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A Sampler of Alternative Homes: Approaching Sustainable Architecture . This two-hour DVD, produced by Kelly Hart, provides an overview of sustainable building concepts. You can enjoy a look at a fascinating variety of homes and the creative people who built them! Discover how passive solar design and environmentally low-impact materials can be used to create comfortable and economical homes. See the use of both traditional materials, such as adobe, and innovative materials, such as papercrete and earthbags.

This program offers a wealth of information about construction details and other considerations. It covers adobe block construction, piled adobe (similar to cob), rammed earth, both load-bearing and post and beam strawbale, earthships, earth-sheltering, cordwood, thin-shelled concrete domes, papercrete, earthbags, hybrid structures, and recycling various containers for housing. To watch a streaming video introduction to this program, click here.
$29.95

For a VHS videotape of this program go to the STORE.

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Handmade Houses: A Century of Earth-Friendly Home Design by Richard Olsen, 2012. Showcasing one hundred years of innovation and environmental sensitivity, Handmade Houses celebrates some of the world’s most idiosyncratic homes from Big Sur to Sardinia. Author Richard Olsen  unveils the components used for their construction, including driftwood, boulders, and even old wine vats. The first study of the handmade-homes phenomenon since its inception in the late 1960s, Handmade Houses revisits the subject’s roots and history, exploring how these homes and their owners paved the way for the architectural-salvage business and the reclaimed, industrial look ever-popular today. As fascinating as the structures are themselves, their owners—professionals and amateurs who personally designed and built each residence—offer their inspirations and stories behind the convention-defying homes. Design lessons are gleaned from each home—some examples of environmentally aware construction with applicable tips for use in more mainstream scenarios.

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The Natural Building Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to Integrative Design and Construction, by Jacob Deva Racusin and Ace McArleton, published in 2012 by Chelsea Green Publishing is a book with a rare degree of detail on the topics covered. It is an extremely valuable resource for those interested in actually building with the materials that it covers, which are primarily wood, straw, earth and stone. The experience and focus of the authors is on appropriate techniques for the climate of the Northeastern United States. This book would make an excellent text book, and indeed the authors are associated with Yestermorrow, the design/build school in Vermont. To read the rest of this review by Kelly Hart see this page.

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Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log, and Strawbale Construction; Building Your High-Efficiency Dream Home on a Shoestring Budget, by Thomas J. Elpel, 2010. Originally published in 1998, this is the sixth edition. This hefty book (250 pages, 8.5" X 11") is chock full of detailed information, personal musings, photos and diagrams, and practical tips. Thomas Elpel is a do-it-yourselfer after my own heart, and what he has compiled here chronicles his adventures of building his own home in rural Montana as well as experiences with other building projects. He and his wife were forced by circumstances to find inexpensive solutions for all of the challenges of building their home, and they managed to do this without sacrificing their commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability. To read my complete review see this page.

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Houses: Modern Natural/Natural Modern by Ron Broadhurst, Barry Bergdoll, 2010. This carefully curated presentation of new and recent houses represents the vanguard of architects creating innovative structures that maintain a sensitive relationship to their natural contexts. With exceptional color photography, the book presents houses created with sustainability and carbon footprint in mind, as well as houses constructed on spectacular sites. Some houses incorporate the cutting edge of environmentally sensitive design; some radically rethink the use of "traditional" materials such as wood and stone.

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Natural Houses: The Residential Architecture of Andersson-Wise, Chris Wise, Arthur Andersson, 2010. Natural Houses presents seven of the Austin, Texas-based firm's exquisitely crafted projects. Precise and cool, with forms often derived from the American vernacular of barns and cottages, these are painstakingly crafted houses made from regionally appropriate and aesthetically timeless materials. Natural Houses presents a range of sites and residences-from a small cabin in the woods to a multibuilding camp. Sited on a cliff, the House Above Lake Austin uses terraces to descend its steeply hilly site. The building's simple materials celebrate the site and climate not by drawing attention to themselves, but by blending in. The stone foundation is similarly tied to the natural stone of the mountain. Smooth plaster walls above the stone foundation appear to have been chiseled from the rock itself. In a deceptively simple boathouse the walls fold down to become impromptu diving platforms.

