Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log, and Strawbale Construction

The house of your Dreams does not have to be expensive. The key is all in the planning. How much a house costs, how it looks, how comfortable it is, how energy-efficient it is - all these things occur on paper before you pick up even one tool. A little extra time in the planning process can save you tens of thousands of dollars in construction and maintenance. That is time well spent!

Living Homes takes you through the planning process to design an energy and resource efficient home that won't break the bank. Then, from the footings on up to the roof, author Thomas J. Elpel guides you through the nuts and bolts of construction for slipform stone masonry, tilt-up stone walls, log home construction, building with strawbales, making your own terra tile floors, concrete countertops, windows and doors, solar water heaters, masonry heaters, framing, plumbing, greywater, septic systems, swamp filters, painting and more!

Table of Contents

Introduction:
Building a House on Limited Means: The Elimination of all that is Unnecessary to Achieve a Dream
Part I: Dreams, Goals and Ecology
Integrated Design and Construction: Homesteading in the Twenty-first Century
Choosing a Location: Planning a Thousand Years into the Future
Disaster-Proofing Your Home: Preventing the Obvious. Preparing for the Inevitable
Building Codes, Permits and Inspections: Exceed the Minimum Standards!
Defining Your Goals: A Blueprint is the Sum of the Criteria

Part II: Principles of Energy Efficiency
Warm Houses for Cold Climates: Insulation, Thermal Mass, Solar Gain, and Air Locks
Insulation and Insulation Systems Many Choices, Most of Them Bad
Air Quality: Finding Fresh Air in a High-Efficiency House

Part III: Building the Walls
Footings, Foundations and Floors: Starting from the Bottom Up
Cement Mixing & Measuring: Aggregates, Admixtures, Substitutes, and Reinforcement
Slipform Stone Masonry: A Stone Masonry Primer
Tilt-up Construction: A New Lift to the Ancient Art of Stonework
Log Building Basics: For Builders with Little Time or Experience
Building with Bales: It's Fast, Inexpensive, and Energy Efficient

Part IV: Closing It In
Putting the Roof On: The Search for Better Solutions
Terra Tiles: Hand-Made Tile Floors from Sand, Cement, Dirt, and Dye
Wood Frame Construction: Building Interior Floors and Walls
Windows and Doors: Putting a Plug in the Thermos

Part V: Plumbing, Heating, and Wiring
Water Supply, Management, and Recycling Squeezing More Use out of Less Water
Practical Plumbing: Important Tips I Could Have Used
Heating Systems: For Backup Heat & Hot Water
Revival of the Masonry Stove: An Old, but Efficient Heating System
Electricity: Wiring the Alternative Home
Rethinking Appliances: Energy Efficiency is the Path to Independence

Part VI: Finishing Details
Concrete and Fly Ash Countertops: A Nice Kitchen Doesn't have to Be Expensive
A Primer on Paint: Reusing and Recycling

Conclusion - Reinventing Housing: The Road to Sustainability
Bibliography
Index

Price: $30.00

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