The one I loved the most was a rustic arbor for grapevines that was basically 4 poles with a semi-roof--for the vines to grow up and over the top to form a roof. The idea of sitting under it with a table and relaxing outdoors was quite tempting. However, where I would get the rustic tree trunks to make this is beyond me (but it looked wonderful).

There are no photographs. This is not a glitzy-beautiful tempting type of book. It is about the nuts and bolts of really building one of these structures. I suggest browsing this book first to see if there is a structure you are interested in.

The plans are quite detailed and seem more than adequate to use as building plans.

27 of 28 found the following review helpful:


Rustic Retreats  Feb 24, 2000 By A couple
We have enjoyed all the Stileses garden house/project books and consulted "Sheds" when we were planning our own shed. We especially appreciated the step by step instructions and clear drawings. We were still deliberating over plans when we saw "Rustic Retreats" in a book club ad and we ran all over greater Seattle looking for it. We must have bought the first copy in Washington. We proceeded to build the cover garden house in the fall of '98, finishing the shingles this summer. It was originally intended to be a storage shed but was so wonderful that we added chairs and a bed. It was our first building project and what a treat!

28 of 30 found the following review helpful:


The perfect builders' guide  Apr 25, 2000 By Donald J. Berg
Straightforward instructions and beautiful, informative drawings will help you build dozens of great back-country shelters. Designs include sheds, arbors, lean-tos, huts, cabins, tree houses and even a design for a floating cabin.

28 of 30 found the following review helpful:


Good book - But no inspiring Photos within  Apr 25, 2000
This is a good book overall and goes into enough detail. The drawing are all hand drawn and there are ZERO photo's of the different projects. This is disappointing as it is much easier to envision what the final cabin etc.. would look like if there were photos.

13 of 13 found the following review helpful:


the one book to inspire you  Oct 28, 1999 By Georg Nadorff
the drawings in this text are very detailed yet artful. the prose is kept simple without much extra unnecessary information. the authors leave ample room to improvise on your own, but you could certainly follow the instructions to the letter and finish up with just what is described. the designs in this book are so varied you will very likely find a structure that appeals to you. apart from the designs, the building techniques and materials described are so varied, that many can be interchanged for most of the structures described. i found myself flipping back and forth and was inspired to use elements of multiple designs in just one structure. a very well done and handsome book!

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