A Field Guide to American Houses
by Virginia McAlester · first published 1984
6mentions
3recommended by
5HN commenters
2017–2023first – last mentioned
60% recommend40% neutral
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2008–2026How Buildings Learn
Stewart Brand
Recommended by 37 · mentioned by 5437 recommend · 54 mention37 recommend · 5437 recommend
2007–2026A pattern language
Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, Max Jacobson
Recommended by 110 · mentioned by 226110 recommend · 226 mention110 recommend · 226110 recommend
…get the attention it should. I did appreciate the time spent discussing air flow in part 2. Building on their reading list, if you like older/vernacular homes start with: "House" by Tracy Kidder "A Field Guide to American Houses" by Virginia Savage McAlester "American Shelter" by Lester Walker "The American House" by Mary Mix Foley And maybe move on to: "A Concise History of American Architecture" by Leland Roth "American…
on “Designing a New Old Home: Part 1” ↗…"Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn" by Thomas Hubka The evolution of farm yard structures, of interest if you've ever wondered about the repeating patterns you see on New England farms. "A Field Guide to American Houses" by Virginia Savage McAlester This book will tell you what every type of house is. If I remember right, I believe it also has a section on vernacular houses. A similar book that I own but have not read…
on “Ask HN: Which books are “must-read” for anyone trying to learn about your field?” ↗Great blog, I did learn quite a bit from it and also the book she recommends - A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia McAlester. We usually refer to any newish suburban house as a McMansion, but that's wrong. Cookie-cutter maybe, but not McMansion. The defining feature of McMansions is "more is more" mindset,…
on “McMansion Hell” ↗The author frequently references "the field guide to American houses". I highly recommend it. It's a great coffee table book.
on “McMansion Hell” ↗I recently got a copy of "A Field Guide to American Houses", from which I learned the term "vernacular architecture" and that all the house names you hear on TV (Victorian, Cape Cod, Ranch ...) are just one slice of architecture, "polite architecture", and historically…
on “How to build a house alone [video]” ↗I have the Field Guide to American Houses. I'll take a look through it tonight and let you know, but given the era it's probably Georgian. It's not Federal, or Dutch/French/Spanish colonial. It might be what is considered a "folk" house, but…
on “What Style Is That House? Visual Guides to Domestic Architectural Designs” ↗