Customer Reviews

Building Country Comforts: Wisdom on Living a Sustainable, Back-to-Basics Life

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I have Harmony with Nature and Creative Country Counstruction(bought used at the book barn).Both are excellent books on their own. I recently purchased Building Country Comforts.....lots of tid bits and great expansions on subjects coverd in their other books. I would like to believe this is their opus and I won't be wishing for some later edition down the road. Sorta like you buying the dvd for a movie and then they come out with the ultimate copy a year later!(grrrrr). I do love all their books so far and there are just enough differences in them to generate a desire to read them all. But if I had to pick one it would be Building Country Comforts. I really like the coverage on all the wood burning options which is hard to find in other how to books.

This has got to be one of the best books available for the aspiring modern 'homesteader'. As is noted in the Introduction by author/illustrator Inwood, the content of "Building Country Comforts' is actually a re-issue of two seperate books originally created by the team of Christian Bruyere and Robert Inwood as they were researching information to help them in constructing their own rural homes. This current edition collects all of the content from the 2 previously published volumes: "In Harmony With Nature" and "Country Comforts' under one cover - creating an encyclopedic reference book of do-it-yourself knowledge for the rural, self sustainable life-style. The tone of the book is very folksy and friendly as the authors transcribed the stories and wisdom of a variety of 'local' individual's personal experiences in creating their own homesteads - designing and building everything from complete houses to chicken coops. Many different styles and types of building are covered in great detail, including:several types of log construction, cord wood & stockade style walls, post and beam and rammed earth construction, as well as standard wood frame building. Homestead amenities such as solar green houses, animal shelters, fencing, owner-built heaters & fireplaces, water systems, and stone masonry are all described in detail via words, photos, and illustrations The illustrations in the books are particularly impressive - they not only clearly show all the steps involved, in an easy to understand graphic manner, but they also capture a sense of the beauty and adventure of country living. This is definitely one of the most all around 'useful' books I have ever purchased - if you want to get 'back to the land' and start to build a personally sustainable life-style - "Building Country Comforts' will help you along your path. Highly recommended!