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The House that Jill Built
A Woman's Guide to Home Building
by Judy Ostrow with photography by Karen Leffler

      Few experiences are as mind-and-body wrenching or as ultimately fulfilling as the design and building of one's own home. Now, this exciting new book offers an inside look at the process from a woman's perspective. The House That Jill Built is one of the first books that dares to ask women, "if you could, if you knew how, what would a house that you build for yourself look like?"

      Millions of women are already learning the basics of do-it-yourself and getting in tune with the empowering nature of power tools. The House That Jill Built is perfect for women of all skill levels, from the experienced do-it-her-selfer to the woman who doesn't know the difference between a stud finder and a palm sander, to the woman who is looking to move on to more complex or large-scale projects.

      Sharing women's real-life experiences in creating their own dream homes, The House That Jill Built is a groundbreaking guide to the process as well as a collection of women's real-life home-building experiences, complete with before and after photos and drawings, advice from experts, safety precautions, and a comprehensive section of how-to tips, including a tool guide. Chapters highlight success stories, such as the design and construction of one woman's desert dream house to another's tropical paradise nestled up north. After reading these personal stories, every woman will feel motivated to pick up the hammer and go for it.

      A portion of the author's royalties has been pledged to the Women Build program of Habitat for Humanity International. The House That Jill Built is166 pages with color photography throughout the book. 2005. Gibbs-Smith, Publisher. ISBN: 1-58685-459-3. $25.00.

      About the Author and Photographer: Judy Ostrow is an independent journalist whose articles about home building, renovation, and sustainable residential design have been published in magazines such as This Old House, Home, and Natural Home. A do-it-herselfer in training, Judy acted as general contractor for numerous projects at her family's homes in Westchester County, New York, and on the coast of Maine. She renovated her New York kitchen while writing this book. Karen Leffler began her career in architectural photography in northern California, where she also designed and built three houses. Karen lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut.