Staying Put: Remodel Your House to Get the Home You Want
Duo Dickinson is not only a talented architect and author, but also an irrepressible spirit who isn't afraid to tweak the whiskers of the king or call a spade a spade. This book is not only about a subject that is extremely timely, given the state of both the housing market and the economy, but also an absolute delight to read. How many books do you know that can give you multiple and frequent full-throttle belly laughs while delivering basic and simple advice about how to make friends with, and even come to love, the house that until recently you'd imagined you'd be moving up from sometime in the not-too-distant future? Duo's latest opus does just that. I loved every page of this fact-filled, practical book. It's worth your time to read, even if you're not planning to remodel any time soon. But my guess is that by the time you're finished, you may be closer to a remodeling than you thought.--SARAH SUSANKA, FAIA--architect and author of "Not So Big Remodeling, "and" The Not So Big House" seriesA book whose subject is home renovation but is just as much about common sense as it is about aesthetic sense. Dickinson, whose designs tend toward the traditional and the comfortable, argues that our obsession with the now-burst real estate bubble propelled people to design houses for resale value rather than for livability, and to imagine that by constantly moving up, they'd get the home they always wanted. You may not be so eager (or able) to trade up now, but the architect shows you how a so-so house can become just right. These pages are crammed with good advice (avoid gutters at all costs; add wide eaves instead) and realistic assessments of the way we live now. Straightforward before-and-after photographs fit the mood of this cheerful, no-nonsense book. -PILAR VILADAS, "T: The New York Times "Could there be a more perfect book for this American moment? Figuring out how to hunker down happily--replacing unsustainable fantasies of shelter porn with long-term,"Staying Put: Remodel Your House to Get the Home You Want "($24, The Taunton Press, 2011) is an everyman's guide to innovative, thoughtful renovations that make the most of what you've got....Whether it's a growing family that needs more space, or an empty-nest couple looking for a "fresh" start, Dickinson has it covered. His passion for visually appealing home improvement, while staying on a budget, results in basic strategies that will allow you to turn the house you have into the house you love.--Alyssa Lusky"boston.com" (01/20/2012)"This lengthy first chapter, on its own, makes "Staying Put" an essential resource for every homeowner contemplating a remodel, upside down, house-bound or not. Dickinson puts his years of experience to very effective use, creating decision tools for homeowners to understand the properties of their home and their visions vis-a-vis the most common remodeling disasters, which can involve spiraling costs and unsatisfactory outcomes. He empowers readers to make informed decisions about which projects to take on and whether to remodel at all. And if the dozens and dozens of images in the book are not enough, the companion site stayingput.com offers many more for your inspiration." --Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Inman News