Download or read book The Cob Builders Handbook written by Becky Bee and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cob (an old English word for lump) is old-fashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. Becky Bee's manual is a friendly guide to making your own earth structure, with chapters on design, foundations, floors, windows and doors, finishes, and of course, making glorious cob. "I believe that building with cob is a way to recreate community and experience the joy of working together while taking back the right to build our own homes and look after our Mother Earth." She loves doing something that makes sense in a world where lots of things don't.

Download or read book The Hand sculpted House written by Ianto Evans and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cob, a structural composite of earth, water, straw, clay, and sand, has been used for centuries, in virtually all parts of the world, to create homes ranging from mud huts in Africa to lavish adobe haciendas in Latin America. This practical and inspiring hands-on guide teaches anyone to build a cob dwelling.

Download or read book Cob Buildings A Practical Guide written by Jane Schofield and published by . This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Straw Bale House written by Athena Swentzell Steen and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 1994 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many copies in stock but still heavy demand; only a few titles published on this subject. Very popular in rural WA too.

Download or read book The Art of Natural Building written by Catherine Wanek and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2015-03 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The popularity of natural building has grown by leaps and bounds, spurred by a grassroots desire for housing that is healthy, affordable and environmentally responsible. While there are many books available on specific methods such as strawbale construction, cob or timber framing, few other resources introduce the reader to the entire scope of this burgeoning field. Fully revised and updated, The Art of Natural Building is the complete and user-friendly introduction to natural building for everyone from do-it-yourselfers to architects and designers. This collection of articles from 60 leaders in the field is stunningly illustrated with over 400 photos of natural buildings from around the world. At 465 pages, this massive resource is over 50% longer than the original edition. Out of 64 chapters, 26 are new to this edition, and nearly all of the rest have been completely revised to reflect recent developments. Learn about: The case for building with natural materials, from the perspectives of sustainability, lifestyle and health What you need to know to plan and design your own beautiful and efficient natural home Explanations of thirty versatile materials and techniques, each with and up-to-date resource list of where to go for further information and training How these techniques are being used to address housing crises around the world, with 12 case studies from China to Argentina. Clearly written, logically organized and beautifully illustrated The Art of Natural Building is the encyclopedia of natural building.

Download or read book House of Earth written by Conrad Rogue and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2016-04-28 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Earth is the mother of all construction materials For thousands of years, people have dug up the clay-soil below their feet and transformed it into the most versatile building material. Worldwide, people are rediscovering the advantages of earthen construction, and for good reasons: it's easy to work with, extremely affordable, environmentally friendly, non-toxic, durable and beautiful! You will learn how to build with the most popular and time-tested techniques: Cob Adobe Light straw-clay Earth bags Earthen floors Earthen plasters and paints A few simple tools, such as buckets, shovels and wheelbarrows are all you need to get started. By describing how to identify, harvest, combine and process the basic ingredients of clay-soil, sand and straw, this book makes it clear and simple on how to make earthen building something you can start with the moment you put down the book! These techniques are being used to build entire houses, but they can just as easily be applied to smaller projects, such as backyard sheds, cabins, outdoor fireplaces, garden walls and play houses. As a bonus, part 3 of the book has complete instruction on how to build a traditional earthen pizza oven, using the techniques covered in the book. This makes for a great starter project! An often overlooked possibility is using earthen building methods to renovate existing homes on a shoestring budget, transforming run-down houses into earthen homes, without having to work with toxic or environmentally harmful building materials. After reading this book, you will realize how simple it is to integrate earthen materials with conventional building materials. What Mother Earth Magazine said about "House of Earth" "Conrad Rogue is a great builder, teacher, and philosopher. He is original in his thinking, skilled in his techniques, and passionate about the beauty and potential of earthen construction. And above all, he has the rare ability to skillfully convey all of that in his writing." Conrad Rogue has been teaching earthen construction since 2001. He is the founder and director of House Alive. (www.HouseAlive.org). He has taught workshops in the United States, Pine Ridge reservation, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Kenya and India.

Download or read book Cottage Building in Cob written by Clough Williams-Ellis and published by . This book was released on 1919 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Hempcrete Book written by William Stanwix and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-09 with total page 689 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive practical manual for professionals and self-builders, this innovative book explains the many benefits of building with hempcrete. Hempcrete is a building material with excellent, environmentally friendly properties. It's made from lime and hemp shivs (a waste product from hemp fibre growing) and can be used for walks, floor and roof insulation. Hempcrete is breathable, absorbing and emitting moisture; this helps regulate internal humidity, avoiding trapped moisture and mould growth, and creating healthier buildings. It provides excellent acoustic and thermal insulation, and it is lightweight, which reduces construction costs. Whether you're working on a new build or are planning a renovation, The Hempcrete Book tells you everything you need to know to get started with hempcrete. It describes how to source and mix it, and provides a detailed account of construction techniques, highlighting potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. With fully illustrated design notes and examples of completed builds, this book is a powerful tool for any eco-builder.

