Living Homes. Integrated Design and Construction. Book by Thomas J. Elpel

Living Homes Integrated Design and Construction by Thomas J. Elpel 5th Edition, January 2005

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, windows & doors, solar water systems, masonry heaters, framing, plumbing, greywater, septic systems, swamp filters, painting and more!

The fifth edition includes fifteen pages of new material covering concrete-fly ash countetops, the latest stone masonry tips, plus revised and expanded tips and techniques throughout the book. Please Note: The NEW 5th EDITION arrived from the printer on January 7th. We shipped all outstanding backorders the same day.

Living Homes is 233 pages, including an incredible 300+ drawings and grayscale photos.

-Environmental Note- Everything but the cover is printed with soy ink on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, bleached without chlorine.

$1.00 from every book sold is donated to 3Rivers Park to help purchase habitat for people and wildlife in the Missouri Headwaters watershed in southwest Montana.

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 & Ecology

Integrated Design & Construction: Homesteading in the 21st 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 & Inspections: Exceed the Minimum Standards!

Defining Your Goals: A Blueprint is the Sum of the Criteria Part II: Principles of Energy Efficiency

Principles of Energy Efficiency: Designing Warm Houses for Cold Climates

Insulation & Insulation Systems Many Choices, Most of Them Bad

Thermal Mass: How to Capture, Store, and Release Heat

Solar Input: Passive & Active Solar Heating

Heating Systems: For Backup Heat & Hot Water

Rethinking Appliances: Energy Efficiency is the Path to Independence

Air Quality: Finding Fresh Air in an Airtight Home Part III: Water Supply & Management

Water Supply & Management Squeezing More Use out of Less Water

Wastewater Management and Reuse Closing the Loop on Water Waste Part IV: The Nuts & Bolts of Home-Building

Footings, Foundations and Floors: Starting from the Bottom Up

Cement Mixing & Measuring: Additives, Aggregates, 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

Putting the Roof On: The Search for Better Solutions

Windows & Doors: Putting a Plug in the Thermos

Part V: Finishing the Interior

Revival of the Masonry Stove: An Old, but Efficient Heating System

Terra Tiles: Hand-Made Tile Floors from Sand, Cement, Dirt, and Dye

Wood Frame Construction: Building Interior Floors and Walls

Concrete and Fly Ash Countertops: A Nice Kitchen Doesn't have to Be Expensive

Practical Plumbing: Important Tips I Could Have Used

Electricity: Wiring the Alternative Home

A Primer on Paint: Reusing and Recycling Conclusion--The Road to Sustainability: Breaking Free from Fossil Fuel Dependence Bibliography Index

See what the press is saying about Living Homes!

------------------------------------ Hi,

I just want to thank you for creating such wonderful and useful books. I was given your book Living Homes while I was building my house, and I subsequently read Participating in Nature. I'm certain that you must receive constant compliments on your work. As a filmmaker, I know that it never stops feeling good to have people appreciate your work. So I just wanted to let you know, you're work is very much appreciated!!

Adam Starr www.adamstarr.org (used with permission)





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