Book Catagories
Featured Item
BUILDING A LOW IMPACT ROUNDHOUSE
Tony Wrench
Permanent Publications
Tony Wrench lives a low impact, sustainable way of life through the application of permaculture principles. This is the story of how he built himself a cordwood roundhouse in Pembrokeshire, both a witty and moving account of realising a lifetime’s dream, and a practical ‘how to’ manual for anyone wishing to follow his example.
"Well written with a great deal of wit and logical explanation"
Permaculture Magazine.
"A staggering amount of advice from an author who clearly knows his stuff"
Wave
"An excellent read, providing a moving and witty account of the building process"
Building
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Ecological Architecture 2
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HANDBOOK OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
An Environmental Preference Method For Selection Of Materials For Use In Construction & Refurbishment
David Anink, Vhiel Boonstra & John Mak
This handbook gives guidance to the selection of building materials from an environmentally conscious viewpoint. Covering both new building and refurbishment, it clearly and simply grades the options available at each stage of construction. 176pp
HSB £40.00 add to cart
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HOMEWORK
Handbuilt Shelter
Lloyd Kahn
This splendid book, the sequel to Shelter, has over 1,100 photographs and 300 drawings illustrating buildings from around the world. There are sections on native American builders, Japanese-style stilt houses, solar-powered houses in California and the shelters of indigenous people in Africa, Asia and South America. 246pp
HWH1 £14.99 add to cart
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HOW TO BUILD ANIMAL HOUSING
60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nest Boxes, Feeders, Stanchions & Much More
Carol Ekarius
This is a must have book for all smallholders. It covers everything from rabbit hutches and chicken coops to stables, barns and shade shelters. Packed with designs, useful information about understanding and designing with microclimates, and construction techniques. 262pp
HBA £14.99 add to cart
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HOW TO BUILD TREEHOUSES, HUTS & FORTS
David Stiles
Written for kids with some knowledge of carpentry, tools and materials and for those amongst us with a fairly hazy understanding of ‘grown up’ how to books! Clearly illustrated with black and white drawings throughout, it takes you through how to select a tree, build a treehouse, a free standing fort or look out tower and even a cannon. 96pp
HBTH £11.99 add to cart
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HOW TO FIND & BUY A BUILDING PLOT
Roy Speer & Michael Dade
Guides you through the joys and pitfalls of choosing and valuing a plot of land, checking on the planning permission situation and getting a good deal if you’re buying by auction or tender. Tells the stories of three families who did it and the key points they learned. 156pp
FBP £12.50 add to cart
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HOW TO GET PLANNING PERMISSION
Roy Speer & Michael Dade
How to present your application or appeal in a way that will give it the best chance of success, and how four families succeeded against the odds. 160pp
GPP £12.50 add to cart
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HOW TO STOP & INFLUENCE PLANNING PERMISSION
Roy Speer & Michael Dade
Demystifies the planning process, so that anyone can challenge it and succeed in getting their views heard. Tells you whats important and whats not, who to approach and how to write a letter that will make the Planning Officer your ally. 160pp
SIP £12.50 add to cart
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THE INDIAN TIPI
Its History, Constuction & Use
Reginald & Gladys Laubin
The definitive classic about tipis which covers making, furnishing and decorations, its history, tipi living, the native kitchen, sweat lodges and much more. Fascinating details about tribal design variations and decoration, the authors write from their own living experience. A total must for tipi enthusiasts everywhere. 390pp
ITI £22.50 add to cart
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IN SEARCH OF NATURAL ARCHITECTURE
David Pearson
This beautiful exposition of natural architecture from ancient to modern demonstrates how it influences personal health and spiritual warmth. Stunning photographs, inspiring text. Hardback. 162pp
ISN £15.99 add to cart
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LIME IN BUILDING
A Practical Guide
Jane Schofield
Advice on how to use lime in basic building work and decorating, giving clear practical instructions about required tools, preparation, mixing and application. This is by no means a complicated guide and contains all the information you need to use this material. 32pp
LIB £6.00 add to cart
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MAKING BETTER CONCRETE
Guidelines To Using Fly Ash For Higher Quality, Eco-friendly Structures
Bruce King
Fly ash is an eco-friendly alternative to using Portland cement in concrete, but until now there has been no easy guide to how it makes superior concrete, or to how to use it. This isn’t just for people who want to ‘build green’, it’s is for people who want to build better concrete. 54pp
