‣Essential Cob Construction presents both hands-on and rigorous technical information on how to build code compliant, low-embodied carbon, and fire- and earthquake-resistant buildings from cob – a mix of clay, sand and straw. The definitive cob guide for engineers, architects, designers, contractors, and owner-builders.

‣Essential Green Roof Construction is a comprehensive, in-depth guide to building simple green roofs for houses and small buildings. Packed with detailed photos, illustrations, case studies, and code compliance advice, it offers clear step-by-step instructions necessary to create your own living roof.

‣Essential Rainwater Harvesting covers complete home-scale rainwater harvesting system design including goal setting, system planning, site assessment, calculations, and material selection and sizing for all climates.

‣Essential Green Roof Construction is a comprehensive, in-depth guide to building simple green roofs for houses and small buildings. Packed with detailed photos, illustrations, case studies, and code compliance advice, it offers clear step-by-step instructions necessary to create your own living roof.

‣Written by leading practitioners, Straw Bale Building Details is the must-have illustrated guide to design and construction details for site-built straw bale buildings. Essential for avoiding costly mistakes, increasing construction efficiency and durability, and achieving desired energy performance goals.

‣Essential Rammed Earth Construction covers design, building science, tools, and step-by-step building methods for building with rammed earth - and, gravel, and clay or lime/cement binder packed into forms - in any climate with an emphasis on cold climates.

‣Essential Rainwater Harvesting covers complete home-scale rainwater harvesting system design including goal setting, system planning, site assessment, calculations, and material selection and sizing for all climates.

‣Essential Composting Toilets is a streamlined, illustrated manual that takes a practical approach to system selection criteria, design, installation, and operation, while meeting universal health and safety objectives.

‣Do you feel as though you're living in an expensive and ill-fitting home filled with too much stuff? A Tiny Home to Call Your Own examines the hows and whys of tiny-home living, and will help you assess whether it's the right for you by examining all aspects of tiny house living and exploring and array of living spaces.

‣Essential Natural Plasters is the most comprehensive guide to making and using natural plasters for all types of buildings. It covers clay, lime, and gypsum plasters; waterproof tadelakt plaster; fibers and additives; interior and exterior use; substrate preparation; mixing, testing, and tinting; and practical application tips.

‣Essential Earthbag Construction is an illustrated guide to building with earth-filled polypropylene bags, a low-impact, highly durable method of construction. It includes material specifications, installation, design guidance, foundations, wall plastering, basic utilities, seismic reinforcement, maintenance, and the variety of uses.

‣Cordwood building – log-ends set in insulated mortar – is an economical, low-impact building method. Essential Cordwood Building is the first fully illustrated, step-by-step guide for design, material specification, construction, detailing, maintenance, and code compliance of cordwood. For both the DIYer and professional builder.

‣Light straw clay is a code compliant high-performance, low-impact building material with insulation and moisture handling qualities. This illustrated guide to light straw clay for stud, timber, pole and other framing styles covers material specifications, best use, mixing, installation, retrofits, code compliance, finishing and maintenance.

‣Essential Sustainable Home Design walks homebuilders through designing an environmentally friendly home. Covering what makes a building green, a criteria matrix to guide design, material, and systems decisions, working with code officials, and choosing sustainable materials to keep the project goals on track from start to finish.

‣Written for the layman, this is the fully revised and updated guide for individuals and businesses interested in generating their own electricity using the Sun. Practical and accessible, it provides a basic understanding of electricity, wiring, and solar energy, and guides the reader through site assessment and determining the type ...

‣Poor heat and moisture detailing are enemies of durability, comfort and efficiency in house design. Essential Building Science provides a visual, accessible introduction to the fundamentals of building physics and the skills to develop thermal and moisture strategies for creating better new buildings and improving old ones.

‣Cordwood masonry walls are low-cost, easy to build, aesthetically pleasing, and score high environmental points for making use of low-impact materials.

This fully revised 2nd edition of the most widely read and used book on cordwood construction presents the latest innovations and on-the-ground experience from four decades of cordwood ...

‣Essential PrefabStraw Bale Construction is an illustrated guide to pre-manufactured bale walls. This manual covers the properties, applications, specifications, code-compliance and climate data, with step-by-step instructions and budgeting information for this development in sustainable building.

‣Essential Hempcrete Construction is an illustrated guide to this affordable, renewable method, from procurement to finish. This indispensable manual covers material properties, applications, specifications, code-compliance and climate data, rounded out by step-by-step instructions and budgeting information.

‣A rocket mass heater is an earthen masonry heating system which provides clean, and efficient warmth for your home, while using 70-90% less fuel than a woodstove. Fully illustrated, The Rocket Mass Heater Builder's Guide combines comprehensive design, construction and installation instructions with maintenance and troubleshooting advice.

‣Buildings and their associated systems are the largest source of greenhouse gases in the world. The 2030 Challenge aims to produce zero net -energy from new North American construction by 2030 while achieving a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from existing buildings. With less than 4% of commercial and residential structures in ...

‣Flush it and forget it is the plumbing mantra of the industrialized world. Most people just want sewage to go away, preferably without having to see, smell, or worse yet, touch it. But crap has a bad rap. Human waste is a valuable resource we can use to support food production. Blackwater, urine, and are actually rich in organic ...

