Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs

We build everything ourselves and pride ourselves on a truly green footprint, so bought this book for ideas about alternative building. This is a wonderful and comprehensive guide for anyone wanting to do-it-yourself in an Earth-friendly way. It has become our Bible for building--everything from our own house to the outbuildings for our chickens, goats and homestead tools. The book contains informative historical backgrounds for several building styles such as cob, strawbale, conventional stick framing, timeberframe, cordwood and so on, while giving real-life step-by-step instructions on how you can do it yourself. It also has sections on natural floors from dirt, stone, etc.; living roofs; drainage ideas; recycling bottles and other things as decoration, insulation and more. It is chock full of tips, and includes insightful perspectives on the things that worked well and those that did not. My copy of this book is well thumbed (I've read it through cover to cover several times and go back to it often). I really never get tired at looking at it and planning new projects. It is so inspiring!

I really would love to build a green house for my retirement. I am thinking about combining timber frame, straw bale and cob in an English/Irish cottage style with some more contemporary touches like french doors to a patio. I love the timber frame structure, it is so beautiful, the straw helps insulate in colder weather and keep it cooler in hot weather and with the proper orientation of the house and windows I can maximize the light and heat from the sun. I want the main living area to be open. I would like a good portion of the cottage to be the kitchen, dinning and family living area with the bedrooms and baths toward the back of the cottage. I want to use solar passive heat, solar pannels and wood stove heat in the kitchen for cooking and a woodstove in a fireplace in the main living area just for heat and beauty. The cob over the straw bales provides a good thermal mass to keep the temperture comfortable in all seasons. The cobb is also fireproof, insect proof, prevents allergies, or at least doesn't aggrevate them and the house built like this could with stand exteme weather, even earthquakes. The building materials are less expensive and these kind of cottages can last for hundreds of years and are beautiful to look at and live in. I love all the information this book contains. It is a useful reference book to learn more about green building styles. You can also use cob to build a pizza or bread oven and create inexpensive walls around your garden.

Very explicit. Wrote by an an experienced builder who knows how to combine all methods in order to accomplish quality construction. All natural building methods are explained, with pros and cons. The author gives lots of good honest tips. Traditional building is explained too, including pro and cons. Written pleasantly, easy to read, accompanied by lots of good pictures.

I have been involved with energy efficient building since my Architect Grandfather retired and enlisted my Cowboy Dad into building a passive solar home for his retirement. This sparked many trips to Taos New Mexico and eventually to them subdividing our ranch and building several more Passive Solar homes. I was influenced by all this in my early teens ( I'm 50). This book is an incredibly well written storehouse of everything I have ever learned and then some.

The best thing about this book is the degree of detail about specific aspects of building with different building techniques - straw bale, cob, cordwood and modified wood frame. Copiously illustrated with photos taken as the authors actually build a small guest cottage, you really get an appreciation for how much planning and general building knowledge is required to construct a quality dwelling - something that videos just can't match. It was well worth reading and I highly recommend it to novice builder wanna-be's. It should make you think about just how much you don't know and need to learn before you try building something!

This book is a great read for anyone who wants to know more about four building techniques with demonstrable "green" or "sustainable" attributes. It strikes a good balance between theory and practice, as well as moving from concept through design to execution. Beautifully illustrated with copious photos, this thick and heavy book is a pleasure to either read from cover to cover as I did, skim or pick and choose what you want to explore in greater depth. The co-authors approach the material from somewhat different viewpoints – one a bit more starry-eyed than the other, but both of them accomplished builders with pragmatic concerns about how to build structures which shelter the body, inspire the mind, and sit as gently as possible on the planet. This is all done while administering just enough – but not too much – righteous political argument about how wasteful many other methods of building and construction are. You don't need to know much already about the subject material to get value from this book, as it is written clearly enough to convey basic concepts to complete beginners, while providing enough detail to satisfy more advanced readers. I look forward to sharing the book with my precocious twelve year-old nephew who is fascinated with 3D computer modeling and architecture, that is, *after* I'm done with it!

Fantastic book, clear instructions, great photos. I'll be building a yurt first, but then using this as a template for my first house.

I was extremely pleased with the in-depth discussions of various building techniques. The pictures are well done and helpful. This is not a book you would just sit down and read, but it is certainly a wonderful resource for types of building. I bought it used and the cost of the book and the shipping were more than fair. It is in 'like new' condition. Very pleased with my purchase.

