Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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.

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

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.