≫ Download Free Serious Straw Bale A Home Construction Guide for All Climates Real Goods Solar Living Book Paul Lacinski Michel Bergeron 9781890132644 Books

Serious Straw Bale A Home Construction Guide for All Climates Real Goods Solar Living Book Paul Lacinski Michel Bergeron 9781890132644 Books

Download As PDF : Serious Straw Bale A Home Construction Guide for All Climates Real Goods Solar Living Book Paul Lacinski Michel Bergeron 9781890132644 Books

Serious Straw Bale A Home Construction Guide for All Climates Real Goods Solar Living Book Paul Lacinski Michel Bergeron 9781890132644 Books

This is a good overview of straw bale construction and the extra considerations required to be successful in wet and cold climates. It did not get that last star because most of the visual aides for the solution to problems were dated photographs; where an illustration or architectural type drawing would be more useful for me to apply the concepts to my situation.


Tags : Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book) [Paul Lacinski, Michel Bergeron] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. In 1994, when Chelsea Green published <em>The Straw Bale House</em>, the response from many people was a loud,Paul Lacinski, Michel Bergeron,Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book),Chelsea Green Publishing,1890132640,Design & Construction,Straw bale houses;Design and construction.,Applied ecology,Architecture Methods & Materials,Building construction & materials,Design and construction,Do-It-Yourself,GENERAL,General Adult,HOUSE & HOME Design & Construction,Home Improvement Construction,House & Home,House & HomeGeneral,Housing & property for the individual,How-toDo-it-yourself,Methods & Materials,Non-Fiction,Straw bale houses,United States,Architecture Methods & Materials,General,HOUSE & HOME Design & Construction,House & HomeGeneral,Methods & Materials,Home Improvement Construction,Design and construction,Straw bale houses,House & Home,Do-It-Yourself,Applied ecology,Building construction & materials,Housing & property for the individual

Serious Straw Bale A Home Construction Guide for All Climates Real Goods Solar Living Book Paul Lacinski Michel Bergeron 9781890132644 Books Reviews

I recommend this book with certain caveats. There is certainly some good information in the book and led me to some ideas that never occurred to me before, but the information is uneven, more than a little poorly organized and requires the reader to make some connections to pull the whole together.

The authors give an overview of many ways to do things, but almost never come to any conclusions on how things should be done. Many systems are discussed, some in detail and some not. The interactions of these systems the readers are considering should be explored as well as certain combinations are sure to cause problems in construction or in the life of the building. Of course as the authors note many times this style of construction is experimental and that is half the fun but I am buying the book to get the benefit of others experience.

The authors' ideology is evident in many parts, as well as an assumption that their readers have similar opinions. This can get a little annoying as they wax rhapsodic about the spiritual connections to the materials and decry modern industrial techniques. In some cases they probably make good points, but for those to whom straw bales are a means to an end- comfortable, efficient and non-toxic housing- space in the book would be better reserved for technical opinions than spiritual ones. Thankfully they do everyone a great service by disabusing fellow travelers of a few romantic illusions about straw bale and other edgy building techniques.

Illustrations in the book are an annoying aspect. Some are good and clearly depict what the authors words have trouble with. Other times they will start talking about a technique without defining it, or when they did define it I found my self wishing they just gave me a good picture.In a few cases, they give a picture, they give a discription, but are missing a label or other indicator that would easily tie it together and make sense. A well detailed sketch is worth at least a page of prose.

Finally for a book that extols the beauty of bale construction, they would do well to get a better photographer to do their pictures. Most of the photos in the book are awful and if readers are not already familiar with some bale buildings they may be more scared than attracted. One might get the idea that bale buildings are dark, dingy, dreary and populated by scary strange people. They are not (usually).

Sadly, this book is more useful than most on the subject of straw bales. If you are considering working with bales, I would recommend this book before starting any project... just don't let the pictures scare you away.
Chock full of helpful information!
This is a great book and for anyone thinking of building in a damp climate a must have. Great information about the various ways of doing things, allowing the reader to make the best choice for their site, budget and level of skill. Covers wet weather considerations better than most other books. A good addition to your straw bale library.

One warning, in this book the straw bale slab system is detailed but has since been shown to be a not so good idea so I would reccommend separate research on that subject.
Let me just say that if you are going to buy only one book on straw bale home construction, this is the one. It is very comprehensive and enlightening. I am very happy with this purchase. This book is written for us who plan to build our own homes, step by step, begining to end it is all here. Not just a collection of pretty pictures but the real deal. Also I think the price very reasonable considering the amount of information, insight, tutorials pictures, advice and encouragement given. Delivery from , as always, was fast.
Very thorough book on strawbale construction from Nebraska style to convention stick frame. It covers all the topics you need to know in order to get started with planning for construction. It is advisable that basic construction knowledge be attained prior to reading this book, but either way this is a beneficial read.
I really began to admire the book after the author gave a long list or reasons of why you probably __don't want to build a straw bale home__. Then, when the author went into the science of moisture and air flow, I was hooked. He wasn't trying to sell a belief system, he was trying to pass on the 'nuts and bolts' of building your own straw bale home. Sadly, the last part of the book was given over to an article written by someone who was clearly more in the clouds than on the ground building stuff, but all in all worth the money spent.
Excellent book! I am glad I bought it.

Title of book is really correct! This book is serious about building straw bale house - anyplace and from many construction approaches!

The thing that I like about it is explained in this example...
*other books that I read give you instruction just to build this that way and it will work...
*Authors of Serious Straw Bale tell you that you may build this that way and that it will probbaly work... BUT in the same time they let you aware of MANY detailes that might make that not working... PLUS a few ideas of how else you can achieve this.

Do you have questions about Straw bale buildings?
Can pests live in a straw wall? Can I build it safe if I live in wet, windy and cold location? And how about earthquakes?... I found answers to them (from real buildings and experience of many ownes)

Summed up;
Topics explained are written from actual experience and thoroughly thought up. Authors also give more than one solution to same problem - each with its own strong and weak points. Writing is engeneerly systematic and detailed, but very easy to read and understand.

I honestly reccomend it
This is a good overview of straw bale construction and the extra considerations required to be successful in wet and cold climates. It did not get that last star because most of the visual aides for the solution to problems were dated photographs; where an illustration or architectural type drawing would be more useful for me to apply the concepts to my situation.