I love this book! They build a beautiful cottage and every single step is documented, photographed and explained without over complicating anything. You could literally build a very nice environmentally low impact home with only this book and some cash. The book is beautifully composed and mostly full of photographs and concise construction fundamentals. As a building nerd, this is one of the few books I recommend. My only disclaimer would be that they use the wrong type of media(soil) for the green roof that they installed on the cottage. I would use a 10% organic matter maximum mineral soil for a green roof and if you want to install one get a supplemental reference.

Really a great conceptual guide for those looking into green building. The authors emphasizes the incorporation of design and functionality. This first half is most useful for our purposes and the second half is a good step-by-step guide for those who intend to try out these green building techniques they use.

We build everything ourselves and pride ourselves on a truly green footprint, so bought this book for ideas about alternative building. This is a wonderful and comprehensive guide for anyone wanting to do-it-yourself in an Earth-friendly way. It has become our Bible for building--everything from our own house to the outbuildings for our chickens, goats and homestead tools. The book contains informative historical backgrounds for several building styles such as cob, strawbale, conventional stick framing, timeberframe, cordwood and so on, while giving real-life step-by-step instructions on how you can do it yourself. It also has sections on natural floors from dirt, stone, etc.; living roofs; drainage ideas; recycling bottles and other things as decoration, insulation and more. It is chock full of tips, and includes insightful perspectives on the things that worked well and those that did not. My copy of this book is well thumbed (I've read it through cover to cover several times and go back to it often). I really never get tired at looking at it and planning new projects. It is so inspiring!

I really would love to build a green house for my retirement. I am thinking about combining timber frame, straw bale and cob in an English/Irish cottage style with some more contemporary touches like french doors to a patio. I love the timber frame structure, it is so beautiful, the straw helps insulate in colder weather and keep it cooler in hot weather and with the proper orientation of the house and windows I can maximize the light and heat from the sun. I want the main living area to be open. I would like a good portion of the cottage to be the kitchen, dinning and family living area with the bedrooms and baths toward the back of the cottage. I want to use solar passive heat, solar pannels and wood stove heat in the kitchen for cooking and a woodstove in a fireplace in the main living area just for heat and beauty. The cob over the straw bales provides a good thermal mass to keep the temperture comfortable in all seasons. The cobb is also fireproof, insect proof, prevents allergies, or at least doesn't aggrevate them and the house built like this could with stand exteme weather, even earthquakes. The building materials are less expensive and these kind of cottages can last for hundreds of years and are beautiful to look at and live in. I love all the information this book contains. It is a useful reference book to learn more about green building styles. You can also use cob to build a pizza or bread oven and create inexpensive walls around your garden.

Very explicit. Wrote by an an experienced builder who knows how to combine all methods in order to accomplish quality construction. All natural building methods are explained, with pros and cons. The author gives lots of good honest tips. Traditional building is explained too, including pro and cons. Written pleasantly, easy to read, accompanied by lots of good pictures.

I have been involved with energy efficient building since my Architect Grandfather retired and enlisted my Cowboy Dad into building a passive solar home for his retirement. This sparked many trips to Taos New Mexico and eventually to them subdividing our ranch and building several more Passive Solar homes. I was influenced by all this in my early teens ( I'm 50). This book is an incredibly well written storehouse of everything I have ever learned and then some.

The best thing about this book is the degree of detail about specific aspects of building with different building techniques - straw bale, cob, cordwood and modified wood frame. Copiously illustrated with photos taken as the authors actually build a small guest cottage, you really get an appreciation for how much planning and general building knowledge is required to construct a quality dwelling - something that videos just can't match. It was well worth reading and I highly recommend it to novice builder wanna-be's. It should make you think about just how much you don't know and need to learn before you try building something!

This book is a great read for anyone who wants to know more about four building techniques with demonstrable "green" or "sustainable" attributes. It strikes a good balance between theory and practice, as well as moving from concept through design to execution. Beautifully illustrated with copious photos, this thick and heavy book is a pleasure to either read from cover to cover as I did, skim or pick and choose what you want to explore in greater depth. The co-authors approach the material from somewhat different viewpoints – one a bit more starry-eyed than the other, but both of them accomplished builders with pragmatic concerns about how to build structures which shelter the body, inspire the mind, and sit as gently as possible on the planet. This is all done while administering just enough – but not too much – righteous political argument about how wasteful many other methods of building and construction are. You don't need to know much already about the subject material to get value from this book, as it is written clearly enough to convey basic concepts to complete beginners, while providing enough detail to satisfy more advanced readers. I look forward to sharing the book with my precocious twelve year-old nephew who is fascinated with 3D computer modeling and architecture, that is, *after* I'm done with it!

