A picture-book of the Buddha House, by famed craftsman and natural builder Sun Ray Kelley. This house, built in Washington State, features sculpted walls of stucco, stone and cedar shakes, round timberframe construction, a living roof, and Sun Ray's signature curved ridgebeams and railings made from whole trees--roots and all. A collection of 60 color photographs of this one-of-a-kind house with sayings from the world's great thinkers that help explain SunRay's philosophy of natural building. This book is the first in a series documenting the work of SunRay Kelley and his School of Natural Living.

Building a Chinese Greenhouseis a photo documentary of the construction of author Dan Chiras's greenhouse that illustrates the entire process, discussed dos and don’ts and offers a great deal of practical advice for those interested in growing warm-weather vegetables throughout the winter months using only solar energy.

A complete guide to building a wilderness retreat, from buying land and getting services, through developing plans and construction methods. All aspects of construction are clearly illustrated and various designs are explored.

Earthbag construction (building with polypropylene bags that are usually filled with earthen materials) is a versatile, easy-to-master, low-impact, and highly durable form of building, suitable for structures from houses to root cellars.

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 everything you need to know!

Prefabricated straw bale wall panels combine the performance and low environmental impact of traditional straw bale with reduced labor and more consistent results. Going well beyond the scope of many natural building books, this indispensable manual includes a complete introduction to the use of prefabricated bale walls, packed with all the information you need to determine whether they are the right choice for your project.Written by the world's leading sustainable builders, designers, and engineers, these succinct, user-friendly handbooks are indispensable tools for any project where accurate and reliable information are key to success.

It examines how technological advances, design evolution and resourceful, out-of-the-box thinking about materials and efficiency can help us meet the challenge of building affordable, environmentally-friendly, beautiful and unique homes.

You can build an underground home or earth sheltered house with this guide and plans from underground building authority Malcom Wells.

The popularity of natural building has grown by leaps and bounds, spurred by a grassroots desire for housing that is healthy, affordable and environmentally responsible. While many books cover specific methods (such as straw bale construction, cob and timber framing), few resources introduce the reader to the entire scope of this burgeoning field.

Fully revised and updated, The Art of Natural Building is a complete introduction to natural building for everyone from do-it-yourselfers to architects and designers. This collection of articles from more than 50 leaders in the field is now stunningly illustrated with more than 200 full-color photos of natural buildings from around the world. Learn about:

• The case for building with natural materials, from the perspectives of sustainability, lifestyle and health
• What you need to know to plan and design your own beautiful and efficient natural home
• Explanations of 30 versatile materials and techniques, with resources on where to go for further information on each
• How these techniques are being used to address housing crises around the world

Clearly written, logically organized and beautifully illustrated, The Art of Natural Building is the encyclopedia of natural building.

Cob (an old English word for lump) is a building material as old as humanity made out of a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. The Cob Builders Handbook is a friendly guide to making your own earth structure, with chapters on design, foundations, floors, windows and doors, finishes, and of course, making glorious cob. Whether you’re just wanting to learn more about cob building or are ready to dive right in, this will be your go-to guide!

A step-by-step ultimate guide to building life-saving structures for every climate and wilderness situation which is for beginners and experienced outdoor enthusiasts alike. Without shelter, a person stuck in the wild can die of exposure in a matter of hours—long before they run out of food or water. But most people, even hardened backpackers, don’t know how to build an adequate shelter. Packed with 30 easy-to-follow tutorials and over 200 step-by-step photos, this all-encompassing primer teaches readers how to construct a wide range of life-saving shelters using the natural materials available.