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The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials & Methods: Including Sod, Compressed Earth, Plaster, Straw, Beer Cans, Bottles, Cordwood, and Many Other Low Cost Materials
In the United States alone, the annual construction of over one million new homes causes a very substantial drain on natural resources. Today, approximately 60 percent of the timber cut down in our country is used for building homes. Using alternative home building materials and creating a greener home are about creating better homes that are environmentally friendly, are less expensive in the long run, and create healthier occupants. Unfortunately, many people are unfamiliar with alternative building materials and do not know the first thing about going green. However, The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials & Methods will teach you everything you need to know about this movement toward natural construction methods.
This book will show you how to identify, locate, and effectively use alternative building materials. You will learn about straw bale, cordwood, cob, adobe, rammed earth, light clay, pisé, earthbag, bamboo, earth-rammed tires, cork, wool carpeting, sod, compressed earth, earth plaster, beer cans, bottles, as well as living roofs and more. In addition, you will learn the costs and performance characteristics of these materials and construction techniques for each, as well as how to integrate plumbing and electricity into these unfamiliar materials and substitutes for conventional approaches.
You will also learn about the structure, climate control, siting, foundations, and flooring options you gain when using these materials. Also included are the advantages and benefits of alternative building materials for both consumers and builders and the key ecological design principles. Ultimately, you will come to understand that these materials are cheaper, easier to build with, stronger, more durable, and more fire resistant.
Architects, designers, students, homeowners, home buyers, owner builders, and those who want to build for a sustainable future will want to read this book. If you are concerned about the environment, want to create a healthier, more enjoyable home, and want to save money, The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials & Methods will show you how.
Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president’s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.
This Atlantic Publishing eBook was professionally written, edited, fact checked, proofed and designed. The print version of this book is 288 pages and you receive exactly the same content. Over the years our books have won dozens of book awards for content, cover design and interior design including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin award for excellence in publishing. We are proud of the high quality of our books and hope you will enjoy this eBook version.
This book will show you how to identify, locate, and effectively use alternative building materials. You will learn about straw bale, cordwood, cob, adobe, rammed earth, light clay, pisé, earthbag, bamboo, earth-rammed tires, cork, wool carpeting, sod, compressed earth, earth plaster, beer cans, bottles, as well as living roofs and more. In addition, you will learn the costs and performance characteristics of these materials and construction techniques for each, as well as how to integrate plumbing and electricity into these unfamiliar materials and substitutes for conventional approaches.
You will also learn about the structure, climate control, siting, foundations, and flooring options you gain when using these materials. Also included are the advantages and benefits of alternative building materials for both consumers and builders and the key ecological design principles. Ultimately, you will come to understand that these materials are cheaper, easier to build with, stronger, more durable, and more fire resistant.
Architects, designers, students, homeowners, home buyers, owner builders, and those who want to build for a sustainable future will want to read this book. If you are concerned about the environment, want to create a healthier, more enjoyable home, and want to save money, The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials & Methods will show you how.
Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president’s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.
This Atlantic Publishing eBook was professionally written, edited, fact checked, proofed and designed. The print version of this book is 288 pages and you receive exactly the same content. Over the years our books have won dozens of book awards for content, cover design and interior design including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin award for excellence in publishing. We are proud of the high quality of our books and hope you will enjoy this eBook version.
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2008
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36 people want to read
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March 28, 2017This is what you can end up with when you go into a bookshop during a closing down sale, particularly if you are prone to be seduced by the idea of a house built out of beer cans.
The book is slightly unbalanced with chapter two taking up a big proportion of the book, but overall a good overview of different building materials, adobe, compressed earth, cordwood, cob and sod. Sadly beer can construction doesn't really deserve it's place in the title as it's passed over so very briefly. Perhaps there is another book to be written - Drink yourself into a New House, aluminium doesn't strike me as a great building material, although since it is lightweight it does of itself suggest the possibility of a home so mobile that you could carry it where-ever you go,maybe the idea was to use the cans to protect less weather-fast materials but we shall never know. All the same there's enough detail to leave my fingers tingling with the desire to build a clumsy sod house all of my own.
It's well written in that the descriptions of wiring and plumbing are straight forward and you don't need a diagram to understand what's intended. I also liked the author's emphasis on sustainability as a whole so brown water systems, energy efficiency and passivhaus construction design all get brought up when relevant.
Coming from the UK there are some cultural and linguistic difficulties - apparently there are places in the USA where you can build without planning permission, the author talks of 'p-traps' where we would use an 'u-bend' and he refers to R values where we would normally use U values instead - so non US readers beware!
There are some interesting pictures of work in progress and completed properties but no analysis of the buildings in use or their technical performance. This is more a book to whet the appetite or to inspire the idealist.
