How to Build with Grid Beam is the gentle manifesto of a group of Whole Earth Catalog/Maker/Burning Man/Buckminster Fuller afficiannados who share a vision of a new way of building things. As a poke in the ribs to our ordinary ideas of construction, Grid Beam deserves more attention. The construction principles are simple to understand, and this book presents them in a way that *does* encourage you to go off and build on your own. Making is something more people should do.
Alas, Grid Beam has some problems, ones that are shared with and come from its counter-culture heritage.
The main problem is that Grid Beam-compatible components are *very* hard to find. The book lists some suppliers, but they are all either "true believers" hidden in a small town in California, or big industrial firms spread out over the country. In other words, you can't find grid beam posts/tubes/beams in your local Home Depot. Without them, you're stuck. You have to make your own wooden grid beam posts, or figure out a way to get steel or aluminum ones shipped to you.
Doing your own wood posts is time-consuming, and it's a big challenge for those who are afraid of power tools. And yet Grid Beam was supposed to *overcome* that fear!
Buying steel or aluminum posts is going to be a big hassle. Steel is not pricey, but aluminum is, and neither are going to be cheap to get shipped to you. Even Oakland, CA, a hotbed of alternative building, doesn't seem to have a supplier.
This book shows that the authors have failed to grasp a lesson that dome-builders learned in the 1970s. Fuller devotees published "Domebook" and "Domebook 2" in the late 70s before revising their ideas and coming out with a new standard, "Shelter". They belatedly concluded that domes will never work, because nobody makes the tools, hardware, or materials for building shelters that don't have right angles (and windows in domes invariably leak). Similarly, the Grid Beam writers have failed to grasp that Grid Beam will never be more than a curiosity until we can easily find parts.
Still, I grant you, anyone who *can* work with power tools can easily build with Grid Beam. You may be stuck with indoor projects, but with a press adapter for your power drill, you can easily make wooden beams. The panels and accessories are easy to find, and so is the hardware. Get over the hurdle of making the beams, and everything else is easy. These days, Home Depot, Lowe's, and most other hardware stores will cut plywood and stock to your specs, so all you need to do is drill holes.
The best part of the book is the showcase of projects, especially beds and desks. They're much better thought-out than the typical overkill of 2x4s, they look much nicer, and they offer nearly limitless opportunities for changing things around. If you have high ceilings in your bedroom, you owe it to yourself to build a loft bed!
In summary, "Grid Beam" promises a *lot* more than it can deliver, but it is still a valuable idea and this book is worth looking at.
Pros: Well-organized, easy to read, specific, plenty of ideas, encourages people to make their own ideas happen
Cons: The idea is hard to implement because of a lack of suppliers, grid beam building is not for the faint of heart, most of the photographs are black and white from the 1970s, in general the book is cheaply made despite its price.
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