by Chris Magwood
New Society Publishers
8/22/2017, paperback
SKU: 9780865718500
Design your own sustainable home.
Many people dream of building a beautiful, environmentally friendly home. But until now there has been no systematic guide to help potential builders work through the complete process of imagining, planning, designing, and building their ideal, sustainable home.
Essential Sustainable Home Design walks potential homebuilders through the process starting with key concepts, principles, and a project vision that will guide the house to completion.
Coverage includes:
- How to clarify your ideas and create a practical pathway to achieving your dream
- A criteria matrix to guide design, material, and systems decisions
- Creating a strong, integrated design team and working with professionals and code officials to keep the project on track from start to finish.
- Key building science concepts that make for a high-performance, durable building
- Primer on building logistics, material sourcing, and protocols to ensure that the initial vision for the project comes to fruition.
- One-page summaries and ratings of popular sustainable building materials and system options.
Ideal for owner-builders and sustainable building contractors working with clients aiming to design and build a sustainable home.
Reviews:
"It's all here. Everything you need to know about designing a sustainable home, for you, your family and the planet. Easy to read and understand while tackling a myriad of complex subjects." - Martin Hammer, architect, co-author of the Straw Bale, Light Straw-Clay and Tiny Houses appendices in the International Residential Code
"Finally! An up-to-date overview of the most important approaches and questions to address when making a more sustainable home." - Ben Falk, MALD, author, The Resilient Farm and Homestead and Whole Systems Design, LLC
About the Author:
Chris Magwood has designed and built some of the most innovative, sustainable buildings in North America, including the first off-grid, straw bale home in Ontario. He is co-founder and director the Endeavour Centre for Innovative Building and Living and co-editor of the Sustainable Building Essentials series. Chris is the author of Essential Prefab Straw Bale Construction , Essential Hempcrete Construction , Straw Bale Details , More Straw Bale Building , and Making Better Buildings.