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The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building materials & Methods: Including Sod, Compressed Earth, Plaster, Straw, Beer Cans, Cordwood and Many Other Low Cost Materials by Jon Nunan, 2009. This book will show you how to identify, locate, and effectively use many alternative building materials. The advantages and benefits of alternative building materials for both consumers and builders and the key ecological design principles are written about. It discusses straw bale, cordwood, cob, adobe, rammed earth, light clay, pise, earthbag, bamboo, earth-rammed tires, cork, wool carpeting, sod, compressed earth, earth plaster, beer cans, bottles, as well as living roofs and more. The performance characteristics of these materials and construction techniques for each are explored, as well as how to integrate plumbing and electricity into these alternative buildings. You will also learn about the structural aspects, climate control, siting, foundations, and flooring options. Ultimately, you will come to understand that these materials are often cheaper, easier to build with, stronger, more durable, and more fire resistant than many more conventional materials. I wrote the Foreword to this book and this website is given credit on the cover of the book.

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Natural Building: Creating Communities Through Cooperation by Timothy Rieth, 2008. The book is an illustration of a successfully built natural building, including the necessary human element. The book takes the reader through the entire building process for the folly, and with text and photographs documents the experiences of dozens of students and instructors as they created the small, natural gem of a building during a single summer. The processes and material result of this adventure are well documented, but the authors also tried to document what is harder to transmit: the creation of a strong social bond between all of the participants - students, teachers, the owner, residents of the town and the land itself. This intangible result-the creation of a community or tribe - is perhaps one of the greatest benefits of such an event and program.

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The Barefoot Architect by Johan van Lengen, 2007. A former UN worker and prominent architect, Johan van Lengen has seen firsthand the desperate need for a "greener" approach to housing in impoverished tropical climates. This comprehensive book clearly explains every aspect of this endeavor, including design (siting, orientation, climate consideration), materials (sisal, cactus, bamboo, earth), and implementation. The author emphasizes throughout the book what is inexpensive and sustainable. Included are sections discussing urban planning, small-scale energy production, cleaning and storing drinking water, and dealing with septic waste, and all information is applied to three distinct tropical regions: humid areas, temporate areas, and desert climates. Hundreds of explanatory drawings by van Lengen allow even novice builders to get started. For a complete review by Kelly Hart see this page.

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Sticks Stones Mud Homes: Natural Living by Nigel Noyes, 2007. Founded on the principles of minimal impact and sustainable practice, this resource explains how, with ingenuity, determination, and a new aesthetic sensibility, seemingly unconventional materials can be adapted to use for building a home. Designed to conserve energy, create new life from old, and employ good recycling practices that work with the environment, the featured houses are all made from rammed earth, baled straw, mudbricks, recycled timber, stone, and other inexpensive and contemporary materials. With good designs and sound building principles, these homes are not only respectful of limited environmental resources, but can also be stylish, comfortable, and economical.

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The Art of Natural Building: Design, Construction, Resources, by Joseph Kennedy, et al, 2002. I am actually among the et al in this book! I contributed two articles for the editors, one about my earthbag/papercrete house, and the other about the value of earth berming. This comprehensive introduction to the natural building field is for lay people, architects, and designers who wish to build beautiful, low-cost, and environmentally-sensible structures. From straw bale and cob, to recycled concrete and salvaged materials, this anthology of articles from leaders in the field focuses on both the practical and the esthetic concerns of ecological building designs and techniques. Profusely illustrated and packed with resources.

