This absolutely indispensable and lavishly photographed guide will become a cornerstone work for years to come. It redefines the best way to "go green" and addresses a timely topic in a way designed to appeal to a growing and eager audience. Completely user-friendly and filled with motivational case studies and informative graphics. Every page leads would-be remodellers through the process of understanding their home and surroundings so they'll arrive at the perfect design solution.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
We're pleased to announce that Natural Remodeling for the Not-So-Green-House has been selected as a finalist for the 2007 Nautilus Book Awards .
The Nautilus Book Award is given for distinguished literary contributions. It recognizes authors and books that contribute to our society's awareness and well-being, and which embrace spiritual and ecological values such as compassion, sustainability, simplicity, and global peace.
About the Author
Carol Venolia specializes in the field of eco-healthy building. Her first book, Healing Environments, has enjoyed international success, and her home designs have been featured in The Natural House Catalog, Earth to Spirit, The Healthy House, and Environ magazine. Carol currently writes the "Design for Life" column for Natural Home & Garden magazine.
Kelly Lerner is an award-winning architect and innovator in the fields of sustainable development, straw-bale construction, and earthen plasters. She spearheaded an internationally recognized project responsible for building more than 600 passive-solar-heated straw-bale houses in China. Her designs have been featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine, Metropolis Magazine, The Straw Bale House, Serious Straw Bale, The New Straw Bale House, and Green by Design.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
68 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By M. Leaman
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am pretty much tearing my hiouse down and rebuilding it. I've been so stuck in reviewing technical aspects of framing construction and the sort that I really got hung up in "styles" and "curb appeal" and lost site of what living in my house really meant to me...being happy in my space and surrondings. I happened to order because it was suggested with another I purcahsed and it changed almost everything I was looking at and thinking of. An example, after working through some of the reading I was reminded during this cold February in Michigan that I love the smell of a coming rain storm and the feel of a breeze through a house. I went back and made some great changes to my technical specs based on the site analysis the book recommeded. I wasn't thinking about prevailing winds and storm directions at all other than the general rules of which way to point a house! Another absolutley great point is that this book is green without an agenda. I'm only half way through but I haven't read anything about building my house out of used bottles or tires yet and at one point the book suggests that a classic green application can have a resource cost point that makes it a disadvantage to the modern contemporary appraoch. Everyone wants to be at least a little green and this book helps. It's a great book and is loaded with excellent, and I stress, EXCELLENT information both technical and not that is delivered in more of an article format that keeps your attention and provides a logical sequence to putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The photos are bright and beautiful. This may turn out to be the best book I bought to remodel my home.
71 of 75 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've been working as the City of Portland's green building specialist for the past six years. In my work I talk to many homeowners, designers and contractors about green home remodeling. Almost all would like a resource that explains sustainable or green building clearly and provides useful guidance for making choices. From now on, this will be one of the books I recommend to them. The authors have succeeded in making a complex topic interesting and enjoyable to learn about. Whatever your goals, lifestyle or budget, you will find helpful ideas to achieve your green remodel.
Mike O'Brien
Mike O'Brien
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By R. Howseman
Format:Paperback
Books on remodeling have tended to take one of two tracks: aesthetics and harmony with lifestyle or environmentally sensitive and responsible. With this book, the authors have taken an important step in integrating what has been the somewhat esoteric field of green 'thinking' with mainstream remodeling. They enable us to recognize that these paths not only complement each other, but drawn together open an entirely new range of creative and spatial possibilities.
I like this book a lot. What really set it apart were the authors' broad knowledge of green building practices, eye for detail and sensitivity to clients' needs and budgets. Their passion for bringing the possibilities of green to the mainstream is evident through out the book, and contagious. Highly recommended.
I like this book a lot. What really set it apart were the authors' broad knowledge of green building practices, eye for detail and sensitivity to clients' needs and budgets. Their passion for bringing the possibilities of green to the mainstream is evident through out the book, and contagious. Highly recommended.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Dan Redmond
Format:Paperback
In 35 years of construction, I have never seen a book so well done about a topic so needing a book. The initial premise is so right on. The existing housing stock needs to be dealt with. It cannot be just the new. The actual book is a work of art. The regional aspects, with case studies is outstanding. The low fruit and more advanced steps are excellent ways to approach material of this sort. The photos and other sidebars, just fall in line. The appendices are worth the price by themselves.
