This book features homes that are larger than “tiny,” but smaller than the national average. Small homes are less expensive, use less resources, are more efficient to heat and cool, and cheaper to maintain and repair. The homes here (some 65 of them) vary from unique and artistic to simple and low-cost. Some are plain, ordinary buildings that provide owners shelter at a reasonable cost, and some are inspiring examples of design, carpentry, craftsmanship, imagination, creativity, and homemaking.

This book represents a logical step for Shelter Publications, after their two previous books on tiny homes. (By way of comparison, homes in their Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter, averaged 200 to 300 square feet.)

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!

The Complete Guide to Sheds has the perfect plan for anyone who is building his or her own tool shed, habitable shed, and many more kinds of structures.

The most popular plans from previous editions are preserved, from small garage-style sheds with overhead doors, to kit sheds, to contemporary utility sheds with a dramatic flair. This new edition delves into new styles that are drawing strong interest today, including tiny sheds, miniature tool sheds, and even small habitable sheds that are designed to function mostly as a quiet retreat for practicing a particular hobby or activity. As with all of the hardworking, practical sheds from earlier editions, the new varieties include full-color step-by-step photos, complete building plan drawings with cutting lists, and clear how-to instructions.

Shed-building, like any other building process, starts with good techniques. That's why the general skills section has been updated and improved. With this complete guide, you can build just about any shed you dream of. Plus, you'll find information on new tools and products that will make your project go faster and more smoothly. Rounded out with helpful information on important considerations like siting and zoning, Complete Guide to Sheds, Updated 3rd Edition truly is a complete guide to this very popular DIY activity.

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.

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.

It’s said that the greenest building is the one that’s already built, because so much energy is embodied in the existing structure.

With greater public awareness of the need for energy independence, the issue of how we can make our existing homes more resource-efficient is becoming ever more critical. Residential buildings make up a large fraction of our energy needs, largely due to heating and air-conditioning. So it’s no longer enough to simply do the small stuff, like switching to compact fluorescent bulbs, or turning down the thermostat at night.

In The Greened House Effect, author Jeff Wilson brings his twenty-five years of construction experience and hands-on knowledge of home building to bear on making our current houses cleaner, greener, more comfortable, and healthier. Think of a deep energy retrofit (DER) as a “whole home makeover”—one that represents a significant investment, but that saves money from the get-go by capturing the energy you “drop on the ground” every month, every year, through inefficiency, poor design, or simply living in a typical older home. This isn’t a book about freezing in the dark, but a solution that allows us to live more comfortably while making a positive impact in the world.

“We can’t buy our way out of the current and impending crises with the latest and greatest high-tech. We can’t buy our way out of it by simply replacing our old stuff with newer, “greener” stuff. That approach only assures that we will continue to experience the vicious circle of energy waste and dependence. I would argue, though, that we can save our way out of these problems,” writes Wilson.

Using his own family’s retrofit of their 1942 home as a prime example, Wilson weaves a readable narrative at a practical, hammer-and-nail level. He presents the solutions to our building and energy problems, making them seem possible for average homeowners and small contractors by offering the right balance of information, skills, financing strategies, and materials.

Technical information is presented in sidebars and graphs, and numerous color photos illustrate the process, including:

• Testing the energy efficiency of your home and learning where improvements need to be made;
• Dealing with local building codes and regulations;
• Financing and paying for a DER;
• Major components of the DER, such as roofs, exterior walls, basements, and whole house systems; and
• Details of home-scale renewable energy options to complement the DER, including passive and active solar systems.

Wilson’s building experience, along with his lifelong passion for energy issues, all come together to form an inspirational, can-do approach to making our community, our nation, and our world a better place—one home at a time.

The Half-Acre Homestead is a record, with over 500 color photos, of Lloyd and his wife Lesley’s owner-built home and garden. They show you what the house and garden look like, how various functions (solar panels, septic systems, skylights, etc.) operate, and tools they use in the kitchen, garden, and shop.

RVs are great for taking vacations, but today more and more people are discovering the advantages of living in an RV full time. Author and entrepreneur Gary Collins has found freedom and fulfillment in life on the road. His mile-by-mile guide shows how you, too, can liberate yourself and find lasting joy through simplicity.

Tiny Homes on the Move chronicles 21st-century nomads: people who inhabit homes that are compact and mobile, either on wheels or in the water. In photos and stories, this fascinating book explores modern travelers who live in vans, pickup trucks, buses, trailers, sailboats and houseboats that combine the comforts of home with the convenience of being able to pick up and go at any time. With more than 1,000 color photos accompanying the stories and descriptions of these movable sanctuaries, this is a valuable and inspirational book for anyone thinking outside the box about shelter.

Tiny homes are popping up across America, captivating people with their novel approach not only to housing, but to life. Once considered little more than a charming oddity, the tiny house movement continues to gain momentum among those who thirst for a simpler, "greener," more meaningful life in the face of society's "more is better" mindset.

This book explores the philosophies behind the tiny house lifestyle, helps you determine whether it's a good fit for you, and guides you through the transition to a smaller space. For inspiration, you'll meet tiny house pioneers and hear how they built their dwellings (and their lives) in unconventional, creative and purposeful ways. They'll invite you in, show you around their cozy abodes, and share lessons they learned along the way.

Inside you'll find everything you need to design a tiny home of your own:

• Worksheets and exercises to help you home in on your true needs, define personal goals and develop a tiny house layout that's just right for you
• Practical strategies for cutting through clutter and paring down your possessions
• Guidance through the world of building codes and zoning laws
• Design tricks for making the most of every square foot, including multifunction features and ways to maximize vertical space
• Tours of 11 tiny houses and the unique story behind each

Tiny House Living is about distilling life down to that which you value most, freeing yourself from clutter, mortgages and home maintenance ... and, in doing so, making more room in everyday life for the truly important things, such as relationships, passions and community. Whether you downsize to a 400-square-foot home or simply scale back the amount of stuff you have in your current home, this book shows you how to live well with less.

Featuring profiles on tiny house owners with photographs and floor plans of the homes, ideas on where to find materials, and what to look for and avoid when selecting reclaimed materials, Tiny Houses Built with Recycled Materials is a unique book perfect for your biggest DIY project yet!

Add living space without the cost of adding on. Turn your unfinished basement, attic, or garage into an additional bedroom, family room, new master suite, functional home office, or any other living space your family needs the most.

This book includes:

• More than 50 detailed, step-by-step sequences to guide you through the construction process
• Over 580 inspirational and informative photographs and illustrations
• Easy-to-follow techniques to help you make the conversion yourself