Product Description

Beach houses are the ideal getaway homes, offering the peace and relaxation of living near water, the fun of hanging out on the beach, and the total change of environment from city life. Selected from the pages of Fine Homebuilding, this book provides inspiration for anyone dreaming of such a home, plus practical guidance for designing and building in this often-challenging environment. Chosen for their variety of styles and settings, these outstanding examples range from Northwest eclectic in Seattle to an elegant houseboat in Rhode Island, from the quintessential California beach house to an oceanfront classic in Nantucket, and from a kick-back Floridian cottage to a charming Canadian retreat. Throughout the book, photographs, floor plans, drawings, and expert building information give a full picture of the possibilities for at the beach.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #306377 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-15
• Released on: 2003-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Strong winds, salt corrosion, gorgeous views, hurricanes, irregular foundations: there are many special considerations homeowners must keep in mind when constructing houses by the sea. This collection of article reprints from Fine Homebuilding magazine shows how more than a dozen professional architects have overcome these problems to create beautiful seaside homes. Their solutions are as varied as they are ingenious. On Block Island, RI, architect Brian Wilson created a boathouse-cum-cottage modeled on a 19th century Coast Guard station, with a large great room set off the main floor space to take advantage of the surrounding views. In Gloucester, MA, Jeremiah Eck pinned a house’s foundation to a long rocky ledge in order to set the building closer to the water. And in Seattle, WA, Lane Williams renovated a "dark brown and avocado disaster from the 1960s" into an energy-saving home with deep eaves that protect the interior from the area’s drizzly weather. Though this book lacks an overarching chapter that would summarize and explain the architects’ findings, its detailed floor plans, color photographs and clear, concise prose make it a good choice for anyone thinking of making a home along the shore.
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Customer Reviews

Good Idea
Good short book with a number of high quality photo's and good of ideas for renovating, or building from scratch.

Beach Homes (Best of Fine Homebuilding
As with all Fine Homebuilding books, "Beach Homes" is a valuable reference for anyone wanting to build on the beach.