Fantastic book, clear instructions, great photos. I'll be building a yurt first, but then using this as a template for my first house.

I was extremely pleased with the in-depth discussions of various building techniques. The pictures are well done and helpful. This is not a book you would just sit down and read, but it is certainly a wonderful resource for types of building. I bought it used and the cost of the book and the shipping were more than fair. It is in 'like new' condition. Very pleased with my purchase.

I love this book! They build a beautiful cottage and every single step is documented, photographed and explained without over complicating anything. You could literally build a very nice environmentally low impact home with only this book and some cash. The book is beautifully composed and mostly full of photographs and concise construction fundamentals. As a building nerd, this is one of the few books I recommend. My only disclaimer would be that they use the wrong type of media(soil) for the green roof that they installed on the cottage. I would use a 10% organic matter maximum mineral soil for a green roof and if you want to install one get a supplemental reference.

Really a great conceptual guide for those looking into green building. The authors emphasizes the incorporation of design and functionality. This first half is most useful for our purposes and the second half is a good step-by-step guide for those who intend to try out these green building techniques they use.

I can't recommend this book enough. A friend of mine has done a lot of study into green building as well as even done collage courses and used upscale books in classes and she even told me this book has more then the ones she has read.

This is a great little book , and if you know a little about construction this is a great learning tool ..

This was a gift for my step-son and he loved it!

This book can keep me entertained for hours - I absolutely love it. I have always wanted to build a cordwood masonry home, but this book offers many other possibilities too. Now, I'd like to build a home that is part cordwood, part corncob, any maybe something else. I love how they delineate the pros and cons of each building material. Love the pictures and the step-by-step guidance too.

If you are a builder or "newbee" to building and considering a book that shares good to great "how-to" perspectives on green technology, this is for you. One structure, from foundation to finished form, is discusses with a minimal over-view of the history and / or examples of other structures related to this small home. I have been reading, studying and participating in green building technology for about 7 years. I have an ever-growing library related to natural processes and green technology. This is one book I'd recommend to anyone interested in hands-on learning that's well presented. You'll want to keep this one.

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. For what it covers it one of the best. Plus the author's philosophy is one I also believe.Green building is not only good for the environment but good for people.

I'm a visual person and this book is full of pictures. My husband is a technical writer so it's a little "wordy" for us but you definitely get your moneys worth from this book- lots of techniques with step by step instructions and the historical references them as well.

An excellent book that explains and gives how to methods of the implementation of alternative home building methods.

Lots of information

The only things I wish it covered would be wiring and plumbing. I also wish it said a bit more about roofing options, but alas the roof in the example was a living one I do like the book though and recommend it as a good guide for alternative building.

This book ably covers many aspects of making buildings with minimal impact on the earth and great appeal to the spirit.

This book has it all! I have been buying several books on Green Building and Design, which this one is the best. Several boks are focused merely on one topic or method of construction making it possible to describe the process in better depth while others that try to teach everything thats out there simply give you an overview. Not this tome. The writers give a detailed How-to of several green building or eco-building principles. This book covers Cordwood, Living Roofs, Cob walls, Strawbale homes, stick framing, retaining wall, Foundation, Site Planning, Rain water Catchment, glass bottle wall, tile and earthen floors, and so much more. I was pleasantly surprised at the heftiness of this volume. There are literally thousands of step-bystep photos and diagrams to completely show and describe how to get it done. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in building anything the green building or eco-friendly route. Also if any of you have read "A Pattern Langauge" you can see where this mans ideas draw from it the ideas of separation flow and others.

Great introduction to building green

You not only get ideas and how to come up with ideas for green building. Then it goes into the construction aspect very thoroughly in my perspective.

Used for research, very complete.

