TopPicks Index
Top 6 Home Design Software Programs
Anyone with a dream and a computer can draw floor plans, house elevations, and stunning 3D pictures using these easy home design software programs. They can help you visualize your house and some rival the professional-grade CAD (computer aided design) software programs architects use. Some are even free!
Top 8 Tools to Help You Choose House Paint Colors
Wouldn't it be great to preview color combinations on your house, before spending a lot of money on paint? You can, with virtual painting programs. Use these programs to explore possibilities, then test spot your chosen paints in a small area.
Top 10 Gifts for Designer Dads
What do you buy someone who dreams of skyscrapers and monuments? Not to worry. Here are ten sure-to-please gifts for the man who has his head in the clouds. Ranging from economical to pricey, these presents are sure to delight anyone who has a passion for buildings and design. Why not treat yourself?
Top 10 Exterior Siding Options
Nothing will impact the appearance of your home more dramatically than the type of siding you choose. As you shop for exterior siding, look for a material that suits the style of your house and also fits your lifestyle. Listed here are the most popular materials for exterior siding, along with links to resources to help you with your decision.
Top 10 Books About Frank Lloyd Wright
Architects, critics and fans have written extensively about the life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Listed here are a few of our favorite books. For biographies, facts about specific buildings, general FLW web sites and other resources, use the index link at the bottom of this page.
Top 6 Books to Help You Choose House Paint Colors
These beautifully illustrated books will help you choose exterior paint colors for your home.
Top 10 Historic Bungalow Plans: Reproduction House Plan Catalogs
Based on a simple homes from India, the practical bungalow style took America by storm in the early 1900s. The style spread quickly via mail order house plans. Today, you can purchase reproductions of the original catalogs. Listed here are a few of the best, plus books on the history of bungalow architecture and building plans for contemporary bungalows.
Top 6 Silly Structures
Architects aren't perfect. Even the greatest architects design buildings that are impractical, absurd, or just plain funny looking. Which buildings are the silliest? That's open for debate. Here's a short list of famous structures that have stirred controversy, outrage, and laughter.
Top 5 Adobe Picture Books
Adobe homes are a natural choice for anyone who is concerned with eco-friendly design. Below are our choices for the finest "coffee table" books that deal with adobe history and homes. See also our companion piece for books on adobe building plans.
Top 5 Essential Reference Books for Architecture
For architects, students, or anyone who needs to do in-depth research on architecture or home design, these are the most essential desk references.
Top 5 Resources that Explore the Sex of Architecture
Do buildings express a gender? Can places have sexuality? Explore these books and resources.
Top 7 Adobe House Building Plans and Manuals
It's often said that once you live in a home made from the earth, you won't settle for anything else. Beautiful and practical, today's adobe homes combine ancient techniques with modern technologies. To build your own, start with these helpful how-to guides. You'll find floor plans, construction information, and more. Also, don't miss our related story on illustrated books of adobe homes.
Top 7 Books About Palladian Architecture
Often called one of the most influential architects of all time, Andrea Palladio created some of the most stunning, graceful, and awe-inspiring country villas in the Italian Veneto region during the Renaissance. Often imitated but never duplicated, the palladian style of architecture continues to inspire homes across Europe and America to this day.
Top 10 Building Plans for Small Houses
Small doesn't have to mean cramped! These books have home designs and building plans that pack a lot of living into small spaces. Some titles offer detailed construction plans, while others have beautiful color illustrations to inspire ideas for your own compact, efficient, and economical home.
Top 6 Books to Remember the World Trade Center
Many of the World Trade Center books published after September 11, 2001 show details of the terrorist attack. The titles listed here, however, recall the Twin Towers as they once were. Some emphasize spectacular color photographs, others delve into history, architecture, and engineering. All are powerful and provocative.
Top 6 Log Cabin Building Plans
Roll up your sleeves. If you'd like to build your own log cabin from scratch, these construction guides and building plans will tell you how. Packed with floor plans, diagrams, and step-by-step instructions, these titles give the technical information you'll need to design and construct a log cabin that expresses your style and personality -- without using a ready-to-assemble mail order kit.
Top 9 Resources for Healthy Home Design
The materials we choose to build and decorate our homes can impact how we feel physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. The books and building plans listed here are all excellent guides for designing environments that are safe and healthy. Each author takes a somewhat different approach to healthy design, and all offer valuable information for making wise design decisions.
Top 4 House Plans: French Styles
From grand estates to simple country cottages, French inspired homes are distinguished by their hipped roofs and flared eaves. However, French ideas take on many forms. Browse these books for building plans and illustrations of Normandy, Provincial, and other French styles.
Top 7 Plans for One-Story Homes
The one-story home allows for vaulted ceilings, dramatic window shapes, and generous use of skylights -- amenities that a multi-level home can't provide. A one-story home can be built to accomodate any need and taste, and is available in just about any style. The collections below will help you find the single-level home of your dreams.
Top 6 Cottage Building Plan Books
From a hideaway retreat in the mountains to a seaside villa, nothing says peace, tranquility and relaxation better than a cottage. Below are our favorite books with floor plans and ideas for vacation cottages... and cottage style houses for year-round living.
Top 8 Victorian Planbooks
During Victorian times, many builders found ideas, inspiration and instruction from architectural planbooks by noted designers. While these house plans do not contain the detailed specifications required by modern builders, they are a valuable resource for anyone who wants to recreate Victorian styles. Here are our top picks for planbooks from the Victorian era.
Top 3 Spanish & Mediterranean House Plans
Browse this page for building plans books for Spanish and Mediterranean Style homes. Or follow the links for information about Spanish and Mediterranean architecture.
Top 3 Books on Deck Design
Hit the deck with these handy how-to building guides. Packed with photos, drawings, and construction plans, they'll help you design an outdoor deck that extends your living space into your garden and also harmonizes with the architecture of your home.
Top 4 Patio Plans and Building Guides
Planning a new patio or walkway? Before you begin laying your brick or stone patio, check out these inexpensive how-to books. With color photos and step-by-step instructions, they'll pave your way to success.
Top 7 House Plan Collections
These house plan collections include illustrations for popular house styles along with floor plans and elevation drawings. Find a house plan you like, and you can order the blueprints.