Under the Choko Tree By Nevin Sweeney

Books on Building

If you are interested in building a sustainable home it might also be worth having a look at the energy section. Some of the books there have great energy generating or saving ideas that are easiest to put in place if included at the construction stage.

Also, if you are looking at books from outside your area the laws will be different and you should consult someone ‘skilled in the art’ of building law to ensure you don’t cause yourself or others any legal hassles.

Architecture

The Barefoot Architect – Johan Van Lengen – Shelter Publications (US) 2008 ISBN 978 0 936070 42 1 – Subtitled “a handbook for green building” this book has over 700 pages on how to design your own house using sustainable principles. It includes bio-architecture, basic design, climate and site planning for humid and dry climates as well as working with adobe, rammed earth, bamboo, plaster, wood, concrete and ferro-cement. It covers design and construction methods for foundations, roofs, floors, walls, doors and windows as well as eco-friendly heating and cooling and use and movement of water including composting toilets. There are lots of clear drawings on almost every page but no photos.

Home Work (handbuilt Shelter) – Lloyd Kahn – Shelter Publications (US) 2004 ISBN 0 936070 33 1 - This book is a collection of images of buildings from all around the world. There is a small amount on construction details but it is mostly around ideas of what is possible rather than a ‘how to’ guide. There are also sections on housing on wheels and soft housing like tents and yurts. The images are mostly colour photos with a few line drawings and black and white photos thrown in.

Standard Construction Techniques

Building Your Own Home – George Wilkie – New Holland Publishers (AUS) 2003 ISBN 1 86436 747 4 – lots of detail on building your onw home including administrative stuff about consultants, authorities, specifications, schedules costing and subcontractors. The technical stuff like site prep, framing, footings, drainage, framing, concrete slabs, exterior and interior coverings, doors windows and roofing. Lots of detailed sketches and line drawings.

NSW Timber Framing Manual – State Forests NSW (AUS) 1996 ISBN 1 875432 33 7 – This book provides all the details on how to timber frame a house. Chapter include terminology, floor framing, flooring, wall framing, roof framing, tie down, bracing and timber member sizes. There are also extensive tables on what grades and sizes of timber are required for a wide range of applications. Lots of line drawings.

The Australian Owner Builder’s Manual – Allan Staines – Pinedale Press (AUS) 1990 ISBN 0 9593024 1 7 – This manual covers it all for the owner builder including owner building regs, getting plans drawn up and whether to build in timber, brick or block. The technical chapters cover concrete footings and slab floors, timber floors and subfloors, wall framing, roof construction, finishing and brick veneer, cavity brick and concrete block details. A “Miscellaneous” section covers services, corrugated iron roofing and flashing, among other things. Lots of line drawings.

A Design and Construction Handbook for Energy Saving Houses – Alex Wade – Rodale Press (US) 1980 ISBN 0 87857 275 9 – This is another big book (over 400 pages) and is all about using conventional materials (recycled where available) to build a low energy house. Sections cover electricity and alternative energy sources, financing, site selection and sourcing materials. The book covers all major building stuff including wiring and plumbing systems (illegal to do yourself in AUS) masonry floors, heat storage walls and chimneys as well as roofing, flashing, skylights and attached greenhouses. Part 3 gives a rundown on 11 examples of energy-saving houses. Lots of line drawings and black and white photos.

Alternative Construction Techniques

How to Build a Mud Brick House – Gregory Ah Ket – Lloyd O’Neill P/L (AUS) 1985 ISBN 0 85550 532 X – This step by step guide opens with an introduction on earth building and then covers permits, applications and finance (this bit may be out of date), then planning the build, testing your soil and how to size your bricks, then how to make them. The building process is then covered including foundations and footings, laying and finishing the walls, roofing systems fireplaces and chimneys. Installation of services (plumbing and electrical) are mentioned. There are lots of black and white photos, some line drawings and a few colour photos.

Building Your Straw Bale Home – Brian Hodge – Land Links Press (CSIRO) (AUS) 2006 ISBN 0 643 09242 0 – Written for the owner/builder this book provides step-by-step instructions supported by line drawings and photos. It covers the site preparation, foundations, concrete slabs, strip footings and stumps. The special techniques used in strawbale construction are covered as well as how the integrate with standard construction processes for floors, timber wall frames, ceiling and roof framing. Lots of line drawings with some black and white photos.

Small Green Roofs – Nigel Dunnet, Dusty Gedge, John Little and Edmund Snodgrass – Timber Press Inc (US/UK) 2011 ISBN 978 1 60469 059 0 – The book commences with an introduction on what a green roof is and what the benefits of having one are, then covers how to build one. There is also some detail on how to plant one out eg using veg and herbs, styles of planting, how to establish and maintain plants on a green roof. There are also a series of sections on projects where green roofs were put in place and how they were done. Lots of colour photos.

