This is the OLD website for The Dirt Cheap Builder. To order books fast
and easy online please click on this Webstore link. It will take you to the same books shown here, and more!
Taylor Publishing
The fastest way to make sure you get the books you want is
to Email your request list to tms@northcoast.com. These unusual
and rare books are available on a "first come" basis.
Rare and Unusual Building
Books
|Adobe & Rammed Earth
| Building With Lime |
Cob & Earthen |
Cordwood & Timberframe|
$4. Country Wisdom booklets |
Design Your Home|
Dirt Cheap Houses & Papercrete|
Heat: Stoves & Ovens |
Off the Grid Homesteading|
Practical: Roof,Floor,Plumb,Wire,Greywater |
Small Projects |
Solar Cooking|
Stone Houses & Walls |
Straw Bale & Light Straw Clay |
Buy or RENT Building Videos|
New Books!|Good Used Books |
Useful Web Links|Ken Kern
Owner Builder Books
Unique Books.
I have copies of these books in my own research library, and offer
these hard-to-find titles for those searching for similar resource
material. Great books like Ken Kern's "Owner Built"
series, and John seymour's "Homesteading" series are out-of-print,
and difficult to secure.
Free book searches are offered for a specific title you want for your
library. Below is a short list of books I recommend. Call or email to
locate the books you seek.
Unusual, Imported, Books
All books are New, have color covers with b&w photos
inside. Order by Title of the book
The Adobe Story..A Global Treasure by P.G.McHenry. Photos of
adobe old and new ,with details and information not easily found
elsewhere. 1998, produced by Center for Aging, 123 pages, color cover,
b/w inside. $27.00
Prehistoric Henges..photos and descriptions of England's earth and
stone henges, 64 pgs, $9.00
Medieval Masons..shows many photos of designs and stonelaying
patterns, tools, techniques, quarrying. Helpful for dry stone working,
64 pgs, $10.00
Discovering Archaeology...shows tombs, barrow, houses of primitive man in
British Isles, great photos and drawings..128 pgs ...$10.00
Prehistoric Houses in Britain..shows history and designs of stone,
sod, roundhouses and building features..72 pgs, $10.00
Deserted Villages...shows photos of village communities and how
they functioned in ancient times..72 pgs, $10.
Villages in Roman Britain..shows locations, describes iron age and
lowland, small and large sites, photos of locations, how they
functioned...64 pgs, $9.00
Hillforts of England and Wales..shows how they were designed,
defences, building styles, hots of ancient sites, 64 pages, $9.00
Megalithic Tombs and Long Barrows, in Britain..photos of sites and
designs, history of these stone and earthen structures..72 pgs,
$9.00
Pottery in Roman Britain..photos and designs of dozens of styles
created, good information and ideas for patterns for modern pottery
making (especially Tufastone users)..72 pgs, $10.00
Available Books
- Shelter . by Bolinas Publications, 1973. This eccentric,
hippie treasure is a time trip back to the days of domes, funky designs
and really ingenious thinking. All aspects of alterative building are
covered, with color photos of historical and ancient timberframe,
thatch, cob, adobe, and vernacular structures. Plus ivy and shingled
domes, ferroccement, house-cars, tipis, and much more. Interviews with
builders, and input by Ken Kern and others. Oversize, 174 pages,
$30.00 ...This is one book to share with others, and savor great
ideas.
- Designing the Earth..The Human Impulse to Shape Nature. by
David Bourdon. This is wonderful mix of coffee table book and exquisite
research on ancient building methods. The black and white photos fill the
oversize pages of this hardbound book, and text reveals more about each
unusual site. Describes humble earthen shelters in africa, ireland, the
Americas, and worldwide of cob, pise, and rammed earth , plus Viking
turf farmhouse recreations. Explores stone tombs and memorials. Shows
human defences from earthen built moats and ramparts to walls, roads,
canals and sacred places. This book is a wonderful gift to someone
exploring natural architecture. 249 pages, Index, notes bibliography.
#2046...$40.00 SALE-$30.00 Limited copies, no longer in print.
- The Story of Western Architecture...$18.00 ... by Bill
Risebero. This is another excellent text on historic building styles.