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First, I have to disclose that author Carol Venolia and I have been friends for over twenty years, and we have been discussing this subject for all that time. So my review is a bit biased in that regard. Please do believe me, however, that this is an incredible book that will change how you think about building and your place in, relationship with, and how you interact with Nature.
This is unique among green building books in two ways: it addresses remodeling houses (most green building books are about new construction) and it focuses on ways to welcome the flows of nature into your home--sun, air, and water--to provide not just function, but joy.
In a world where green building is about materials and certifications and sometimes complex engineering, Carol and Kelly bring us simple things we can do to bring our own existing homes and ourselves into greater harmony with the natural environment in which we dwell. This book goes beyond saying "bring in the sun for natural light'...it actually shows a diagram of the sun's changing path in relation to a house throughout the year, a chart of qualities of sunlight from different directions, gives you step-by-step instructions on how to figure out how best to bring the sun into your home (or shade it out, as the case may be) and much more.
Because Carol and Kelly have actual hand-on expeience applying all these concepts in design projects for their clients, the book is full of the kind of important tips that come only from actually doing what you are writing about. For example, Carol's climate rose that neatly sums up all the climate data for a site in a single diagram--directions of prevailing winds, winter storms, and sun' path, so this data is at your fingertips when making design decisions.... Read more ›
This is unique among green building books in two ways: it addresses remodeling houses (most green building books are about new construction) and it focuses on ways to welcome the flows of nature into your home--sun, air, and water--to provide not just function, but joy.
In a world where green building is about materials and certifications and sometimes complex engineering, Carol and Kelly bring us simple things we can do to bring our own existing homes and ourselves into greater harmony with the natural environment in which we dwell. This book goes beyond saying "bring in the sun for natural light'...it actually shows a diagram of the sun's changing path in relation to a house throughout the year, a chart of qualities of sunlight from different directions, gives you step-by-step instructions on how to figure out how best to bring the sun into your home (or shade it out, as the case may be) and much more.
Because Carol and Kelly have actual hand-on expeience applying all these concepts in design projects for their clients, the book is full of the kind of important tips that come only from actually doing what you are writing about. For example, Carol's climate rose that neatly sums up all the climate data for a site in a single diagram--directions of prevailing winds, winter storms, and sun' path, so this data is at your fingertips when making design decisions.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
not so green book
I am giving this book away. It was not printed in a green manner. It bothers my nose to smell it.
Published 9 months ago by M.A.M.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Site and climate are key!
Lovely book which teaches you to look at site and climate as well as use of rooms to create a "greener" more liveable home.
Neatly done.
Jane
Neatly done.
Jane
Published on August 28, 2010 by Jane D
5.0 out of 5 stars
Natural Remodeling - Natural Living
This book is written by two architects - Carol Venolia and Kelly Lerner, who use their own Oregon based practice as a conversation start point. Read more
Published on June 12, 2010 by Peter Vatkov
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ecologically Responsible at a reasonable cost!
A fresh look at "Going Green". All of a sudden, you don't have to spend MegaBucks to do the environmentally responsible thing. Read more
Published on March 12, 2010 by Lane Aldrich
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love this book
If you a remodeling or building, and are interested in restoring and/or maintaining your health, then this book is a must have. Read more
Published on May 7, 2009 by Walden
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book
As an architect, I appreciate this thorough and detailed look at natural remodeling techniques and am applying some of these to my own home.
Published on November 10, 2008 by S. P. Hren
5.0 out of 5 stars
Textbook potential
I've been teaching at a community college for 16 years on the topic of energy efficiency, Passive solar, Building Science, green building, healthy home and alternative structures. Read more
Published on February 3, 2008 by Patricia A. Ballentine
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this book before remodeling.
This is an outstanding book on remodeling your home to blend in with nature, and to avoid introducing toxic products into your home. Great ideas and photos.
Published on October 25, 2007 by David E. Post
4.0 out of 5 stars
good ideas
There were many good ideas in this book. Some more expensive than the average person could afford. I read Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods... Read more
Published on October 1, 2007 by A. Ketter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Go get it! You will love it!
And I am glad I did! I am even gladder to know that more people are waking up to the idea of natural remodeling. Read more
Published on September 10, 2007 by Mia
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