Filled with lots of lots of greay info. Very sturdy book. Shiped right o time

I love this book! The amount of photos is amazing and if you want to build your own green building, this is a very good guide to do so.These guys have taken care of all the details, from the designing process right through to fininshing touches its all there. A practical guide to a buidling process which is green clean and healthy. I recommend this to anyone who is taking charge of creating a healthier way of living and learning new skills.

Very good

While the wife and I have moved to other techniques than the ones outlined here, this was a valuable tool in our quest to begin planning a green, low-energy, off-grid home. Highly recommended.

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. There is so much more out there available for building then what people think and this book will help you figure out the way you want to go.

Huge amount of building information for the owner/builder. Great photos, understandable text. Gives you enough info to point you in the next direction for what else you need or want to learn.

A great starting point for a green-building novice. The descriptions and information flow well with the pictures and diagrams. I'm going to use what I learn here to try and build a small eco-friendly tool shed. I'll update this review as the project progresses.

This book has great pictures and I suspect it will be helpful as we venture into the world of owner builders. It is also just really fun to look at with its large glossy photos.

GOOD

I thought this was a great book with great information. Definitely gave us some ideas when/if we build green! Highly recommend.

Great for comparing different types of green buildings

It has lots of good pics and information-yes I like it very much! Great ideas to think about if you want to build.

This book give a good overview of many different Eco friendly options to build. It does share many of the pros and cons of each method.

A+ We are building a star bale house and I found this book to be very helpful. A MUST buy if you plan on building an alternative house!

A comprehensive building guide for the environmentally conscious builder. Good photos and references. Appropriate for the contractor and do-it-your-selfer. A nice gift.

I sell this book in my bookstore, and make sure I always have one on hand.

excellent!!

Good

Covers the gamut of green home building with lots of photos and walk-throughs. Pushes the envelope in the way we currently think about building and gives insight into smarter, doable projects that many folks simply haven't thought about. Goes around the world assessing different building methods and the adaptability of the homes to their specific sites.

Added to my ref library, fair price and quick shipping.

This is definitely one of my favorite books on alternative building. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about a variety of building alternatives.

Of all of the different variety of natural building books I've purchased, this is my favorite. Clearly described and illustrated.

Very nice gift.

I rated this item very good because it was what I expected and in better condition than I expected. I would recommend this item to everyone.

Thank you!

Awesome book, very informative and thorough.

Good book, written clearly and simply.

i got all the information i need in one book, perfekt.

This book features all the best sustainable building techniques in one easy to use book! I'm going to use this til' the day I die!

Im enjoying every page in this book. It makes me confident in my efforts to build green Buy it Roar

Terrific book over all. Good purchase. Would have like more design photos.

none

Good infor

The main reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it doesn't give enough examples or how tos for other projects. The authors focus mostly on one building project the whole time. With that said the detail they provide about the one building project is super in depth. I recommend the book!

Loved reading about all the different methods to construct our "itty bitty home sweet home."

Great book

This was a gift and the book was well received.

good

Some good info

This book is the best book on green and natural building that I've come across. In fact it's a solid source for building knowledge in general. Many of the books out there give you a focused look at one building type or another (say strawbale) and these are great if you have already chosen that one building type. It's much more common though, to come across hybrid situations, where a broad variety of techniques or building challenges are at play. An earthship might be your best best - if you live in the southwest, but maybe not in the southeast. Each building is unique, from the site to the nearby structures and environment, the potential future inhabitants, the usage, etc. This book gives a very grounded and informed perspective on residential building, not limited to any one form or another, but seeking only to inform the reader of the dangers and best possibilities in each situation. Snell and Callahan recognize that there is no one best or "greenest" practice. Their book educates and empowers the reader to approach each unique building as it's own challenge. Their research into and command of the building field is a boon to anyone looking to build wisely, be that person a builder with 25 years in the field, a potential do-it-yourself homebuilder, or even someone with no building experience looking to have a home built for them who is interested in having things done right. Also, PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS! They didn't skimp in this department. This book has hundreds (thousands?) of pictures. Nearly every key point has a diagram or a photo to bring the message home. It makes the material extremely clear and easy to grasp, as well as being a valuable resource for inspiration and ideas. Everyone has something to gain from this book, and for the price there's no excuse not to own a reference copy.

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.

