Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs (Paperback)
September 14, 2009 by admin
Filed under Green Building Products
From Publishers Weekly
This large, generously illustrated manual is an excellent primer on owner-designed and site-inspired building. Snell, who wrote the eco-friendly The Good House Book, and Callahan, a more conventional but highly experienced builder and contractor, take readers step-by-step through the creation of a charming little guesthouse, demonstrating a variety of “green” techniques along the way. They start with an introduction to building fundamentals and how alternative (more…)
4.0 out of 5 stars
Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods
This is a great book for Alternative building, so many great ideas. Very helpful, easy to read and understand, lots of pictures and how too. Lots of reference info too.
I have been looking for a book that would educate me on exactly what green building is, whether it is actually practical and what it would take to achieve it. This book answered all those questions. I think it has filled a void in the information market. So many people are not satisfied with current building practices especially in the US yet finding one comprehensive source for reliable answers is extremely difficult. There is lots of experience bound up in the very well-written, easy flowing text. The mass of photos is extremely instructive and attractive. This book is not clouds-in-the-sky, blindly pro-environment babble. Neither is it full of the marketing lies that exploit the “green” movement. It is useful for normal people who are interesting in trying to build earth-friendly but practical, efficient and affordable homes. The writers are very honest in their educated opinions and recommendations. And they actually built a small green building in order to write this book. So you get the useful, hands-on advice that they learned themselves the hard way even with their past, extensive building experience in the US. I appreciate their effort and book very much, and can’t recommend it highly enough as one every non-expert should read if they have a possible interest in green building in the future or even in just building a marginally more efficient home.
5.0 out of 5 stars
4 methods of building
This book is excellent for 4 of the methods of green building , step by step instructions and great pictures. Worth the money for the needed information for DIY builder.
3.0 out of 5 stars
very informative
Thank you for your valid information. We are looking for information for ‘bale insulated’ wallls.
Very enlightening.
At last – a comprehensive and attractive manual that clearly shows us how to employ 4 different natural building methods; cob, straw bale, cordwood and modified stick frame.
The book is filled with full-color photos and clear explanations of the processes involved in constructing a small building from start to finish using all four techniques. That would be a worthy accomplishment in itself, but the authors go further, presenting vital information and concepts in a logical and engaging manner. The Building Fundamentals section discusses the workings of foundations and roofs as well as the effect of moisture and air quality on buildings (and their inhabitants) and more. The chapter on Design explains how to make the most of a particular site as well as how to properly orient your structure to account for climate, exposure, vegetation and terrain. The book does not attempt electrical or indoor plumbing instruction, subjects worthy of their own manual.
The fact that one of the authors is a licensed building contractor lends more credibility to the entire process, not because the methods are not sound, but because owner-builders must often cope with restrictive building codes and uninitiated inspectors who also require some education in these techniques within a familiar context. It’s worth noting that the diminutive size of the project (100 square feet) may exempt it from permitting requirements in many jurisdictions, if built as a potting shed or similar auxiliary structure. An extremely useful and enlightening read for novices and experts alike.
4.0 out of 5 stars
the eco book
book shows an idea how to build a eco friendy box like shed witch shows you how to build the footers ,floors,walls etc but doesn`t show u alot of other homes being built like if…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roo
Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs
I’ve been collecting books on…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Building Green
My daughter and I purchased this wonderfully complete volume for a granddaughter who with her husband is moving to Oregon to build an eco-friendly home on a plot of land.
5.0 out of 5 stars
building green
What a wonderful book! I love the way it is set out in two sections… the theory and the practical.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Realistic Green Building for the long haul
This book is an excellent reference on how to build while taking the environment into consideration.
A very nicely presented ’survey’ of several green building techniques with a practical and mainstream perspective. Less inspiring and holistic (in terms of presenting an overall philosophy of building AND living) than the likes of The Hand-Sculpted House (Evans, Smiley and Smith), etc. but the beautiful photography and clear writing is a powerful tool to use in convincing the skeptical that green building is a legitimate and aesthetically pleasing option in construction. Really more of a ‘complete introduction’ than a ‘complete how-to guide’ in my estimation- if you are really going to build you’ll need to suppliment your knowledge with additional in depth books on the particular system(s) you choose to use, but this book will expose you to some of the options and provide you with an informational foundation to ‘build’ on (pun intended).
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a book that is useful
Myself, being in the building industry, really appreciated that there was a believer and a skeptic to write this book and build the house using the thoughts they had.
5.0 out of 5 stars
great service
recieved product within one week great book thinking about building using all natural products