MBC £12.95 add to cart
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MONGOLIAN CLOUD HOUSES
How To Make A Yurt And Live Comfortably
Dan Frank Kuehm
A fun book that combines traditional Mongolian culture with contemporary living in the global north. Well illustrated with some good low tech ideas like a five gallon can stove, a hole in the ground fridge, a simple sweatlodge... A charming book to dream over. 116pp
MCH £9.99 add to cart
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NATURAL BUILDING
A Guide To Materials & Techniques
Tom Woolley
A practical book aimed at architects, their clients, self-builders and environmental groups. Describes many natural materials and methods used by pioneers of natural building, explaining their advantages and disadvantages. Includes chapters on earth building, timber, strawbale, green roofs, lime, hemp, insulation materials and natural paints, plus a small section on planning regulations. 186pp
NB2 £19.95 add to cart
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NATURAL PAINT DECORATOR
Lyn Edwards & Julia Lawless
At last! The first good book on natural paint finishes since Paint went out of print. Easy to follow and beautifully illustrated, this comprehensive book offers practical instructions on how to prepare traditional finishes such as distempers, limewashes, oils, waxes, stains, together with clear instructions. Also included is a list of suppliers for any item that can’t be found in your own kitchen. 192pp
NPD £16.99 add to cart
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THE NATURAL PLASTER BOOK
Earth, Lime & Gypsum Plasters For Natural Homes
Cedar Rose Guelberth & Dan Chiras
The popularity of natural building methods has grown enormously in recent times and looking at the beauty, durability and safety of natural plasters it is easy to understand why. This well illustrated book teaches the principles of making and using plasters and points out many common mistakes and how to avoid them. 272pp
NPB1 £24.99 add to cart
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OUT OF THE WOODS
Ecological Designs For Timber Framed Housing
Pat Borer & Cindy Harris
Ecological design for timber frame self-build housing using the Walter Segal method – so easy anyone can do it! This accessible book, using full colour photos and plans throughout, will help you design and make your building as ecologically friendly as possible. 120pp
OOW £17.50 add to cart
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PAINT
The Earth Fired Book Of Natural Colour
Elizabeth Hilliard & Stafford Cliff
From the very outset, the ideology of this book is apparent – ‘forget paint think colour’. Offering wonderful photographs which are both striking and completely absorbing, there is also information given on paint techniques and achievable effects. 192pp
PFE £14.99 add to cart
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THE PASSIVE SOLAR HOUSE
The Complete Guide to Heating & Cooling
James Kachadorian
Kick the oil habit & turn to the sun for heating and cooling, this book will show you how. The core appeal of this revised edition is its basis on the authors solar slab heat exchanger. Applicable to diverse budgets and styles of architecture Kachadorian's proven techniques bring solar design to todays eco-builders. Includes solar deign software on CD-ROM. 224pp
PSH £30.00 add to cart
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A PATTERN LANGUAGE
Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa,
Murray Silverstein
A pattern language describes a completely new methodology to building and planning. The 252 patterns described represent an infinate number of ways of designing and assembling 'whole' structures with reference to landscape, climate, local building materials, human scale, and how the space is used. An essential tool for anyone intending to plan, design or build. 1,172pp
APL £40.00 add to cart
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PLACES OF THE SOUL
Christopher Day
A new and revised edition of this classic book which reveals that sustainable design is not only about environmental issues and energy efficiency for new and renovated buildings. It is also about providing for the ‘soul’, making architecture and environmental design a healing art. A wonderful, ground-breaking book. 320pp
POS £14.99 add to cart
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PLASTICS ARE FANTASTIC
Richard Bennett and Paula Cowie
Another excellent manual from SCI in Scotland which shows you how to construct a plastic bottle greenhouse, two shelter walls and an array of toys out of waste materials. Both manuals are full of plans, diagrams, photos and step-by-step DIY instructions. Plastics is an ideal technology and waste education manual for schools. 32pp
PAF £12.00 add to cart
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THE RAMMED EARTH HOUSE
David Easton
This is a definitive guide to the subject, that combines traditional craft with modern innovation in design, detailing and build. From the equatorial tropics to the coldest northern climates these rammed earth structures make year-round comfortable homes that require minimal heating and cooling. The book has a useful appendix on how to identify and test soils for their construction suitability. Full of colour illustrations of both finished projects and construction techniques. 266pp