‣An EcoNest is not just a home-it is a breathtakingly beautiful structure that nurtures health and embraces ecology. This unique approach to construction combines light straw clay, timber framing, earthen floors, natural plasters, and other natural techniques with the principles of Building Biology to create a handcrafted living ...

‣According to conventional wisdom, building a green home is an expensive endeavor. The standard approach treats green as an add-on, tacking "premium" products, finishes and equipment onto a traditional home design. As a result, many green home projects end up over budget or fail to achieve their environmental and performance goals.

Green ...

‣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 ...

‣This fully-illustrated manual covers the history, use and maintenance of earthen floors and features a guide to installing this durable, cost-effective alternative from scratch. Constructed natural materials, this beautiful, sealed, nontoxic flooring option is suitable for nearly any home and makes a perfect project for the DIY enthusiast.

‣Making Better Buildings systematically describes the real-world implications of the most popular green and natural building materials and techniques, objectively presenting the pros, cons and overall viability of each. An indispensable resource.

‣Housing is a fundamental human right. For most of human history, our homes were built by hand from whatever local materials were available. However, since the Industrial Revolution, most housing has become little more than quickly constructed, mass-produced, uniform boxes. At the same time, the invention and standardization of the ...

‣Wabi-sabi is about appreciating the simple and letting go of the superficial – the perfect antidote for a society in recovery from a decades-long consumerist binge. In 2004 The Wabi-Sabi House helped popularize this ancient Japanese philosophy in North America. Simply Imperfect is a fully revised and updated edition of The ...

‣What if I could harness this energy? An unusual question for anyone putting in a long stint on a treadmill perhaps, and yet human power is a very old, practical and empowering alternative to fossil fuels. Replacing motors with muscles can be considered a political act-an act of self-sufficiency that gains you independence.

The Human-Powered ...

‣Grid beam is a modular, reusable building system that is fast, easy, affordable and virtually goof-proof. Ordinary people, with few skills and even fewer tools (all you need is a wrench!) can tackle projects ranging from furniture and shop benches to more ambitious projects like wind turbines, truck racks, small buildings--even ...

‣Energy efficient, non-toxic, healthy homes are the hottest trend in the building industry. Homebuilders are constructing green homes in astonishing numbers-nearly 200,000 in the US alone in 2006.

How does a home buyer who wants a green home know what to look for, what questions to ask a builder, which green home rating systems to ...

‣Interest in sustainable, green building practices is greater than ever. Whether concerned about allergies, energy costs, old-growth forests, or durability and long-term value, homeowners and builders are looking for ways to ensure that their homes are healthy, safe, beautiful and efficient.

In these pages are descriptions and manufacturer ...

‣Stoneview is an octagonal cordwood masonry timber-framed guesthouse with a living roof, located in upstate New York, fully constructed and finished for just $6,000.

In response to the enormous interest in this unique little home, author/builder Rob Roy has written Stoneview.

Over 130 clear line drawings and step-by-step images provide ...

‣We know how to prepare our homes for each seasonal change, but do we know how to prepare for climate change? Violent weather events like floods, tornadoes, ice storms and hurricanes only tell part of the story. Climate change is frequently more subtle but its effects on our homes and properties can still be devastating.

Nearly 50 ...

‣Green building is the fastest-growing trend to hit since the Internet, bringing with it an enormous range of new products, systems and technologies. Green Building A to Z is an informative, technically accurate and highly visual guide to green building, for both decision-makers and interested citizens. It begins with an introduction ...

‣In an era of dwindling resources, water is poised to become the new oil as the entire world now faces the reality of a decreasing supply of clean water. To avert a devastating shortage, we must not only look at alternate water sources for existing structures, we must also plan our new developments differently.

Design for Water is ...

‣More and more homeowners today want houses that are healthy to live in and cause minimal damage to the environment. That's what green building is all about.

Your Green Home is written for homeowners planning a new home-whether you are working with an architect or builder, or serving as your own general contractor. Intended to improve.

‣The time-tested, easy-to-learn construction techniques described in Earth-Sheltered Houses will give readers to confidence with their own building projects, backed up by a resources section that lists all the latest products such as waterproofing membranes, types of rigid insulation and drainage products.

‣Straw bale houses are easy to build, affordable, super energy efficient, environmentally friendly, attractive, and can be designed to match the builder's personal space needs, esthetics, and budget. Despite mushrooming interest in the technique, however, most straw bale books focus on "selling" the dream of straw-bale building, ...

‣This highly illustrated guide includes all the tools, tricks, and techniques for building with bags filled with earth – or earthbags. The authors' "flexible form rammed earth technique" creates precision walls for constructing homes, outbuildings, garden walls, and much more.

‣Media reports focus increasingly on the declining health of children in industrialized countries. Asthma, autism, learning and behavior problems, and cancer are all on the rise. At the same time there is consistent news about poor indoor air quality, mold, and how buildings can make people sick.

Homes that Heal addresses both of ...

‣Many natural building methods rely upon the use of post and beam frame structures that are then in-filled with straw, cob, cordwood, or more conventional wall materials. But traditional timber framing employs the use of finely crafted jointing and wooden pegs, requiring a high degree of craftsmanship and training, as well as much ...

‣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 ...