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Natural Timber Frame Homes by Wayne Bingham, Jerod Pfeffer, 2007. Natural Timber Frame Homes lays the philosophical groundwork for how locally available materials result in more durable and beautiful homes. It asks us to consider the source of our wood, stone, clay, and straw and suggests that this awareness contributes to our perception of character in a finished house. Building naturally also gives us the feedback necessary to be conscientious environmental and economic stewards and allows us to play a meaningful role in the creation of our dwelling. This book puts the theory of natural building into practice by providing the tools to evaluate your area for potential building materials. Photographs and drawings pull the theory together into workable timber frame construction details with floor plans that are adaptable to your specific needs, including your climate and landscape. Beauty and character of traditional timber frame homes are a result of natural materials being crafted by the hands of the builder. By injecting ourselves into the process of home construction, we have the potential to live more connected to the natural world and influence the future of the Earth for the better.

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Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter by Lloyd Kahn, 2004. I have rarely been this enthusiastic about a book, and not just because I am in it! Ever since his first publication of Shelter in 1973 (which I also contributed to), Lloyd has been collecting imagery and stories for this eventual sequel. With Home Work, Lloyd has gone beyond the glory of his earlier work in many ways. Not only does it seem more comprehensive, but it is almost entirely in color. This is a sumptuous coffee table book that will likely not spend much time on the table, since it is so intriguing you just want to pick up and browse through it. Every page is chock full of fun, unusual, lyrical, quaint, artistic, humble, elegant, practical, colorful, whimsical, well-crafted, funky, traditional, and outlandish buildings that were lovingly built by the hands of those who reside there. All of this is presented with Lloyd's casual style of layout and commentary that is reminiscent of a scrap book. Many of the photos are actually collages of several exposures spliced together to create expansive murals. Flipping through the pages of Home Work will take you back to the early days of hippie huts and forward to the cutting edge of natural building technology. The builders themselves are portrayed as lovingly as their buildings, with many profiles of fine craftsmen and women sprinkled throughout. In fact, the book begins by featuring the work of ten artisans who represent some of the best in this tradition of owner-builders. Then a whole slew of other specific homes are displayed in such a way that the lifestyle of their occupants is embedded directly within the imagery. This book depicts far more than architecture; it shows entire ways of life. For a more complete review and some images from the book click here.

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Natural Remodeling for the Not-So-Green House: Bringing Your Home into Harmony with Nature by Carol Venolia, Kelly Lerner, 2006. To have a home that's more in touch with the earth, you don't have to start from the ground up! It's possible-and more environmentally friendly-to go green by renovating an existing home. With the help of Carol Venolia, an award-winning architect and bestselling author, and Kelly Lerner, a world-famous innovator in the field of sustainable development, even the least mechanically inclined person can make a difference in his or her dwelling.and to the planet. The two have produced a remarkable book-packed with information and photos, and the first ever in full color to cover the subject. It's lush and exquisite to look at, filled with motivational case studies and informative graphics, and completely user-friendly. 

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The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options, by Dan Chiras, 2004. As homeowners become more environmentally savvy and demand ecological choices, a new generation of architects and builders is emerging, intent on creating warm and inviting homes that cause only a fraction of the environmental impact of conventional building methods. The New Ecological Home provides an overview of green building techniques, materials, products and technologies that are either currently available or promise to be in the near future. There are chapters on green building materials, earth-sheltered architecture, passive solar heating and cooling, sustainable approaches to water and waste, energy efficiency, and environmental landscaping. Chiras sets the record straight on the vast potential for passive heating and cooling and provides a resource guide, recommendations, and a green-building checklist. He provides a wealth of up-to-date, practical information for homebuyers, owner-builders, and anyone interested in building for a sustainable future.

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Designing Your Natural Home by David Pearson, 2005. One of the pioneers of incorporating the green movement into home design, David Pearson now offers a complete guide for creating an eco-home. Informative, clear, and with factual advice, tips, and beautiful color photos, Designing Your Natural Home takes readers through each step of the process, from defining the scope of the project to choosing materials and building methods to decorating the new abode. Along with practical, how-to information, photo essays present inspiring and stylish examples of natural design. The ten innovative homes featured in this book exemplify different solutions for every situation and budget, from apartments to sprawling dwellings. Readers will learn how to make the most of small spaces, find a builder, draw up plans, purchase low energy appliances, and much more. Whether they're renovating an existing space, expanding a house, or starting from scratch, readers will be inspired to create the natural home of their dreams with this indispensable guide and source for fresh ideas.