REH £25.00 add to cart
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RUSTIC RETREATS
A Build It Yourself Guide
David & Jeanie Stiles
Turn your dreams into reality with instructions for build-it-yourself hideaways on the ground, in the trees, and on water. Chapters cover mater-ials and basic building techniques for construction of the different styles of shelter. Also included are ideas for special places: campfire circles and wind sculptures... delightful and practical. 150pp
RRS £14.99 add to cart
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THE SAUNA
Rob Roy
How to build a cordwood woodburner-heated sauna, and also how to build rectangular, oval, square and round cordwood buildings with turf roofs. Great detailing and lots of photos and diagrams. 198pp
TS1 £19.95 add to cart
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SHEDS
David Stiles
It’s hard to explain the joy of a well-built apex roof or the glories of tongue and groove, but this book has it all. There are detailed construction drawings as well as step-by-step instructions for a variety of projects. 192pp
SHE1 £16.95 add to cart
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SOLAR HOUSE
A Guide For The Solar Designer
Terry Galloway
A comprehensive guide to designing, planning and building a solar house, this manual includes specific design features, a review of current technologies, costings and maintenance for an integrated passive solar and photovoltaic house. Includes other renewable systems. Both for engineers, architects and the home owner. 218pp
SHG £29.99 add to cart
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THE SOLAR HOUSE
Passive Heating & Cooling
Dan Chiras
An approach known as natural conditioning provides comfort throughout the year by reducing, or eliminating, the need for fossil fuel. Chiras explains state of the art ventilation and filtering techniques that compliment the ancient solar strategies of themal mass and daylighting. 218pp
TSH £25.00 add to cart
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SPIRIT & PLACE
Christopher Day
How to create places which are psycholog-ically and physically nourishing to the soul and spirit as well as the body. A landmark text about designing the built environment so that it is socially inclusive, ecologically sustainable and a delight to be in. Full of fascinating information. 258pp
SP3 £30.99 add to cart
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All Books Postage & Packing FREE
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Featured Items
ROUNDWOOD CONSTRUCTION
BUILDING A LOW IMPACT ROUNDHOUSE
Second Edition With 10 Year Update
Tony Wrench
Tony shares his skills and techniques, from the process of visualising and designing the house to lifting the living roof, infilling the walls, laying out the rooms and adding renewable, autonomous technology. Fully illustrated throughout from cutting the timber to completion. 144pp
BLI2 £12.95
add to cart
BUILDING WITH LOGS
B Allan Mackie
Now completely revised and updated, this book is still the best book ever written on the subject for novice and experienced builder alike. Covers financing, blue prints, site planning, timber selection, felling and all aspects of construction. 128pp
BWL2 £17.95
add to cart
CORDWOOD BUILDING
The State Of The Art
Rob Roy
A thorough, articulate and knowledgeable explanation of this unique and earth-friendly method of construction. From the first examples to the latest techniques, building codes to maintenance, each aspect is explained by one of 25 expert contributors to create a one-of-a-kind reference. 256pp
CBS £21.00
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LOW COST POLE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
The Complete How To Book
Ralph Wolfe
Timber pole construction is a very cheap and easy method of building simple shelters, barns and houses. Whilst it contains a great deal of information, this guide is ideal for the inexperienced or even first time builder and is filled with very clear and precise diagrams which do a great job of bringing life to the text. There are also a range of plans in the back of the book to get you off to a flying start. 192pp
LCP £10.99
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THE OWNER BUILT LOG HOUSE
Living In Harmony With Your Environment
B Allan Mackie
Anyone with a will to learn and desire to make something of their own is more than capable of building a log house that will stand for years to come. Hundreds of terrific photos, detailed diagrams and drawings take the reader step-by-step through the building process: selecting the land; purchasing and preparing the logs; sharpening tools; cutting, lifting and fitting the logs, and all the other steps involved. 232pp
OBL £17.95
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TIMBER POLE CONSTRUCTION
An Introduction
Lionel Jayanetti & Paul Follet
Covers the process of felling and preparing the timber, through to specific applications in the construction of buildings, bridges and retaining walls. This is not a how-to manual, but is instead intended as an introduction to what is possible with this technology. 64pp
TPC £10.95
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Charles McRaven
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