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A review by rebeccacider
Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs by Clarke Snell
5.0
This book was wonderful! I am basically a construction know-nothing but found it very accessible. At the same time, it would be a good choice for someone more skilled who wanted a primer to alternative building.
The book is mostly about design and problem-solving principles that could apply to any thoughtfully sited and well-built house. There are lots of step-by-step instructions, but they're there to illustrate principles rather than teach you every possible building technique. The authors are also super-pragmatic about their use of natural building techniques and warn you against jumping on the eco bandwagon for no reason.
In fact, I decided that if we end up building our dream house, we're not likely to use any of these techniques (with the exception of lath and plaster on a stick frame). I will probably seek out another title that discusses eco-friendly stick houses in more depth, but I'm glad that I started with this book to orient me.
The book is mostly about design and problem-solving principles that could apply to any thoughtfully sited and well-built house. There are lots of step-by-step instructions, but they're there to illustrate principles rather than teach you every possible building technique. The authors are also super-pragmatic about their use of natural building techniques and warn you against jumping on the eco bandwagon for no reason.
In fact, I decided that if we end up building our dream house, we're not likely to use any of these techniques (with the exception of lath and plaster on a stick frame). I will probably seek out another title that discusses eco-friendly stick houses in more depth, but I'm glad that I started with this book to orient me.