The Good House Book : A Common-Sense Guide to Alternative Homebuilding Solar * Straw Bale * Cob * Adobe * Earth Plaster * & More (A Natural Home Book)

Rating:
Summary: extremely useful
Review: I've seen all of the other eco-house books (really!) after months of reading. This is the best I've seen. I could have missed the philosophy lesson in the first half easily, but the second half of the book more than made up for it. The author gives good detail on foundations, building types and solar gain, as well as other practical aspects to a green house. My favorite part of the book was the in-depth interviews and descriptions of alternative home builders and their houses. The answers to the question: "What was your greatest mistake?" was in every case eye-opening. This book goes far beyond the usual "naive couple building a straw-bale" kind of book. Every useful kind of alternative construction is discussed from a builder's point of view. The photos are wonderful and appropriate. You might not want to live in their houses, but it gives you an idea of what has been done and why it worked and ways it could be improved.

Rating:
Summary: Likeable, Readable and Profound
Review: Okay - so I've never thought about the actual mechanics of building a house nor about the choices that allow us to enjoy the beauty of the planet without doing it harm. My concerns have usually been of the strict ly visual - I am an artist . This book is almost startlingly good - Clarke Snell has managed to stimulate even the most laissez-faire amongst us to pay attention to laws respect ing our environment and combine them with our desires for beauty and comfort not only for the past but indeed for the future.

Rating:
Summary: Likeable, Readable and Profound
Review: Okay - so I've never thought about the actual mechanics of building a house nor about the choices that allow us to enjoy the beauty of the planet without doing it harm. My concerns have usually been of the strict ly visual - I am an artist . This book is almost startlingly good - Clarke Snell has managed to stimulate even the most laissez-faire amongst us to pay attention to laws respect ing our environment and combine them with our desires for beauty and comfort not only for the past but indeed for the future.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Overview to Alternative Building
Review: The Good House Book is a loaded surprise: it is loaded full of the beauty of human efforts to create structures that keep us alive and comfortable on this planet; and a welcome surprise for the great depth to which it explores its subject of shelter. It is as attractively presented as a coffee table book, but covers a broad spectrum of building possibilities from general theory to specific applications, both historical and contemporary.

An initial visual foray into the book reveals beautiful photographic illustrations throughout, often arranged in thought-provoking patterns of juxtaposition: traditional structures versus modern versus alternative. This is not a how-to, step-by-step book, but a book of ideas and underlying principles, supported by specific examples.

In a chapter on Materials, we learn that ancient Roman concrete was pounded into place rather than poured wet, creating a material free of weak pockets, so strong that it did not rely on internal reinforcing, and allowing the creation of such enduring structures as the Coliseum in Rome. On a facing page concrete spews from a hose into a footing laced with reinforcing bar. This photo is annotated by a guest essay exploring modern concrete, which among other things explains why modern builders often pour it so wet (it flows easily into the forms and flows around the reinforcing bar), why too wet might not be such a good idea (pouring too wet can create small air pockets that lead to water infiltration and early failure), and examples when we pack it much drier still today (for example, when building a dam that needs to be very strong and justifies the extra effort). I have always been taught to mix and place concrete as dry as possible, but after reading these two pages I have a much better idea of why I would want to do so, and I am better aware that there is a continuum of options to choose from, each with benefits and consequences.

The central thread to The Good House Book is the rhetorical question of "What is a good building." The short answer, supplied by the author, is that a good building is specific: moving deftly from generalities to specifics makes this book not only entertaining, but practical.

Buildings can do more than last a long time and provide shelter. They also affect our spirit. Here is an example of one question explored by The Good House Book: Why does being in one space make you feel you feel good (monastery), while being in another makes you feel otherwise (modern shopping mall).

One of my favorite chapters is Applications, which interviews a number of owner/builders about their homes-concept, design, structure, relationship to and protection from the environment, lessons learned, and advice to aspiring builders.

The Good House Book will surely appeal to those interested in building their own alternative house. Beyond that, it will thoughtfully engage anyone interested in what makes a good house good, and any house better. The Good House Book is thoughtful and thorough, a very good book indeed.