Breaking New Ground

In From the Ground Up, Cole and Wing wrote about building a house from scratch. Fifteen years later, they have collaborated on a different kind of project, what Cole calls ""the compact house; a place primarily for two . . . that's economical to run and maintain.'' In an exchange of letters with a pleasant conversational style, Cole, a nature writer, and Wing, who runs a housebuilding school, move through the process of choosing what to construct and how, from the actual decision to build to installing the plumbing. The emphasis here is on the choices available to the owner-designer rather than hands-on construction techniques. But, comprehensiveness, clarification of new building technology and simplification of the technical aspects of home design make this book a welcome addition to the literature of housebuilding. Plans for the finished house are available, address and prices included. Illustrations. (June 13)