Grass Roots Earth Builders Companion – John & Jerry Archer – Night Owl Publications (AUS) 1981 ISBN 0 9595244 2 8 – This is a series of articles compiled from Grass Roots magazine articles on alternative building techniques from the 70’s and early 80’s. It is mostly centred on mud brick, adobe and wattle and daub with some reference to council regs of the time, designing and planning a house. Lots of line drawings and black and white photos.

Low Cost Country Home Building – The Technical Assistance Group, Dept of Architecture, University of Sydney, NSW Dept. of Environment and Planning (AUS) 1983 ISBN 0 86806 070 4 – The book is in 4 parts, the first discussed (probably out of date) NSW building legislation, the second part covers local government stuff including site inspections and owner builder permits, the third part is more technical and covers site assessment, vegetation and various alternative and standard construction techniques. Part 4 is a series of appendices giving detail on technical matters like selection of timber species and chemical preservation of timber. Lots of line drawings.

Building Green – Clark Snell & Tim Callahan – Lark Books (US) 2005 ISBN 978 1 57990 532 3 – This huge book (600+ pages) has been written around earth plaster, straw bale, cordwood and cob construction materials and living roofs. The book starts with building fundamentals and why one should build “green” and then goes on to discuss design, siting and site work and putting the site structure together. The next section details the processes for building with cob and other earth mixes, cordwood and strawbale. Lots of alternative methods for covering the walls, the roof and the floors are also discussed. There are lots and lots of colour photos with the odd diagram and line drawing.

Cordwood Masonry Houses: a Practical Guide for the Owner Builder – Robert L. Roy – Sterling Publishing Company (US) 1980 ISBN 0 8069 8944 0 – This small book is really what it says on the tin! It cover the history of this style of housing, finding materials, construction from foundations through to roofing and specific bits like turned up corners and curved walls. There are also instructions on personalising and tarting up your cordwood masonry house. Mostly black and white photos and line drawing but there is a gloss colour photo section in the centre of the book.

Tiny Houses

Compact Cabins – Gerald Rowan – Storey Publishing (US) 2009 ISBN 978 1 60342 462 2 – This book contains floorplans and sketches of 50 residential buildings less than 1,000 square feet (93 square metres). It is more a concept book rather than a “how to”, showing what is possible. There are also chapters on design, a modular approach to cabin design, using manufactured structural components, getting the most from building materials, compact and efficient utilities and appliances and finally, energy independence. There are lots of line drawings but no photos.

Sheds – David and Jeanie Styles – Firefly books (US) 2006 ISBN 978 1 55407 224 8 – Subtitled “The do-it-yourself guide for backyard builders” this is a good manual for tiny houses and other small buildings. It starts off with general shed construction information from foundation and framing through to roofing and finishes then gives step by step instruction on building a basic 8’ x 10’ shed. It then gives process instructions for more complex and special purpose sheds like a pool shed or a play shed. Lots of line drawings and a few colour photos.

Tiny House Living – Ryan Mitchell – Betterway Home Books (US) 2014 ISBN 978 1 4403 3316 3 – The book looks at the tiny house movement through a series of case studies about how people have designed, built and lived in tiny houses. The book includes information about the how and why of tiny houses, the movement itself and how it is impacted by consumer culture, how to design and live in a tiny house. It is an ideas book rather than ‘how to’. Lots of colour photos and a few line drawings.

Microshelters – Derek Diedricksen – Storey Publishers (US) 2015 ISBN 978 1 61212 353 0 – The sub title is ’59 creative cabins, tiny houses, tree house and other small structures’ and that covers things pretty well. With so many different options displayed this can only be an ideas book, although there are a number of floor plans included. There are number of colour photos of each micro shelter covering both inside and outside in most cases. There is also a section on required tools and how to use them as well as 6 detailed plans for building various types of shelters.

Living in Small Spaces – Lorrie Mack – Conran Octopus (UK) 1988 ISBN 1 85029 132 2 – This is not so much a book about tiny houses (although the information fits right in) as much as showing you how to get the most out of a small space, be it an apartment, townhouse or even a tiny house! Section one talks about techniques for maximising the space you have by making it feel bigger and section two has ideas for setting up specific rooms (eg kitchen, living room etc.) room by room. Section 3 showcases examples of furniture which allows you to maximise space. Lots of colour photos.

How to Live in Small Spaces – Terence Conran – Conran Octopus (UK) 2006 ISBN Lots if ideas here for maximising the use of a small space. The first part covers designing and planning, decorating and furnishing and then finishes off with information about converting lofts and basements, extensions etc. The second part works though area by area giving strategies specific to getting the most out of small spaces including small gardens and weekend retreats. There are also six small home case studies from the US, Europe and Japan. The book has lots of colour photos and some line drawings.

 

Click Here to check out our YouTube Channel