The book is slightly unbalanced with chapter two taking up a big proportion of the book, but overall a good overview of different building materials, adobe, compressed earth, cordwood, cob and sod. Sadly beer can construction doesn't really deserve it's place in the title as it's passed over so very briefly. Perhaps there is another book to be written - Drink yourself into a New House, aluminium doesn't strike me as a great building material, although since it is lightweight it does of itself suggest the possibility of a home so mobile that you could carry it where-ever you go,maybe the idea was to use the cans to protect less weather-fast materials but we shall never know. All the same there's enough detail to leave my fingers tingling with the desire to build a clumsy sod house all of my own.
It's well written in that the descriptions of wiring and plumbing are straight forward and you don't need a diagram to understand what's intended. I also liked the author's emphasis on sustainability as a whole so brown water systems, energy efficiency and passivhaus construction design all get brought up when relevant.
Coming from the UK there are some cultural and linguistic difficulties - apparently there are places in the USA where you can build without planning permission, the author talks of 'p-traps' where we would use an 'u-bend' and he refers to R values where we would normally use U values instead - so non US readers beware!
There are some interesting pictures of work in progress and completed properties but no analysis of the buildings in use or their technical performance. This is more a book to whet the appetite or to inspire the idealist.
November 1, 2011
Ever consider building your own home? If you have, did it automatically include the use of timber or brick? Author Jon Hunan begins the information on the back cover of his book with this unsettling statement: “The construction of more than one million new homes each year causes a very substantial drain on natural resources.” In his book, “The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials and Methods: Including Sod, Compressed Earth, Plaster, Straw, Beer Cans, Bottles, Cordwood, and Many Other Low Cost Materials”, he shows his readers how to avoid contributing to that substantial drain and even help the environment by utilizing other more unconventional materials.
“The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building” is a fun look at the myriad possibilities to consider when planning the construction of an alternative materials home. Nunan covers everything from sod and compressed earth to cordwood and even tires and beer cans! He begins by noting that his book is not the only resource his readers should use then goes on to impart a wealth of information on permits and planning, site considerations, roof choices, insulation, and much more. And while he’s correct in saying that no one book can truly be a ‘one stop shop’, he gives so many helpful pointers that I kept thinking, ‘what else is there for me to research?’ He continues by addressing the various alternative materials, the pros and cons for each, what works best in which climates, etc, etc, etc. Coupled with Nunan’s witty style, the text was both informative and full of personality. I especially enjoyed the color section included in the middle of the book – it really brought the information to life. For readers with little to no exposure to these types of structures, it helped bring a sense of clarity to what Nunan was describing in his chapters. The black and white photographs throughout the book were wonderful as well but it’s fantastic to see these amazing projects in full color!
Every green builder – whether novice or professional - needs to consider alternative materials when undertaking a construction project and “The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials and Methods: Including Sod, Compressed Earth, Plaster, Straw, Beer Cans, Bottles, Cordwood, and Many Other Low Cost Materials” is the best place to start!
Reviewed by Vicki Landes, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal”
“The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building” is a fun look at the myriad possibilities to consider when planning the construction of an alternative materials home. Nunan covers everything from sod and compressed earth to cordwood and even tires and beer cans! He begins by noting that his book is not the only resource his readers should use then goes on to impart a wealth of information on permits and planning, site considerations, roof choices, insulation, and much more. And while he’s correct in saying that no one book can truly be a ‘one stop shop’, he gives so many helpful pointers that I kept thinking, ‘what else is there for me to research?’ He continues by addressing the various alternative materials, the pros and cons for each, what works best in which climates, etc, etc, etc. Coupled with Nunan’s witty style, the text was both informative and full of personality. I especially enjoyed the color section included in the middle of the book – it really brought the information to life. For readers with little to no exposure to these types of structures, it helped bring a sense of clarity to what Nunan was describing in his chapters. The black and white photographs throughout the book were wonderful as well but it’s fantastic to see these amazing projects in full color!
Every green builder – whether novice or professional - needs to consider alternative materials when undertaking a construction project and “The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials and Methods: Including Sod, Compressed Earth, Plaster, Straw, Beer Cans, Bottles, Cordwood, and Many Other Low Cost Materials” is the best place to start!
Reviewed by Vicki Landes, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal”
March 8, 2010
contains brief overviews of many different types and styles of alt house building. but also some very nice sidebars with good links to builders, supplies etc.. and some good advice working with "the man" haha. you should have this on your shelf if you are excited about this kind of stuff.
February 26, 2011
Good for getting a very "general" overview of several building styles, much more detail needed in thoroughly researching any of the the topics this book contains.
January 8, 2015
Most, if not all of the info in this book can be found on the internet. Good for dipping toes into the subject, but nothing here too in-depth.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews