Paperback 9-1/4 x 10-7/8 in. 224 pages, with color photos and drawings
Published 2005 ISBN 978-1-56158-682-0 Product #070763
From best-selling author Fu-Tung Cheng, the recognized master craftsman of residential concrete design, comes Concrete at Home, the follow up to his ground-breaking Concrete Countertops.
In this new title, Cheng shows you the anything-is-possible flexibility of concrete, and gives you the step-by-step guidance and confidence to form, pour, and polish your own distinctive countertops, floors, walls, fireplaces, and more.
Part design study, part instruction manual, Concrete at Home is packed with hundreds of photos that give you insight into Cheng's work. If you've never experienced or considered the warmth and beauty that can be coaxed from this seemingly ordinary material, Concrete at Home will open a world of possibilities.
Preface
Introduction
FLOORS & COUNTERTOPS
1. The Fundamentals of Floor Design
2. Floor Essentials: Preparation, Execution & Pouring
3. Floor Transformations: Inlays, Linework, Stamps & Finishes
4. New Countertops: Classes, Products, Tools & Techniques
WALLS
5. The Fundamentals of Wall Design: Character, Form & Expression
6. Wall Essentials: Footings, Forms, Ties & Techniques
7. Beyond the Basic Wall: The Ultimate Kitchen
FIREPLACES, COLUMNS, & ARCHITECTURAL PIECES
8. Hearthscapes: Mantelpieces & Fireplace Surrounds
9. Architectural Elements: Water Pieces, Columns & More
Resources
Credits
Index
The Ahwahnee Hotel sits in a meadow at the northeastern end of Yosemite Valley. Built in 1926, it is one of the crown jewels of the National Park system. Nearby, El Capitan, a 4,000 ft. granite carapace, rises straight off of the valley floor while Yosemite Falls, a white ribbon in slow motion, cascades down. In the distance, high over half-dome, clouds return home. I first saw the Ahwahnee one late spring day in 1981. I had wandered onto a trail through a stand of Douglas firs, and came upon the entry to the hotel. Under a redwood timber canopy, cars pulled up, valets opened doors, and women and men in fancy clothes stepped out. Curious, I followed them into the lobby.
When I entered -- first thing -- the floors caught my eye. They were buffed and waxed to a worn-saddle finish. Broad expanses of veined color were cut-in with beautiful incised patterns, as though etched with a tool. Stone? I wondered. I bent down for a closer look, but couldn't figure out how they were made or of what they were made. Finally, I was amazed to realize, these floors are concrete.
When I stood to look around, I saw concrete everywhere, used as I had never seen it used before. I had to know more, so I signed on for the guided tour. We were told that the structure, to reduce the vulnerability to fire, contained little wood. Concrete had been cleverly adapted as finish material to the floors, fireplaces, walls, and beams.
But what really impressed me was how the concrete work merged with the artwork. In the foyer, bold geometric designs reminiscent of Native American baskets and Santa Clara burnished pottery, were inlaid into rust-colored acid-stained floors. In bands on the immense concrete beams, in the drapery, in the ironwork -- native graphic designs resonated with the architecture. (Our guide, with some irony, reminded us that the native people who once roamed the valley and inspired these designs no longer made their home here.)
Each time I visit the Ahwahnee, I am refreshed. Strangers become community there, share the pleasures of great meals in a setting of great design, and enjoy the largess of the commons and the common decency of good government. I am inspired by nature and the nature of human creativity. I head out, eager to pursue the elusive balance between art, architecture, and concrete at home.
A History of Innovation
Although concrete in some parts of the Ahwahnee was made to look like wood and stone, concrete's history has more to do with innovation than imitation. Architects, designers, and builders have been experimenting with concrete's structural and sculptural qualities for more than a century. Today, you'll find countless examples of their work in any major city -- cast columns balustrades, Art Deco façades, and tableaus.
In California, where I live, we're fortunate to have concrete homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolf Schindler, and Bernard Maybeck -- three architects known for their innovative use of the material. Rather than mask concrete' natural tone and texture, these pioneers preferred to let the material speak for itself, retaining the marks of form boards, the modularity of cast blocks, and the obvious mass of solid, walls. Having this heritage of well designed work in the neighborhood definitely made an impression on me that influenced the outcome of many projects throughout this book.
Combining Art and Architecture
When I first traveled to Europe, I was surprised at how much I loved all the stuff on buildings that I was taught to detest in art school. Expecting much form and little function, I wasn't at all prepared for the beauty I encountered in Bernini's fountains or Gaudi's undulating concrete walls. I realized that centuries of culture could and should be crafted into buildings. I saw the ingenuity of masons/sculptors passing down a tradition of design through the building process. Art theories and learned concepts gain traction with hands-on experience: I discovered the design possibilities of concrete by mixing some up and playing with it. This is the best way I have of explaining the connection between what I saw at the Ahwahnee and in Europe, with what I do today.
