The book was well-written, the children were effectively clueless, and the scenery was so strange. I couldn't wait to see the five young ones explore, find clues, test the limits, and eventually escape after they figure out how awful the plot truly is. Instead of this, Sleator's book becomes a grinding exploration of human characters, three of whom go "bad," one of whom was boring, and the fifth who wasn't particularly likeable or interesting. Instead of banding together, they fall apart. Instead of searching for a way out, they try a sort of passive resistance until the big bad scientists give up! Then, instead of discovering the secret through clues, the scientist just tells us all his intentions. Instead of the kids finding hidden cameras, the scientist tells them he has been watching them, instead of finding an escape they are taken out . . . gosh. . .I see your point, and there are a lot of points, but couldn't you have done it in a way that make me tense with worry rather than depresses me and makes me mildly annoyed? One star for trying. Four down for failing.
Book Description
Ten chapters cover all the essentials, including the subjects of code requirements, stairwell framing, notched and housed stringers, L-shaped, and U-shaped and curved stair construction...many color photos and drawings to explain and expand on the text. It offers great value for the price.”—Wood Design & Building
Customer Reviews:
Interesting Reading,,,,,Good For Straight , Conventional Stair Building........2005-09-17
This book will not give you all of the information required to build any staircase - anytime. But if you're interested in building stairs down to your basement or up to your 2nd floor addition, this is a very good source of information on the lay-out and space requirements. I felt like I was an o.k. stair builder(I'm a contractor/carpenter} and this book confirmed it. Professionals looking for new and interesting ideas will more than likely be disappointed. But if you're looking for a teaching aid for your guys, or a good book of examples of stairs, to show to your customers, then this book is a good buy.
Don't EVER take the book A Treatise On Staircases And Handrails to show to your customers unless your planning to move in with them. It takes that long build those old antique designs with all of the decorative achitectural mouldings and ornamental handrailings. This book will get your guys to using phrases like newell post and quarter turn landing just as fluently as the redneck phrase "jooseeHER??".
For the non-professional,, this is a good resource for the basics.
"Mayonaise some good advice in air."
This book has everything I needed........2003-09-22
I purchased every book I could find on staircase building including _Basic Stairbuilding_ (usefull but not as straightforward as this one) and _Stair Builders Handbook_ (absolutely useless - don't waste your money).
This book (Constructing Staircases...) contained the clearest diagrams and language that was easy for someone with no construction background to understand. I've used it exclusively to plan the construction of my staircase and am ready to begin building.
Most of the reviews of this book are negative. I don't really understand why. If you want to build a staircase and have very little construction experience, this is the book you need. Building a staircase isn't rocket science but is reasonably complex as far as construction goes. Good luck!
Great Inexpensive Staircase Book!.......2003-04-26
I purchased the "Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings" book after getting frustrated by the lack of details in the general purpose books out there, reguarding stairs.
The book is GREAT! I learned a LOT about the basics in just the first two chapters. At under [$$], this book is a steal if you are looking for info on making your own staircase!
The Price Is Right - The Book Is Wrong.......2002-11-26
Like the photograph on the cover, this book is not what it seems. The text is simplistic, skimming the surface of a topic that people can devote a rich lifetime to studying.
I bought it on the price and the strength of the cover photograph, because I'm Scottish (i.e. cheap), felt ambitious, and wanted to build a circular staircase from scratch.
The book doesn't touch on that subject at all. The cover "photograph" is actually a poorly-rendered computer graphic, and the text inside matches it well.
(By the way: DO NOT attempt to build a circular staircase from scratch unless you have years of woodworking under your belt, a very complete workshop at your disposal, are completely comfortable with extremely complex geometry, and have a source of income that allows you infinite free time :-)
Not useful for railings.......2002-08-15
I'm in the process of remodeling my house and am replacing a stair railing. I used information from instructions the stair parts manufacturers produce and help from a stair parts salesman to figure out the parts I would need but needed some additional help in actually installing it. I found this book at a woodworking show and thought I was set. Unfortunately almost all it covers is the design and constructions of the stairs themselves. The design and construction of the railing is barely touched on. I got more information from the manufacturer's instructions and the instructions that came with some of the installation hardware.
I can't really comment on how good the stair construction information is since that's not what I was interested in, but I can't recommend this at all if your looking for information on stair railing design and construction.
