The first highly illustrated, comprehensive guide to light straw clay - a high performance, low-impact, durable building material Light straw clay - straw mixed with clay slip - is a versatile, easy-to-use wall building material. Also called "slip-straw", its durability has been proven in beautiful, centuries-old buildings across Northern Europe and in modern high-performance buildings in North America. Building code compliant in the US and using "waste" materials with high insulation value and excellent moisture handling qualities, it's both high-performance and low-impact. Yet until now, there has been no practical guide to using the material in a wide variety of construction and renovation projects. Distilling decades of experience, Essential Light Straw Clay Construction is a fully illustrated step-by-step guide, ideal for both the DIYer and professional designer and builder alike. It covers: Material specifications, performance, and when and where to use it Estimating quantities, costs, and sourcing Illustrated, step-by-step guidance for mixing and installation, including "slip-chip" variations Detail drawings for various wall systems including stud, timber, and pole framing, Larsen trusses, I-joists, plus retrofits Code references, compliance, and best practice Finishing and maintenance techniques Additional resources. Lydia Doleman , a licenced contractor, taught carpentry and natural building at Solar Energy International in Colorado and was lead ecological builder for Portland's City Repair project. She's created beautiful, high-performance, low-impact buildings across the Northwest, from Portland's first permitted straw bale home and The Rebuilding Center's cob entryway, to a 3,300-sq. f light clay straw brewery. She's written for The Last Straw Journal and Permaculture Activist and appeared on NBC News and HGTV's Off Beat America . Lydia lives in southern Oregon.

The first highly illustrated, comprehensive guide to light straw clay - a high performance, low-impact, durable building material Light straw clay - straw mixed with clay slip - is a versatile, easy-to-use wall building material. Also called "slip-straw", its durability has been proven in beautiful, centuries-old buildings across Northern Europe and in modern high-performance buildings in North America. Building code compliant in the US and using "waste" materials with high insulation value and excellent moisture handling qualities, it's both high-performance and low-impact. Yet until now, there has been no practical guide to using the material in a wide variety of construction and renovation projects. Distilling decades of experience, Essential Light Straw Clay Construction is a fully illustrated step-by-step guide, ideal for both the DIYer and professional designer and builder alike. It covers: Material specifications, performance, and when and where to use it Estimating quantities, costs, and sourcing Illustrated, step-by-step guidance for mixing and installation, including "slip-chip" variations Detail drawings for various wall systems including stud, timber, and pole framing, Larsen trusses, I-joists, plus retrofits Code references, compliance, and best practice Finishing and maintenance techniques Additional resources. Lydia Doleman , a licenced contractor, taught carpentry and natural building at Solar Energy International in Colorado and was lead ecological builder for Portland's City Repair project. She's created beautiful, high-performance, low-impact buildings across the Northwest, from Portland's first permitted straw bale home and The Rebuilding Center's cob entryway, to a 3,300-sq. f light clay straw brewery. She's written for The Last Straw Journal and Permaculture Activist and appeared on NBC News and HGTV's Off Beat America . Lydia lives in southern Oregon.

A veritable cookbook of natural plaster recipes and techniques for beautiful, durable finishes Natural plasters made of clay, lime, and other materials mixed with sand are beautiful building finishes. Fun to work with, low-impact, and allowing infinite creativity, they are high performance and provide proven, centuries-long durability. Yet until now there's been no resource that has pulled together the best North American plaster recipes and how-to into one place. Essential Natural Plasters covers it all: Sourcing and selecting materials, including site-soils Clay, lime, and gypsum plasters as well as fibers and amendments Interior and exterior use and specialty plasters such as tadelakt for bathrooms Preparing substrates, from straw bales and cob to lath and Sheetrock How to set up a safe, efficient worksite Mixing, testing, tinting, repairing, and applying plasters Coveted recipes from leading plasterers in Ontario, Vermont, New Mexico, France, and New Zealand. Richly illustrated and deeply researched, Essential Natural Plasters is the must-have resource for owner-builders and professionals alike.