Download or read book Build Your Own Earth Oven written by Kiko Denzer and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Earth ovens combine the utility of a wood-fired, retained-heat oven with the ease and timeless beauty of earthen construction. Building one will appeal to bakers, builders, and beginners of all kinds, from: - the serious or aspiring baker who wants the best low-cost bread oven, to - gardeners who want a centerpiece for a beautiful outdoor kitchen, to - outdoor chefs, to - creative people interested in low-cost materials and simple technology, to - teachers who want a multi-faceted, experiential project for students of all ages (the book has been successful with everyone from third-graders to adults). Build Your Own Earth Oven is fully illustrated with step-by-step directions, including how to tend the fire, and how to make perfect sourdough hearth loaves in the artisan tradition. The average do-it-yourselfer with a few tools and a scrap pile can build an oven for free, or close to it. Otherwise, $30 should cover all your materials--less than the price of a fancy "baking stone." Good building soil is often right in your back yard, under your feet. Build the simplest oven in a day! With a bit more time and imagination, you can make a permanent foundation and a fire-breathing dragon-oven or any other shape you can dream up. Earth ovens are familiar to many that have seen a southwestern "horno" or a European "bee-hive" oven. The idea, pioneered by Egyptian bakers in the second millennium BCE, is simplicity itself: fill the oven with wood, light a fire, and let it burn down to ashes. The dense, 3- to 12-inch-thick earthen walls hold and store the heat of the fire, the baker sweeps the floor clean, and the hot oven walls radiate steady, intense heat for hours. Home bakers who can't afford a fancy, steam-injected bread oven will be delighted to find that a simple earth oven can produce loaves to equal the fanciest "artisan" bakery. It also makes delicious roast meats, cakes, pies, pizzas, and other creations. Pizza cooks to perfection in three minutes or less. Vegetables, herbs, and potatoes drizzled with olive oil roast up in minutes for a simple, elegant, and delicious meal. Efficient cooks will find the residual heat useful for slow-baked dishes, and even for drying surplus produce, or incubating homemade yogurt.

Download or read book Strawbale Home Plans written by Wayne J. Bingham and published by Gibbs Smith. This book was released on 2007 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Strawbale Home Plans is a meditative and conscientious exploration of the innumerable reasons to consider straw bale as a viable building material. Environmentally friendly, super insulative, economical, and natural, straw bale can be used to build everything from garden walls and shed roofs to small homes. The vibrant pages of this practical guide are filled with rich photos of organic, fluid, undulating structures pulsating with subtle creativity. Indeed at once a pragmatic construction manual and a philosophical, artistic guidebook, this handbook provides food for the mind and soul.

Download or read book You Can Make the Best Hot Tub Ever written by Becky Bee and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After years of smoky outdoor baths and burnt elbows and knees, Becky Bee, author of The Cob Builder's Handbook, discovered cob and made the bath of her dreams. So many friends wanted to know how to do it that she decided to make this book so even friends she hasn't met can have the pleasure of making and owning the best hot tub ever!Unless you have had an outdoor bath, there is no way your imagination can see how absolutely divine it is. It's more like a temple than a bath. It is the reclaiming of an old ritual, balm to your soul, and a restorative for your body in the midst of the madness of modern life.This book guides you through the steps of making a cob firebox under a metal tub. This booklet is written in simple language with lots of easy-to-follow pictures and drawings. And, to top it all off, you won't believe how affordable it is.This little cob tub project is the most delightful way to start learning about natural building, giving you a hands-on introduction to subjects like drainage, site choice, design, foundations, and cob construction-with a hot bath as the reward.

Download or read book The Whole Building Handbook written by Maria Block and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-02-09 with total page 1938 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Whole Building Handbook is a compendium of all the issues and strategies that architects need to understand to design and construct sustainable buildings for a sustainable society. The authors move beyond the current definition of sustainability in architecture, which tends to focus on energy-efficiency, to include guidance for architecture that promotes social cohesion, personal health, renewable energy sources, water and waste recycling systems, permaculture, energy conservation - and crucially, buildings in relation to their place. The authors offer a holistic approach to sustainable architecture and authoritative technical advice, on: * How to design and construct healthy buildings, through choosing suitable materials, healthy service systems, and designing a healthy and comfortable indoor climate, including solutions for avoiding problems with moisture, radon and noise as well as how to facilitate cleaning and maintenance. * How to design and construct buildings that use resources efficiently, where heating and cooling needs and electricity use is minimized and water-saving technologies and garbage recycling technologies are used. * How to 'close' organic waste, sewage, heat and energy cycles. For example, how to design a sewage system that recycles nutrients. * Includes a section on adaptation of buildings to local conditions, looking at how a site must be studied with respect to nature, climate and community structure as well as human activities. The result is a comprehensive, thoroughly illustrated and carefully structured textbook and reference.