This book is an excellent reference on how to build while taking the environment into consideration. I was really impressed with how they integrated traditional building techniques with Green Building techniques. The book covers what to think about before you even break ground, site work, foundation work, non chemical termite prevention, walls, windows, doors, roofing, flooring, and landscaping considerations. Where Green products make the most sense, they are used. In places where the authors chose a more traditional method (concrete in the foundation, small amounts of rebar, a mass produced new door, and timber roof trusses) they go into detail about why they chose that method (long term energy efficiency outweighing the initial energy cost of the raw materials). While grey water systems, rain catchment systems, composting toilets, and solar power systems are encouraged, they are not covered in any detail in this book. The demo house being built throughout the book is a tiny one room guest cottage, instead of a home that a family could live in (composting toilet outside) so that's why I only gave 4 stars. I would have loved to have seen a whole family home built, but maybe that would be several books. Not everyone can move to an ecovillage and live in a 200 sq ft cob home (even if they dream about it). This book brings green building into the reach of many more people and shows how to build a home that is much more likely to pass code and be a real possibility in today's society. I plan to use it as a guide when I build my own home in the future.

Although I have wanted to build my own green home for several years, I have no construction skills. This book brought me back down to earth gently by teaching me much more than I would imagine one book could teach while helping me realize that I should not do this myself. In guiding capable(others)and incompetent(me)starry-eyed builders, the authors generously admit to their own errors despite years of experience and concede that in some aspects of home-building, conventional is the best route at this time. Through the book, one follows the construction using alternative building methods of a small guest house from the conception to the finish and plans for future additions.The photos themselves would make the book worthwhile, but the text is lively, straightforward, and encompasses all phases of the process.In addition to being some of the best reading and gazing that I have had in awhile, I now know what to seek in the professionals who will build my house--and use this resource, I hope.

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. I like the honesty of the authors and how they worked thru to a common goal, and shared each step along the way. I even found it to be a great book on general engineering, helpful in reminding me of things I already know, and reinforcing them in less conventional ways. This is a very hand's on book with loads of pictures and illustrations and for all of us with "pie in the sky" ideals, there is the balance of reality in time, costs, and functionality of green building.

I've been collecting books on alternative building styles for a couple of years. I have to admit a fondness for those with a lot of glossy color photos, but I've got a few with pages & pages of how to, as well. Building Green, though, has the best of both. The author's style of writing is so easy to read and understand. It's a big book. He takes you through every step of building a sweet little green guest house. His sidekick, Tim, the conventional contractor turned green builder adds in his two bits to give you confidence that Clarke isn't just a dreamer. Start with this book and you might not need all the others!

Honest, straight forward, interesting and informative. Even though I'm more specifically interested in straw bale construction I thought this looked like a book to have, and I'm glad I made the decision to buy. Straw bale may only be a small part of the book, but the other building methods discussed feed your imagination and much of the detailed information is relevant no matter the type of building you are constructing. Having just completed the outside of my own straw bale house I'm glad I had this book to help me of the way, I'm already looking forward to building my next project and adopting more of the ideas in this book. Buy it, it's the most up to date and informative I've read out of my collection of ten or more on the subject.

Purchased this product under a different amazon account. Great product for a great price.Nice reference guide or front to back read. It's is a huge book full of information and pictures. Great buy for someone thinking about building or who is just interested in the subject.

covers the big alternative building types by bookwriting while buiding a home with one wall of each: straw bale, cordwood, cob, advanced/modified stick frame. finished with earth floor, living roof, plaster wall finish. includes photo and graphic detail of all transitions, specs, corrected mistakes when innovating, siting, design, solar optimization, ergonomics, sitework, formwork, windows, doors, load transfer, appearance... i've probably read 90% of the books on alternative techniques written in the last 15 years, and at least 20 books on traditional and advanced building techniques as well, and this is the most comprehensive with the most detail that i have seen by far. this book clearly explains concepts and their applications, allowing readers to approach their own specific situations and challenges with confidence. i checked it out from the library, then bought it. it is one of only 6 books i've purchased while planning and building my home. well written and a pleasure to READ as well, not boring and dumbed-down step by step like many "manuals" that would dictate ONE way to approach situations.

