Logs, Wind and Sun: Handcraft Your Own Log Home ... Then Power It with Nature

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable reading with a wealth of information
Review: I have been reading everything I can find about log homes. Most of the books I have read are more like an information text book. Lots of facts but boring. Logs Wind and Sun gives you the facts and how to use them along with a very enjoyable story of the trials and tribulations the authors encountered building there own log home. This gives you a much better idea of what to expect building your own log home from scrath or from a kit. The detailed information on solar and wind energy is a real eye opener. It opened up a whole new possibility of finding what my wife and I want in a piece of land to build our retirement log home on. We thought that land with no power was out of the question. Now we know that is exactly what we want. With this book you have nearly all the information you need to build a self sufficient log home. If your dream is to have a log home in the mountains far from the "rat race", Logs Wind and Sun is a must have book. Live your dreams!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for Log Home Wannabes
Review: Logs, Wind and Sun is one of those rare books that is both packed with useful information and enjoyable to read. I only wish it had been available five years ago when my husband and I started drawing up plans for our own log home. We spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars trying to get utilities to our remote mountain building site. This book clearly lays out alternative power solutions that can give you the freedom to live with all the modern conveniences you need miles from the nearest power pole. The authors personal experience provides the framework for the book, but they have obviously done their homework, and all their recommendations are backed up by copious facts. The book is generously sprinkled with photos and illustrations that de-mystify and explain and personal stories that entertain and inspire. LaVonne's Verities and Rex's Maxims give you personal insights and quips. And the writing is several notches above most other how-to books, offering emotional insights into the process of building your own home, as well as the more expected practical fare. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's ever dreamed about building a log home.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, informative and easy to read!
Review: When I started reading Logs Wind and Sun, I imagined I would skim the more detailed parts about construction since I don't plan to build a log home. I bought the book because I was interested in solar and wind generated electricity. But in the end, I read everything. Whenever I tried to skim, I soon came across something that caught my interest and, before I realized it, I was totally entranced with the story. The framed inserts break up the flow of the text and add little tid bits of information just when some variety is necessary. Rex's Maxims and LaVonne's Verities are a novel way of introducing light humor while at the same time making an important point. The illustrations were very concise, attractive and easily understandable. The photography was out of this world and the photos very appropriately located within the text. Every photo enhanced the message on the page where it was found. Logs Wind and Sun is clearly a product of team work, the story of a couple who, working together, accomplished their dream. I loved it, and also learned what I wanted to know about solar and wind power.