Download or read book The Natural Building Companion written by Jacob Deva Racusin and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural buildings not only bring satisfaction to their makers and joy to their occupants, they also leave the gentlest footprint on the environment. In this complete reference to natural building philosophy, design, and technique, Jacob Deva Racusin and Ace McArleton walk builders through planning and construction, offering step-by-step instructions on: siting and site analysis choosing materials integrating basic structural considerations into a design strategies for heating/cooling efficiency and moisture management planning for acoustics developing an integrative design navigating budgeting, code compliance, and project management creating the foundation, wall system, roof, and floors selecting and making plasters and paints evaluating options for mechanical and utility systems protecting against fire and insects integrating structures within landscape, climate, and human communities ...and more Applicable to building in climates that are cold and wet, hot and dry, or somewhere in-between, The Natural Building Companion provides the tools necessary to understand basic principles of building science, including structural and thermal engineering, and hydrodynamics. This guide offers thorough, up-to-date, and advanced installation details and performance characteristics of straw-bale, straw-clay, woodchip-clay, and cellulose wall systems, as well as earthen and stone wall systems and a variety of framing, roofing, flooring, mechanical system, and finishing options. This fully-illustrated volume informs professionals making the transition from conventional building, homeowners embarking on their own construction, or green builders who want comprehensive guidance on natural-building options. A State-of-the-Art Resource for Natural Builders The Natural Building Companion is a part of The Yestermorrow Design/Build Library and includes an instructional DVD.

Download or read book The Bread Builders written by Alan Scott and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 1999-07-01 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Creating the perfect loaf of bread--a challenge that has captivated bakers for centuries--is now the rage in the hippest places, from Waitsfield, Vermont, to Point Reyes Station, California. Like the new generation of beer drinkers who consciously seek out distinctive craft-brewed beers, many people find that their palates have been reawakened and re-educated by the taste of locally baked, whole-grain breads. Today's village bakers are finding an important new role--linking tradition with a sophisticated new understanding of natural levens, baking science and oven construction. Daniel Wing, a lover of all things artisanal, had long enjoyed baking his own sourdough bread. His quest for the perfect loaf began with serious study of the history and chemistry of bread baking, and eventually led to an apprenticeship with Alan Scott, the most influential builder of masonry ovens in America. Alan and Daniel have teamed up to write this thoughtful, entertaining, and authoritative book that shows you how to bake superb healthful bread and build your own masonry oven. The authors profile more than a dozen small-scale bakers around the U.S. whose practices embody the holistic principles of community-oriented baking based on whole grains and natural leavens. The Bread Builders will appeal to a broad range of readers, including: Connoisseurs of good bread and good food. Home bakers interested in taking their bread and pizza to the next level of excellence. Passionate bakers who fantasize about making a living by starting their own small bakery. Do-it-yourselfers looking for the next small construction project. Small-scale commercial bakers seeking inspiration, the most up-to-date knowledge about the entire bread-baking process, and a marketing edge.

Download or read book Handbook for Building Homes of Earth written by Lyle A. Wolfskill and published by . This book was released on 1970* with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Essential Rammed Earth Construction written by Tim Krahn and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2019-01-01 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “All of the essential knowledge for completing a successful rammed earth project. Written by a geo-technical engineer with experience ramming earth.” —Kelly Hart, author, Essential Earthbag Construction Everything you need to know to build with rammed earth in warm and cold climates. Rammed earth—sand, gravel, and clay or lime/cement binder packed into forms—is a low-energy, high-performance building method, yielding beautiful, sustainable results. It’s thermally stable and can be insulated, can actively modulate humidity, provides a healthy indoor environment, and allows site materials to be used for major structural and building envelope elements. Essential Rammed Earth Construction covers design, building science, tools, and step-by-step building methods for any climate, with a special emphasis on building in cold climates of the northern US, Canada, and northern Europe. Coverage includes: Overview of earthen building Appropriate use of rammed earth walls Stabilized versus raw rammed earth Design considerations, including structural, insulation, and building envelope details Special considerations for cold and freeze-thaw climates Construction drawings, with step-by-step building instructions Tools and labor covering industrial methods, low-tech techniques, formwork options, mix design, budgets, and schedules Codes, inspections, and permits. This guide is an essential resource for experienced builders, DIY home owners, designers, engineers, and architects. “A much-needed and science-based update to a North American audience of designers, engineers and builders.” —Bruce King. P.E., author, The New Carbon Architecture “ A great book for anyone who wants to deepen their technical knowledge of rammed earth walls systems. It’s very helpful to have a book on rammed earth that is more focused on engineered rammed earth walls for cold climates.” —Clifton Schooley, Clifton Schooley & Associates, Rammed Earth Designers and Builders

Download or read book Earth Construction Handbook written by Gernot Minke and published by Computational Mechanics. This book was released on 2000 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated and expanded translation of the German Lehmbau-Handbuch.