Brilliant - but not just for the excellent illustrations, the absolutely practical approach ( they built a small house as an example, using four different wallings etc ) based firmly in just enough theory, the obvious real-life experience. No....For two things. Above all, because they are not evangelist for any single technique so they discuss ( and show ) how each works with detailed working instructions. And because they talk about problems and show them - what they did wrong, what they learnt, what are the issues with fixing straw infill to wood posts, organising volunteers ( ' never do cob with a working group..., but straw bale walls maybe, because...'), bowed framing, roofs that are too heavy..... Gritty reality - 'This small house actually took a year, was 30% over budget because...,' . I speak as somone who has built a rammed earth house and an adobe house - I learnt a lot . Outstanding.

I read this book through once, highlighted what I liked, then went back and read it again. I LOVE this book. It's very detailed, has great colored pictures (because with a book like this...you NEED pictures to understand). I highly recommend this book if you're wanting to get to know a few different types of green building and what you need to go through to accomplish your goals.

I borrowed this book from the public library and loved every page. Not only is the photography gorgeous, but the construction details of the various natural methods are very complete. The honesty of the authors in the admission of their mistakes and the deficits of each method are also appreciated. Did I mention the gorgeous photography?

This is an excellent book that is easy to read and actual tells you step by step with over a 1000 beautiful photos how to build your own "Green" building. I am an inexperienced owner-builder and after reading this book I feel that each step of the process was described so clearly that I can use it as a guide for building my own house. None of the other books I've read on the subject have provided this level of clarity or detail - all in an upbeat, easy to read and sometimes humourous style. The first part of the book does a good survey of the differnet types of materials used in green building and the considerations of siting and design as well. The second part covers actually building the house and what to do or to avoid in the process.

If i want to use only straw bale for the walls, can i still use this book for a step by step guild?

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).

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 you were thinking larger scale and what i mean is like if i wanted to built a 2 story cob/adobe etc home. great starter book ,nice colored pics,alot of pages ,i would recomend it to anyone wanting to know about cob/adobe, straw, ecofriendly, living roofs, etc. buy the book its def worth it

This has become one of the most important books on my shelf. I became interested in green building, then natural building, for professional and personal reasons. As a result of prior research, I thought I was quite knowledgeable. Then I got my mitts on this book! Wow, this is by far the clearest, most useful building book I have ever found. The text itself is fantastic, but what sets this book apart are the hundreds of detailed photos and instructions that illustrate techniques and solutions with incredible clarity.

I have enjoyed this book. It covers alot of different building styles. There is a good chance that you will like this book.

What a wonderful book! I love the way it is set out in two sections... the theory and the practical. The conversational style of writing means that I feel like I have a friend on hand, ready to talk me through the whole process, explaining terms, concepts and methods in a clear, concise way. I'd say if you are only planning to buy one book on alternative building methods, this should be the one.

This is a VERY informative and educational book. I LOVED it, however, I live in a wet climate in Northwestern Canada and the methods used in this book are not condusive to this area.

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. This well-illustrated handbook should help a lot.

This book deals with a whole series of alternative building styles and I am mainly interested in stack wall do cordwood.

Love this book

Thank you for your valid information. We are looking for information for 'bale insulated' wallls. Very enlightening.

recieved product within one week great book thinking about building using all natural products

I love it. So many ideas and choices to help you build and complete your home. I can't wait to start building mines.

Honest, straight forward, interesting and informative. Even though I'm more specifically interested in straw bale construction I thought this looked like a book to have, and I'm glad I made the decision to buy. Straw bale may only be a small part of the book, but the other building methods discussed feed your imagination and much of the detailed information is relevant no matter the type of building you are constructing. Having just completed the outside of my own straw bale house I'm glad I had this book to help me of the way, I'm already looking forward to building my next project and adopting more of the ideas in this book. Buy it, it's the most up to date and informative I've read out of my collection of ten or more on the subject.

I used the approach exactly as laid out in the book to make a flat turf roof and can only say that it's worked out perfectly. It's been in situ for about 4 years now and zero issues so far and looks excellent An excellent, genuinely practical and inspirational book for anyone wanting to self-build green.

Informative, arrived quickly

very complete i have the french version too describes and illustrates with many photos all of the steps and techniques very pratical very good

It has everything one would need to build if only I had cash, land and any skill. But a man can dream.

Pleasantly surprised with this buy. Really interesting book, easy reading, understandable with lots of great colour photography. Recommended to any one else expanding their knowledge of green building. Plus they are still extending the book online so you get your money's worth.

Bought this book as a gift for my engineer son-in-law who is into sustainable building and he loved it!