33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Building Green in a Black and White World, March 10, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Building Green in a Black and White World (Paperback)
I've known the author David Johnston for years. He knows more about green construction than anyone else I know. David knows what works and doesn't work, because he's tried things himself and collected thousands of stories from builders, homeowners and city officials who've put to the test all manner of building techniques, materials, installations and standards.
In some ways, this book is David's life story about his personal evolution as an environmental builder from the "passive solar" 70's to the "green" 90's. This book summarizes all his collected knowledge in a well-organized manner. You can use it as a reference to find specifically what you want to know, or you can read it all the way through and enjoy the story, as well as the meaty content.
If you're a builder looking for a new niche or already doing green construction, this book can really help you. The book is loaded with information about the market for green construction and the values that underlie peoples' desires for indoor air quality, energy effiency, durability and planetary respect. It also has nuts and bolts information about what really works when handled by average subs. As a builder who works in environmentally friendly ways, I mostly work with clients who hold similar values. This book will be very useful to loan as a reference to potential clients.
If you're a homeowner thinking of remodeling or new construction, this book will really help you. It is full of case histories and lessons learned. It gives lots of real world, practical examples of green materials and specifications. It is a nuts and bolts book that explains options, things to consider and logical choices.
The author also provides a rich compendium of state-of-the-art resources in the Appendicies. At least as valuable as the book itself, the Appendicies provide comprehensive, annotated lists of experts in Green Building, Municipal and Homebuilder sponsored Green Builder Programs, Green construction standards and state-of-the-art Green construction information(with how-to-contact details).
As a environmental builder for more than 20 years, I highly recommend this book. As a concerned citizen of planet Earth, I highly recommend this book. Everyone and anyone could read and enjoy this book; anyone concerned with construction or remodeling projects really MUST READ this book!
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Building Green in a Black and White World, March 13, 2000
This review is from: Building Green in a Black and White World (Paperback)
I've known the author David Johnson for years. He knows more about Green construction than anyone else I know. David knows what works and what doesn't, because he's tried things himself and collected thousands of stories from builders, homeowners and city officials who've put to the test all manner of building techniques, materials, installations and standards.
In some ways, this book is David's life story about his personal evolution as an environmental builder from the "passive solar" 70's to the green 90's. This book summarizes all his collected knowledge in a well-organized manner. You can use it as a reference to find specifically what you want to know, or you can read it all the way through and enjoy the story as well as the meaty content.
If you're a builder looking for a new niche or already doing green construction, this book can reallly help you. The book is loaded with information aabout the market for green construction and the values that underlie people's desire4s for indoor air quality, energy effiency, durability and planetary respect. It also has nuts and boolts information about what really works when handled by average subs.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good for contractors, not for home buyers, July 9, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Building Green in a Black and White World (Paperback)
I purchased this book thinking that it would be a good resource for remodelling a home, I was wrong. The information contained is good for a contractor that wants to develop a "green building" image, complete with advise for dealing with media, marketing strategies and sales. It appears to have very little practical advise with regard to green building techniques and supplies. It might be a good reference for a contractor but not very helpful for the ecologically minded home buyer.
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