A completely rewritten and updated edition of this straw building classic. Straw bale houses are easy to build, affordable, super energy efficient, environmentally friendly, attractive, and can be designed to match the builder's personal space needs, esthetics, and budget. Despite mushrooming interest in the technique, however, most straw bale books focus on "selling" the dream of straw-bale building, but don't adequately address the most critical issues faced by bale house builders. Moreover, since many developments in this field are recent, few books are completely up to date with the latest techniques. More Straw Bale Building is designed to fill this gap. A completely rewritten edition of the 20,000-copy best-selling original, it leads the potential builder through the entire process of building a bale structure, tackling all the practical issues: finding and choosing bales; developing sound building plans; roofing; electrical, plumbing, and heating systems; building code compliance; and special concerns for builders in northern climates. New material includes: more extensive sections on electric wiring and plumbing updated sections on bale finishes and finishing a section on prefabricated straw bale walls a wider selection of case studies, photographs and illustrations a section on common mistakes budgeting for low-, medium- and high-cost projects, and new testing data that is in no other straw bale book. Down-to earth and complete, More Straw Bale Building makes the remarkable benefits of straw bale building available in the most comprehensive and practical book on the subject to date.

The interest in clay as a building material – which has proved its sustainable characteristics over centuries – is growing. Light clay, which is light in weight and easy to work, is presented here as a versatile and forward-looking building material for modern computer-aided timber construction and the renewal of historic timber-framed buildings with clay infill. The balanced building physics properties of the material, which can be controlled through the mixing proportions, make it suitable for resource-efficient building in various different climate zones. Thermal storage, sound insulation, protection against moisture and fire in conventional timber construction are improved, and the construction is simplified. This standard publication describes detailed production methods, includes practical tips for self-building, and demonstrates the application of ready-made materials in modern construction. The book is aimed at architects, engineers, and their clients, as well as for listed building officers, manufacturers, tradesmen and self-builders

“Every aspect of creating a beautiful, sensible, and healthy home is explored and demonstrated with elegance and clarity.” —Martin Hammer, architect, co-director, Builders Without Borders An EcoNest is not just a home—it is a breathtakingly beautiful structure that nurtures health and embraces ecology. This unique approach to construction combines light straw clay, timber framing, earthen floors, natural plasters, and other natural techniques with the principles of Building Biology to create a handcrafted living sanctuary. By bringing together time-honored traditions and modern innovations, owners of EcoNests enjoy living spaces that reflect the best of both worlds. The EcoNest Home is an in-depth exploration of the benefits of choosing this technique over conventional alternatives, combined with a complete practical guide for prospective designers and builders. Authors Paula Baker-Laporte and Robert Laporte draw on their own extensive experience to provide: A detailed explanation of the nature-based science behind EcoNests Fully-illustrated, step-by-step instructions to guide you through construction Dozens of inspiring photos of completed projects The most comprehensive, North American resource on light straw clay construction, written by its leading proponents, The EcoNest Home is a must-read for anyone considering building their own healthy, affordable, environmentally friendly, natural home. “A great new book for the ecological designer, builder and homeowner.” —Sukita Ray Crimmel, coauthor of Earthen Floors “The EcoNest Home is made from well designed, sophisticated techniques rooted in simplicity. This book demonstrates the outstanding results that arise to their steadfast commitment to creating healthy, natural homes.” —Adam Weismann and Katy Bryce, authors of Using Natural Finishes

Down and dirty – a complete step-by-step guide to making, installing and living with beautiful, all-natural earthen floors Poor heat and moisture management are the enemies of durable, comfortable, and efficient housing, and good building design and construction starts with a solid understanding of good building science. Essential Building Science provides a highly visual and accessible introduction to the fundamentals of building science for residential construction. Part one covers the rationale behind high-performance design and the fundamentals of building physics, including thermal dynamics, moisture transfer, and hygro-thermal dynamics such as vapor drive and condensation. Part two teaches the vital critical thinking skills needed to consider buildings as whole systems and to develop thermal and moisture control strategies regardless of the specifics of the design. Case studies and examples from across North American climatic zones illuminate real-life problems and offer builders, designers, and DIYers the insights and tools required for creating better new buildings and dramatically improving old ones. Good science plus critical thinking equals high performance buildings.