Book publishers have issued several new home design titles of interest to custom builders and clients. Here are just a few:

Not So Big Remodeling (The Taunton Press, $32) is the latest release by Sarah Susanka, FAIA, with Marc Vassallo, on creating homes that are more responsible, sustainable, and meaningful. Designed to help readers evaluate their homes' problem areas and identify the least invasive and most effective strategies to solve those issues, the book is Susanka's response to anyone wondering whether an existing house can be made "not so big." Here she details how to overcome the challenges of improving run-of-the-mill interior spaces and layouts to accommodate today's more informal lifestyles while maximizing every remodeling dollar.

Custom home architect William J. Hirsch Jr., AIA, NCARB, guides homeowners step by step through the design process with Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect (Dalsimer Press, $39.95). Addressing the planning process, design methodologies, and getting the details right, Hirsch helps readers discover the house that will suit their individual needs.

In Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love (The Taunton Press, $30), landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy demystifies the practice of landscape design, highlighting seven key concepts for creating a landscape that's a fundamental, enjoyable part of a home. From the front yard to the back, Messervy offers valuable tips for expanding living space to include welcoming outdoor entertaining areas and peaceful relaxation zones.

Designer Fu-Tung Cheng's latest offering on concrete countertops, Concrete Countertops Made Simple (The Taunton Press, $21.95), takes readers through the seven steps for designing, forming, pouring, finishing, and installing a concrete countertop, offering detailed advice with plenty of photographs and illustrations. The book's companion DVD provides instruction in video format. Each project covered in the book is affordable, fast, and easy to execute.

The Big Book of Garages (Schiffer Books, $29.99) by Tina Skinner offers inspiring ideas for creating everything from simply serviceable garages to one-of-a-kind garage fantasies. The book reviews the latest technologies in floor, wall, cabinet, and door options for garages and explores dozens of showcase garages.

Visit your favorite e-tailer to purchase any of these titles.