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Building for a Future magazine, is published by The Green Building Press, which is dedicated to helping you create green, healthy and sustainable buildings. They provide regular and unbiased information via these publications: Building for a Future, the quarterly magazine, Green Building Bible, the definitive book, and GreenPro, a green product directory. This information is primarily focused on materials and projects in the United Kingdom, but would be of interest to a much wider audience. Most of the articles in the magazine are written by the very people that designed or built the projects described. This can be excellent inspiration for architects, builders, developers, self builders and everyone interested in eco-building, including homeowners.

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Building Green : A Coplete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods by Clarke Snell , Tim Callahan, 2006. This absolutely groundbreaking manual doesn't just talk about eco-friendly building techniques, but actually shows every step! More than 1,200 close-up photographs, along with in-depth descriptions, follow the real construction of an alternative house from site selection to the addition of final-touch interior details. Co-authors Clarke Snell and Timothy Callahan (a professional builder and contractor) provide thorough discussions of the fundamental concepts of construction, substitutes for conventional approaches, and planning a home that's not only comfortable and beautiful, but environmentally responsible. Then, they roll up their sleeves and get to work assembling a guest house that incorporates four different alternative building methods: straw bale, cob, cordwood, and modified stick frame. The images show every move: how the site is cleared, the basic structure put together, the cob wall sculpted, the bales and cordwood stacked, a living roof created, and more. Most important, the manual conveys real-world challenges and processes, and offers dozens of sidebars with invaluable advice. It's head and shoulders above all others in the field.

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Living Homes: Integrated Design & Construction by Thomas J Elpel, 2010.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!

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Natural Building and a New Sense of the Earth DVD produced by Inner Growth Books and Videos. Have you ever dreamed of another kind of life? Not the job that you don't want to go off to in the morning, or the house you have to keep on paying for year after year, but a life closer to the earth, a little place in the country that you build yourself, a garden and some solar panels for electricity, time to be with those you love and to do the things you most want to do. An impossible dream? Maybe not. Right now people all over are working to create an alternative to a consumer society that gives us less and less satisfaction and is more and more destructive to the earth and to us, as well. Explore the world of natural building and meet some of its pioneers who are creating beautiful and inexpensive houses out of earth and straw, houses that you can make, too. This is a way of building that can transform how you see the earth and yourself.

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Earth Walls: Natural Building and Sustainability DVD directed by Tona Williams.   Natural builders in Madison and rural Wisconsin build a cob wall (made with clay, sand, and straw) and insulate a home with straw bales. Participants celebrate the fun of natural building and talk about how to change conventional construction so that similar projects can catch on in cities. Includes demonstrations of foundations, cob mixing and wall-building, and lime plastering. Explore the functionality and artistic flair of homes called Earthships in New Mexico. Visits to completed and in-progress structures illustrate how tires, bottles, cans, and earth can create exceptional dwellings. Solar panels, passive solar heating, wind turbines, biodiesel, and rainwater collection also show life "off the grid."  Includes discussion of choosing what kind of house to build, new ideas for walls, foundation and roofing options, utilizing insulation and thermal mass, embodied energy, permaculture, approaching a design, and building codes.

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Building With Awareness: The Construction of a Hybrid Home, DVD, 2005. This beautifully photographed how-to DVD will show you how to build straw bale walls for insulation, adobe walls for interior thermal mass (which greatly increases the efficiency of a straw bale home), earth plasters for a beautiful finish, 100% electrical generation by sunlight, and passive solar heating and cooling. This video could save you thousands of dollars in design and construction costs. Beautiful aesthetics and energy-efficiency can both come from the same materials. It is how the structure is designed as a whole that makes the difference. Follow the design and construction of one house - from start to finish - and see how aesthetics, comfort, and energy efficiency can all come from the same materials and design parameters. This video is jam-packed with green design and construction techniques from professionals working in the cutting edge of home building and design. Although the video emphasizes the idea of building small, the concepts can be scaled to any size structure.