Examples of owner-built houses are depicted in this photographic journey through the countryside.

'Artists' handmade houses' examines the homes and studios crafted by a diverse group of artists from New York to California, including such greats as George Nakashima, Henry Varnum Poor, Sam Maloof, Wharton Esherick, Henry Mercer, Frederic Church, Paolo Santi and Russel Wright, among others.

The Woodstock Generation established a new kind of lifestyle and began to build their houses, studios, and simple structures as refuges from conformist architecture. This book shows examples of some of these homes in full-color detail, and is meant to be an inspiration to amateur as well as professional self-home builders.

Vernacular architecture, by its very nature, is built from local materials that are readily to hand and is thus defined by the geology and ecology of the region and by local climatic conditions. Constructed by the community using traditional tools, these structures are highly practical, energy-efficient, and blend with the landscape. They carry many of the attributes that we are now seeking in 'green architecture' as we struggle to adapt our built environment to the demands and concerns of the climate-change era. 'Handmade Houses and Other Buildings' looks at everyday structures all over the world, from whatever wood, grass, earth or stone that was to hand, in ways that offered practical solutions to the challenges of climate or terrain. Based on immemorial principles, but highly relevant to our newly found environmental concerns, these buildings show the simple and satisfying ways in which humans have worked out how to live - and live well, in harmony with their surroundings.

These handmade birdhouses and feeders, bee hotels, and butterfly and ladybird homes will bring welcome visitors to your garden. Handmade Houses and Feeders for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies features 35 beautiful havens to build to attract more wildlife into your garden. Each house is beautifully designed, with colourful details, but is also perfectly adapted for its intended inhabitants. There are birdhouses you can hang up or place on stands, and a bee house you can 'plant' in your flowerbed. There are also feeders for birds, and homes for butterflies and ladybirds. With her trademark attention to detail, Michele McKee-Orsini has designed a gorgeous collection of miniature palaces for the wildlife that we should all be encouraging into our gardens. Michele takes you through the basic woodworking and decorating skills you will need, and the step-by-step project instructions, clear artwork, and stunning photography will all inspire you to build your own havens for our flying friends. Handmade Houses and Feeders for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies is a compilation of previously published favourites.

Lloyd Kahn and Lesley's story of building their own home, establishing a garden, and practicing crafts on a small piece of land on the Northern California Coast, with over 500 photos.

Visit a dozen exciting homes where the owners have ignored standard building practices in favor of creative alternatives. These homes, found from Massachusetts to California, are expressive of individuality as well as artistry, and you'll be inspired to branch out and craft your own unique living space. Homes featured include Eliphante near Sedona, Arizona, a four-acre art installation complete with free-form rammed-earth buildings and handmade stained glass. You'll also tour the sculpted grounds and meditation huts of a recycling artist and guru, and the mystical home and gardens of Gnome Countryside, in southern Pennsylvania. See the latest take on the arts and crafts style in California, along with simplistic and beautiful straw bale homes in Virginia and Massachusetts. This book pays tribute to a long line of thrifty and artistically gifted homeowners who have created beauty from simple materials to live in homes that are art.