If you're looking for railing information I would recommend the book "Stairs: The Best of Fine Homebuiling". (ISBN 1561581313)
Customer Reviews:
Great Info on Railings.......2002-08-15
I'm in the process of remodeling my house and am replacing a railing. Using information from the stair parts manufacturers and from a local stair parts salesman, I had managed to figure out the pieces I needed but now needed help installing it. The instructions from the stair parts manufacturers did not provide the detail I needed. I purchased another stair book at a woodworking show but it didn't help much either. While standing in line at a tool store I spotted this book on the counter. It has saved me.
It has one chapter "Design Guidelines for Safe Stairs" that was invaluable in working out some of the details of my design. Good practical information where they're not afraid to express their opinion. The real life saver for me was the chapter "Installing Manufactured Stair Parts". This gave me the confidence and advice I needed to get through the project.
I didn't end up using much, if any, of the rest of the book but it served as inspiration. There are some amazing stair projects of some of the most beautiful stairways you'll ever see.
Limited Help.......2001-01-19
This book was a disapointment, as it contained lots of pretty pictures, but not much in the way of detailed construction information. There was no info on constructing circular stairs, instead, valuable space was spent explaining and photographing stone walkways on a hillside. It does not contain enough good instruction to be of help to me.
Gave me the info I was looking for............1999-02-23
As soon as I opened this book I knew it was what I was looking for. Being in the middle of renovations I was stuck on how to rebuild my staircase and this book came to the rescue. The terminology was simple, the instructional pictures very clear and concise. There was an exact example in the book of what I had to build and using the techiniques, I have sucessfully rebuilt my staircase to my own amazement. I would reccomend this book for anyone from a begining home renovator to a well establish contractor as this book also goes into great detail about more complicated stair structures, ballusters,railing and again with very clear and concise instructions. In amongst the instructions are some beautiful shots of some staircases that have been built using the methods in this book.
Customer Reviews:
Larry Haun is awesome.......2007-06-10
Easy to follow, great for basic framing priciples. Get all three videos and you will have a better knowledge of framing. Besides, learning from a man that has dedicated his life to economy framing is pretty cool. Larry rocks and so do the videos and his book.
Average customer rating:
- Haunting
- Simply Stunning!
- Rich and powerful, the best out there
- Exemplary novel by Vine
- A book with no one to like.
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House of Stairs
Barbara Vine
Manufacturer: Shaye Areheart Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0517572524
Release Date: 1989-04-13 |
Customer Reviews:
Haunting.......2005-02-23
A young woman moves in with her aunt, a wealthy widow who is unhealthily dependent on the company of others to feel any self worth. She fulfills this need by becoming the mistress of a salon, consisting of would be artists, actors and just plain hangers-on, allowing them to live rent free in her curious, large house with 104 stairs, and treating them to lavish food and drink. Despite her unstinting generosity,( or because of it), her so-called tenants grow contemptuous of her, treating her with barely concealed disregard.A new addition to the house guests, a tall, thin and beautiful girl named Bell, who dresses in rags, is introduced as a permanent lodger and immediately becomes the irritant who causes all kinds of problems, including sexual ones, among the others who are already living there. A murder takes place, one which isn't solved for the reader until the last chapters, and although the murder/mystery theme is carried through admirably as M/s Vine(aka Ruth Rendell) is a very accomplished writer, I really didn't LOVE the book as I didn't like any of the characters, several of whom were verging on the creepy!
Simply Stunning!.......2005-01-21
Another stunning effort by Ruth Rendall writing as Barbara Vine. Ms. Rendall is a master of the psychological thriller, and this one is as fine an example as you'll find. It is a book that is difficult to read because you know as you read that something terrible is going to happen. Something terrible does happen, but the denouement does not occur until the very last pages. The book is unputdownable and maddening because I kept waiting for the terrible thing to happen. What is really so brilliant about Ms. Rendall's books is that nothing that she writes anywhere in her books is superfluous. Everything means something, and you have to read carefully to get it. In this book, everything centres around an impossible house that has 106 stairs, and all of life seems to occur in around these stairs. The book has a dreamlike quality because she weaves the past and the present together, so seamlessly, that you hardly know what kind of game is being played with your head as you read. Great stuff!
Rich and powerful, the best out there.......2004-08-05
The House of Stairs is one of my all-time favorite Barbara Vine novels; in it we see a reverse of the classic English murder mystery, where the crime is revealed at the beginning, but the murderer not revealed until the end. Here, we find out, through a series of flashbacks, who the murderer is; but we don't know anything about what actually happens to bring it about.
The House of Stairs is a boarding house, one where Elizabeth goes to live. There she meets Mark and Belle, two characters who are to have a significant impact on her life.
