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 Building with Cob written by Adam Weismann and published by Uit Cambridge Limited. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building with Cob shows how to apply this ancient technique in a wide variety of contemporary situations, covering everything from design and siting, mixing, building walls, fireplaces, ovens and floors, lime and other natural finishes, and gaining planning permission and building regulation approval.

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 Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials Methods written by Jon Nunan and published by Atlantic Publishing Company. This book was released on 2010 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn how to identify, locate, and effectively use alternative building materials, including cob, adobe, rammed earth, bamboo, cork, wool carpeting, and more. You will also learn about the structure, climate control, siting, foundations, and flooring options you gain when using these materials. Ultimately, you will come to understand that these materials are cheaper, easier to build with, stronger, more durable, and more fire resistant.

Download or read book Essential Cob Construction written by Anthony Dente and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2024-01-16 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Setting the standard for modern cob construction – from design, engineering, and building code compliance, to sculpting beautiful structures Cob – a mix of clay, sand, and straw – is one of the most popular and well-known natural building methods. Yet cob is often difficult to permit and can be used in inappropriate ways due to a lack of sound engineering and design information. Recent research and a newly developed building code promise to make cob building more accessible than ever. Essential Cob Construction sets the new standard for cob construction. Incorporating rigorous, up-to-date engineering and building science and decades of practical lessons learned, coverage includes: Appropriate use of cob in different climates and contexts Thermal performance and moisture management Structural and architectural design considerations, including fire and earthquake resistance data from extensive laboratory testing Hands-on cob construction, including mix design, testing, manual and mechanical mixing, wall building, strong connections with foundations, roofs, and other structural elements, and finishing options Building code development and the permitting process for cob Planning, budgeting, and quality control The complete Cob Construction Appendix of the International Residential Code. Essential Cob Construction is required reading for engineers, architects, designers, contractors, and owner-builders working with this ancient, aesthetically pleasing, low-carbon building material.

Download or read book Essential Natural Plasters written by Michael Henry and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2018-06-26 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A veritable cookbook of natural plaster recipes and techniques for beautiful, durable finishes Natural plasters made of clay, lime, and other materials mixed with sand are beautiful building finishes. Fun to work with, low-impact, and allowing infinite creativity, they are high performance and provide proven, centuries-long durability. Yet until now there's been no resource that has pulled together the best North American plaster recipes and how-to into one place. Essential Natural Plasters covers it all: Sourcing and selecting materials, including site-soils Clay, lime, and gypsum plasters as well as fibers and amendments Interior and exterior use and specialty plasters such as tadelakt for bathrooms Preparing substrates, from straw bales and cob to lath and Sheetrock How to set up a safe, efficient worksite Mixing, testing, tinting, repairing, and applying plasters Coveted recipes from leading plasterers in Ontario, Vermont, New Mexico, France, and New Zealand. Richly illustrated and deeply researched, Essential Natural Plasters is the must-have resource for owner-builders and professionals alike.

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 Tiny House Decisions written by Ethan Waldman and published by . This book was released on 2019-11-25 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building a tiny house can be time-consuming, expensive, and overwhelming... but it doesn't have to be. Tiny House Decisions is the place to start.You've taken the journey from tiny house dreamer to future tiny house dweller. You know that the tiny house lifestyle is for you.If you could move in tomorrow, you'd do it in a heartbeat. But as you start to wrap your head around the thousands of choices you'll need to make as you build your house (or work with a builder), you can feel the overwhelm creeping in.You might be struggling with the following questions:Can I actually do this myself?What if I get told I have to move my house?Figuring out which building system to go with: Framing? SIPs? Metal Framing?What kind of tiny house trailer to use?Can I actually do this for the limited amount of money I have saved?You've watched plenty of tiny house tours on YouTube. You've found books on framing your house, doing your own electrical wiring, and even the legality of living in a tiny house.. What you haven't found is the guide that brings it all together and takes you start to finish, through the process of researching, planning, building, and finally living in your tiny house.