Understanding the Past to Create the Future
I've often wondered why so many look to the past for design inspiration. What vital ingredients are missing from today's houses? I think it's the soulful, the simple, the elegant; a quality of craftsmanship, design, and respect for materials that we associate with work from other eras. Today, we associate these qualities with the styles of the past, but rather than simply mimic the style of the past, we have an opportunity to invigorate our contemporary homes with expression and creativity on contemporary terms. Christopher Alexander's A Timeless Way of Building eloquently encourages us to rediscover the pattern language of designing and building instinctively? and not allow ourselves to drift... in superficial trends and style, without a cultural guiding hand.
Thinking of style as an assortment of possibilities rather than as a prescription or recipe from the past is actually quite freeing, and it's suddenly much easier to understand how concrete might fit in just about anywhere.
In our own work, we try to take the time to find new ways to use this age-old material in the context of the architecture and find the way toward soulful, personalized, well crafted design that evokes the same feelings of comfort and value found in homes built hundred of years ago.
Customer Reviews from Amazon
Average Customer Review:
Not a "How to" Book..., December 11, 2009
I was looking for more of a how to book. This is not it. I have Mr. Cheng's other book, Concrete Counter Tops Made Simple, so I expected a book more along the lines of a how to or do it yourself style of book. I would keep this book just for the pictures, good ideas, references, and lists of resources for suplies and tools. I usually don't take reviewers seriously and buy books anyway for what I may find useful in them. But many of the reviewers where pretty much spot on about this book.
Great Book, July 9, 2009
I like both this book, and Fu-Tung Cheng's other book more specifically about concrete countertops.
These books are great becaue they feature tons of beautiful pictures to drool over.
These are both great books for contractors, or skills D.I.Y workers who are in the trades.
While you could learn if you have no construction experience, it would probably be difficult. You also need some beginning and more advanced tools.
These books are great to give contractors and companies ideas of how to really do great looking, impressive work and projects.
Or rather, how to spice up run-of-the-mill projects into WoW projets!
Some of the techniques can be cost effective to add to a job, it's probably worth it even to cut your margins to get the advertising of anyone who sees your awesome work. At least on a job or two for friends, family or yourself. It could also bump you from ordinary remodels up to a more luxury niche.
Some of the project descriptions are very specefic. He gives some great advice, for instance he mentions adding fly ash to your concret mix. Just the other day I was reviewing the standards for LEED homes, and one (of many) things which adds to your LEED score was adding fly ash.
I plan on incorporating some of his techniques into my home remodel / addition as soon as our plans are finalized. Very exciting.
Not a great how-to book, January 13, 2009
While I enjoyed the beautiful photographs and enjoyed reading the book, I did not get a grasp of how to start and finish a project.
Imagine the possibilities...., May 2, 2007
In CONCRETE AT HOME, concrete designer Fu-Tung Chen does just this, sharing with his readers the many creative uses he's found for concrete over the years. Floors, walls, countertops, sinks, fireplaces - Chen covers them all, with a decided flair for the fanciful.
I approached CONCRETE AT HOME as a first-time homeowner who was toying with the idea of ripping out all of my home's flooring and staining the concrete slab underneath. And, I should specify, hiring a pro to do so, since I'm not the DIY type (at least not when it comes to the single largest investment of my life). It was with this newbie curiosity that I devoured CONCRETE AT HOME.
Though I found CONCRETE AT HOME to be somewhat helpful and very enjoyable, it didn't totally quench my thirst for all that is concrete. Chen can't quite seem to decide on an intended audience in CONCRETE AT HOME; while he aims to explain the basics of concrete to average Janes like myself, he also includes advanced instructions for professionals. As a result, the book has a kind of schizophrenic quality. Although Chen does take the time to explain some of the fundamentals, it's not as complete or in-depth enough to qualify CONCRETE AT HOME as a Concrete 101 text. On the flip side, I imagine that concrete professionals will be equally dissatisfied with the brief instructions Chen includes for complicated concrete projects - such as working with forms and building walls (!). In trying to please everyone, I suspect Chen's resulting treatise will fall short of everyone's expectations.
Even so, CONCRETE AT HOME is a must-read for those interested in concrete and its applications. It may be a bit spotty in coverage, but it's by far one of the most interesting, engaging, and inspiring concrete books I've yet to come across.
Now I can't wait to get started on those floors!
this is a great book, April 26, 2007
I love this book- i own it as well as his original concrete counter top book and both work well as a team- this is a great book with interesting ideas and enough pictures and commentary to allow a DIYer to figure it out and turn out a successful product.
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