Wonderful line drawings and sketches show exactly how huts and houses
developed. Covers crucks, timberframing; how society evolved the
methods of shelter from early hovels to great castles and cathedrals.
Good history, and easy to read too. , New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1979.
- Gardner's Art Through the Ages by Helen Gardner...$20.00...
Excellent early 1900s study of classic structures and art with fine
detailed photos of plastered walls, ceilings, stone structures, design
of shelters and fine buildings. While focusing on art objects, a rich
history of house and design elements are also revealed. This book was
updated through many editions and used as a textbook for decades. Some
editions (4 through 7) will have color photos.
- History of Architecture, 1896, by A.D.F
hamlin...$20.00...This book contains many examples of walls and
surfaces, buildings; their design and development from stone masonry and
early domes to vast cathedrals. An ideal book for viewing photos of
ancient buildings. B/w photos, drawings and floorplans. 450 pages,
approx. Later editions may have more or less art, photos.
Kern is a favorite due to his anti-authoritarian nature, pro
owner-builder stance, and creative thinking in use of materials.
Unfortunately Kern was killed when an experimental structure collapsed on
him during a massive rainstorm. However, his books are as popular today
as when he wrote them in the 1970s. Copies are in stock through an
arrangement I have with Barbara Kern, Ken's widow. Purchase of these
books provides support for Barbara and her family.
Some book sellers offer used original copies of Ken's books for $80-$174.
This is practically robbery, and Ken's family sees none of that money.
The xerographic works provide good value for the cost, and keep his ideas
circulating to new builders.
- The Work Book- what it is really like to build-20 OB folks
tell the tale-$40.00- out of stock
- The Owner Built Homestead $27.00 (xerographic) original
book is $30.00
- The Owner Builder & The CODE $30.00 (original book)
- Fireplaces several in stock -$27.00 the Original softcover is available
- The Healthy House -$27.00 xerographic
- Ken Kern's Masonry Stove -$27.00, fantastic information on
stove building- xerographic
- The Earth Sheltered Owner Built Home -$27.00 xerographic
- Stone Masonry -$27.00 xerographic -SOME originals avail at $35.00
- Ken Kern's Homestead Workshop -$27.00 xerographic
- The Owner Built Pole Frame House -$27.00 xerographic
- The Owner Built Home -$27.00 xerographic (original book
$30.00)
40 Chapters: Building site, Climatology, Ventilation,Summer Cooling,Light
& Shade, Space heat, Central heat, Fireplace heat, Landscape design, The
Plan, Free form house, Court garden house, Group living space, Individual
living space, Cooking and dining, Inside your Home, Adobe block, Pressed
block (cinva ram) Rammed Earth, Stone Masonry, Masonry Block and brick,
Concrete, Precast concrete panels, Wood, Wood frame, Pole frame,
Composite materials (early papercrete ideas), Plastics (shell & foam
houses), Salvage materials(includes "zome "car tops design), Tools,
Foundations, Floors, Walls, Wood floors, Masonry roofs, Stairs, Plumbing,
Wiring and lighting, Light and color, DIY painting, Conclusion, 374
pages, index, B&W photos and diagrams.
- The Owner Built Home-Revisited + House of Clay- -
xerographic, $27.00
This is an incredible resource. Ken expands greatly on the original book,
and provides specifics and ideas on each building methods describes in
his first book.
- John Seymour's The Fat of the Land: Family Farming on Five Acres,
hardcover, 176 pages, 1961. This is one of the most charming and wry
books ever. John's droll personality shines through in his tale of
adventures in homesteading, you will laugh out loud, and learn through
his farming travails. $22.00
- Gene Logsdon Homesteading: How to Find New Independence on the Land
, Hardcover, 256 pages, 1973 $25.00
Books by Hugh Braun
Braun is my favorite author describing early British cob and cruck
designs, and how houses developed. He wrote several books on
architecture from the late 1930s through the 1960s. Braun was a
respected architect who explored the humble beginnings of structures, and
wrote extensively about them as well as churches, castles and noble
buildings.
Other Titles: Parish Churches, The English Castle,
Historical Architecture, The Story of The English House, Old London
Buildings, The Centuries Look Down, ...searches can be done for these
titles on request. Most books must be imported from the UK.