Download or read book Alternative Construction written by Lynne Elizabeth and published by Wiley. This book was released on 2000-05-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive guide to combining traditional natural materials and modern construction methods. From adobe to straw bales, traditional building materials are being adapted to meet code-required standards for health and safety in contemporary buildings around the world. Not only are they cost effective and environmentally friendly, but, when used correctly, these natural alternatives match the strength and durability of many mainstream construction materials. This book examines a broad range of traditional and modern natural construction methods, including straw-bale, light-clay, cob, adobe, rammed earth and pise, earthbag, earth-sheltered, bamboo, and hybrid systems. It also covers key ecological design principles, as well as current engineering and building code requirements. Experts on each building system have contributed core chapters that explore the history, development, climatic appropriateness, environmental benefits, performance characteristics, construction techniques, and structural design principles for each method. More than 200 visuals depict both construction processes and completed structures. An extensive resource guide shows where to go for further information, training, and research. In an increasingly resource-conscious era, alternative construction is truly an idea whose time has come. Whether you're an architect, designer, student, or homeowner, this book will help you to combine indigenous building materials with modern construction systems and design standards to create low-impact, high-quality buildings that meet the highest levels of comfort, health, and safety.

Download or read book Building with Cob written by Adam Weismann and published by Green Books. This book was released on 2006-02-15 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With detailed illustrations and photos, this manual features step-by-step instructions for creating cob structures. Information on natural finishes is provided, including lime plasters, renders and washes, homemade clay and casein paints, and earthen plasters. It details how to construct a cob building that complies with modern building standards, and gives guidance on restoring and repairing old cob structures. A comprehensive list of resources and suppliers is also included.

Download or read book Cottage Building in Cob Pis Chalk Clay a Renaissance written by Clough Williams Ellis and published by Legare Street Press. This book was released on 2022-10-27 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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 Small Strawbale written by Bill Steen and published by Gibbs Smith. This book was released on 2005 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thorough guide to building with strawbale and other natural materials, thisuide includes an eclectic sampling of houses, studios, meditation spaces,utbuildings, and landscape walls.

Download or read book Desert Or Paradise written by Sepp Holzer and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2012 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Outlines the author's ten points of sustainable self-reliance, details pond and lake construction, and discusses biodiversity.

Download or read book Architecture for the Poor written by Hassan Fathy and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2010-02-15 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Architecture for the Poor describes Hassan Fathy's plan for building the village of New Gourna, near Luxor, Egypt, without the use of more modern and expensive materials such as steel and concrete. Using mud bricks, the native technique that Fathy learned in Nubia, and such traditional Egyptian architectural designs as enclosed courtyards and vaulted roofing, Fathy worked with the villagers to tailor his designs to their needs. He taught them how to work with the bricks, supervised the erection of the buildings, and encouraged the revival of such ancient crafts as claustra (lattice designs in the mudwork) to adorn the buildings.

Download or read book The Natural Plaster Book written by Cedar Rose Guelberth and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2003-04-08 with total page 542 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For builders of natural homes (straw bale, cob, adobe, rammed earth, and other natural materials), this unique step-by-step guide takes the confusion out of choosing, mixing, and applying natural plasters. From principles to practicalities, and with every stage of the process illustrated, The Natural Plasters Book details the entire process of plastering with earth, lime, and gypsum for a long-lasting and durable finish. Starting with an overview and history of the natural building movement, the book handles a wide variety of topics including earthen plaster versus cement stucco, tools and techniques of the trade, plaster recipes, and pigmenting plaster or painting walls with natural paints. First-time builders will appreciate tips on common mistakes (and how to avoid them) discussed at each stage of the plastering process. Special focus is paid to the importance of planning and designing for earthen plasters- before building begins. The only comprehensive guide available on natural plasters, this book is written for the growing number of people who have decided to build their own natural homes as well as for professionals. Heavily illustrated with practical drawings and photographs, it also includes an extensive resource guide listing books, magazines, videos, builders, and suppliers.

Download or read book The Cobber s Companion written by Michael Smith and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You can build your own earthen home with your own hands and feet, with materials that are available almost everywhere for cheap or for free, without power tools or previous building experience. Earth is one of the oldest building materials on the planet and still the most common. Thousands of picturesque cob homes in England, Ireland and Wales have withstood centuries of rain, snow, and gales, and remain comfortable and joyously inhabited today. Currently, cob is enjoying a revival of interest both in Britain and in North America. This book tells you how to: -- build with cob, a traditional mixture of earth, sand and straw; -- select building materials and determine the best mixture for a given soil; -- sculpt a personalized house with built-in seats, counters, shelves, and niches -- evaluate natural alternatives for roofs, floors, plasters, and insulation -- reduce your dependency on money and environmentally harmful practices -- avoid the costly mistakes made by many novice builders. Michael G. Smith was a founding director of the Cob Cottage Company for four years and has taught over 30 week-long workshops on cob and other natural building techniques. He is a founder and organizer of the Natural Building Colloquium.