Housing Ourselves: Creating Affordable, Sustainable Shelter [Hardcover]

Richard Burnham (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070092362 | ISBN-13: 978-0070092365 | Publication Date: June 30, 1998 | Edition: 1

Rediscover the secrets of affordable housing that modern builders have all but forgotten in this book that advocatesÑand shows you how to achieveÑsustainable, environmentally sensitive, self-built housing that can be constructed at a fraction of today's housing costs! Architect and planner Richard Burnham offers professional builders and would-be homeowners alike practical guidance on utilizing local materials; building in harmony with the natural landscape; conserving precious resources; starting on a small, affordable scale and adding incrementally as finances permit; and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Rediscover the secrets of affordable housing that modern builders have all but forgotten! Through centuries of human history, people in every part of the world have practiced the art of building their own homes--homes that turned out to be remarkably practical, sustainable,and affordable...Today, we have homes built by "professionals." And we also have homes built of synthetic materials, a coast-to-coast homogenization of style, prodigious, wastefulness of natural resources, and ever sky-rocketing prices--even for the most modest housing. This timely, much-needed book offers a practical and workable approach to building affordable, sustainable, environmentally sensitive housing BY HAVING PEOPLE BUILD IT THEMSELVES! Illuminating case studies show how such housing can be constructed for one-third the cost of custom-built housing. The author shows architects, contractors, planners, and would-be homeowners how to: CHOOSE MATERIALS that are locally available, cost-effective, and sustainable; DESIGN HOUSING that's suitable to an area's climate, topography, and other shelter requirements; LAUNCH THE PROJECT on a shoestring and add on incrementally as finances permit; CREATE HOMES that bring individuality and variety back to today's homogenized landscape...AND MUCH MORE!

About the Author

Richard Burnham is the owner and principal architect of Richard Burnham Architect and Associates. He is certified nationally and is registered in several states, and he specializes in single- and multifamily housing. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Dartmouth and Virginia Polytechnic Institute, respectively, and has published a number of articles on housing design. He has also received several grants for his work on low-income housing.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (June 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070092362
• ISBN-13: 978-0070092365
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,800,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lucid, wise, applicable, December 3, 2000

By 

George Oliver (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Housing Ourselves: Creating Affordable, Sustainable Shelter (Hardcover)

I'm surprised that this is the first review here for 'Housing Ourselves', but if you haven't read this book already, you should buy it now. Or at least go to your bookstore and read it.

'Housing Ourselves' essentially is a theoretical manual for the construction of affordable and sustainable rural houses; not to say that practical applications and examples are absent, or that the ideas can't be used on a suburban or urban lot, but I think Burnham himself makes the point that he's writing this book for the owner-builder out on the land.

Regardless, this is one of the very few books I've seen written for the every-day family who wants to build well, sustainably, and for the future on a budget; in addition, it's an idea-rich and inspirational book for affordable housing in general.

Read it as a how-to manual, read it as an essay on how to get back to affordable and sustainable design simply and for the long haul, but just read it. It's well-illustrated, well-written, and a good gift for your friends who want to build their own house.

- George Oliver [e-mail]