Barbara Vine is a master at this kind of suspense, weaving together memories of the narrator's past with that of the narrator's present. Its a masterful novel, one which, like so many other books by this author, play tricks on the minds of readers. It is suspenseful, maddening; but an interesting study of human nature. It requires a lot of time and energy, but well worth it in the end.
Exemplary novel by Vine.......2003-01-20
As Elizabeth Vetch is travelling down the street in a taxi, she suddenly spots a woman whom she used to know many years before. A woman that she thought was still in prison. She calls the vehicle to a stop, and rushes off in pursuit of her old friend. Eventually, Elizabeth looses her amid the bustle of London. Then, here memories triggered by this event, she begins to tell the reader her story...
It's a tale that leads to a time when Elizabeth was staying in a tall boarding house (known by its residents as the House of Stairs) run by her kindly old friend Cosette, when all the varied inhabitants lived in peace and harmony, and when she was in a relationship with the enigmatic Bell, a woman who will soon be arrested for murder. But, then Mark comes into their lives, and the effects of his presence soon mean that none of their lives will ever be the same again. For death is following in his path...
Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) is quite, quite marvellous. The way she mixes past and present, the current story and the flashbacks to the events which happened at the House of Stairs is masterful, and not nearly as confusing as a lesser writer might make it. Her demonstrations of how the past can hold an inextricable grip on all our future's are brilliantly subtle. The characters she creates are almost unbearably realistic, and few of them are likeable. Even the kindly Cosette's needy dependency may grate on some after a while. She also injects a great subplot concerning the fact that Elizabeth, our narrator, may well have inherited the Huntington's Chorea that runs in her family.
The suspense Rendell creates with the almost unbearably slow (although never, ever boring) teasing out of her plots is immense, and she maintains it right to the end, when the final surprise is revealed. Some longstanding fans of Rendell may be able to guess the main subtle twist that she uses (but not all she has up her sleeve), for she has used a similar one before (but in a rather different way). But then, as another reviewer has said, very aptly, of Rendell, "she pulls back the curtain to reveal, rather than to surprise".
Vine/Rendell is not going to be ideal for anyone who prefers their thrillers to be fast-paced and exciting, with constant surprises, but if you're the sort of reader who admires an intelligent, immaculately written thriller, full of realistic characters, subtle suspense, and with one or two surprises along the way, then there is no one better at providing this that Rendell. The House of Stairs is a prime example
A book with no one to like........2002-07-27
I have just finished House of Stairs for the 3rd time. I know little about writing and read mostly commercial fiction. However, the quality of Rendell's writing is at times breath taking. Her device is this book for shifting from the past to the present is simple and elegant. There is really no who done it here, only a why done it. And when you find out why, its so ordinary that you wonder why you read so long to get there. The why is that Rendell writes so good and dribbles the information out is dribs and drabs that you keep reading. You know early on that the narrator may or may not have a dread disease but it isn't identified until about 15% into the book.
One of the drawbacks to this book is the lack of sympathetic characters. Maybe its my age, but there is really no main character is this book who is likeable (although there are a couple which you care about). Elizabeth is the narrator but has an unfathomable weakness when it comes to Belle with whom there cannot be any type of healthy relationship. Belle is a flagrant sociopath who is only interesting because of the degree and outlandishness of her coldness and selfishness. Cossette is the all-time post child for co-dependency. Mark comes closest to being decent but in the end destroys Elizabeth and Cossette's relationship to save his own. There is no one in this group I'd ever want to be friends with.
Average customer rating:
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House of Stairs, the
Barbara Vine
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
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ASIN: 0140114467 |
Book Description
People spend just brief moments of time in foyers, halls, or on stairways, and that's exactly why these mini-rooms are the perfect place for decorating with passion, fantasy, and virtually no fear of commitment. In ELEGANT AND EASY FOYERS, HALLS, AND STAIRS readers will discover how to make a long, narrow hallway feel like a room (not a tunnel); tips for turning a doorway into a beautifully framed portal; how foyers can double as dining areas, or halls as libraries, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
Uninspiring.......2001-09-26
I'm sure a lot of the ideas were excellent. Maybe I'm just a visual person, but I think the book would have been better if it included pictures. It was difficult to read the text and really picture how any of the ideas would look.
Great for guidance.......2000-10-11
This is a great book, especially if you kind of know what type of look you want, but need help going about it. I now love my suburban cookie cutter home 2 level entry, and it's because of this book!! Won't hold your hand, but will help you think of ideas you can really use!
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