- Prehistoric Orkney.new copy.. by Anna Ritchie from Historic
Scotland. In this book you'll see how prehistoric stone and earth
monuments on the Orkney Islands in the far north off Scotland were
built. Text and photos reveal the dwellings and everyday life of the
early orcadians, the rituals of life and death, the use of art in
settlements and tombs and the tribal organization involved in building
and ceremony. 128 pages, over 100 gorgeous color and black and white
photographs and illustrations. Early peoples knew how to use indigenous
materials to their best advantage for shelters and houses.
#1040...$38.00
- The California Plasterer, 1931-1937: A Historical Digest of
Plastering....$75.00..This incredible resource is a series of 71
monthly newsletter articles written by alex C. Macdonald over a six year
period. Each issue, of 4-8 pages, detailed a historical aspect of lime
and other plasters used throughout time somewhere in the world. Covers
Italian fresco painting methods, pargeting in France/UK, lime plasterers
in Asia and the Middle East, and so much more. Over the period of
publication ancient history up to modern usage is explained.
Note: Individual issues can be purchased for $2.50, Ask for a
Faxed or mailed list of 71 subject titles. Select 5 issue titles for
$10.00 (This series is a 2nd generation copy, and while the text
is clear, the black and white photos have lost much fine detail. One of
the history of art/architecture books above is recommended for viewing
many of the same photos printed in the newsletters. Both H. Gardner's and
A.D. Hamlin's book were sourced extensively, the same photos appear.)
- A Golden Thread, 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and
Technology...$15.00-$20.00 , 1980, 290 pages, by butti & perlin. This amazing
and wonderful book describes everything from solar architecture in
ancient greece, to solar water heaters invented in japan in 1947. Packed
with historical details, ideas, inventions, methods and hundreds of
photos and drawings. (Did you know Rome has a wood shortage for building?
By 400 AD ships had to bring logs in from France and Africa.)
- The FoxFire Book...$15.00. 1972, 384 pp, b/w photos. Folk
lore of the Appalachian people. Fascinating insights on everything from
hog dressing to hunting tips, many descriptions written in the speech of
the teller. Classic mountain lore, & plain living. Building a log
cabin, using white Oak splits, making a hamper, a basket, a chair from
splits, a rope bed, soapmaking, cooking in/on a fireplace, dutch oven
and woodstove, preserving vegetables, and fruit, churning butter, snake
lore, weather signs, and home remedies for various ailments.
Mother Earth News magazine- old issues from the first to 1990s.-
request a specific issue by month, year or subject of article- I
may have it, not all are in stock- SALE-$2.00 each.
Books of value to alternative
builders:
- Architecture without Architects by Bernard Rudofsky- Now available
-$25.00
- The Encyclopedia of Architecture, 1867, by Joseph Gwilt-Special
order
- The Story of Western Architecture by Bill Risebero- Now available-
$27.00
- Form and Purpose by Moshe Safdie-Special order
- Stone Shelters by Edward Allen- Now available $27.00
- Spectacular Vernacular by Jean-Louis Bourgeois, Carollee
Pelos-Special order ($55-$100+)
- How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand
- How the Greeks Built Cities by R.E. Wycherley
- Why Buildings Fall Down by Matthys Levy & Mario Salvadori-Special
order
Most books are in good condition, some have age marks, signatures,
scuffing, water stains and other signs of long use and circulation.
These are not meant for collection, but for use and education.
I recommend that you email: tms@northcoast.com... to place
a hold on the books you want, and to charge by credit card. Subject your
email: "Rare books Order"
I will email or call you to confirm
your order.
You can copy and paste items into the email. Place 1/2 of credit card
info along with book list, then send second email with: Name as shown on
card, billing address, balance of CC info, exp. date, your phone number,
and ship to address.
Checks to: Taylor Publishing, PO Box 375, Cutten, CA 95534 , add $6.50 shipping 1-4 books.
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Dirt Cheap Builder!
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© Copyright 2000 Taylor Publishing, Eureka CA . This
page updated 5/02
This is the OLD website for The Dirt Cheap Builder. To order books fast
and easy online please click on this Webstore link. It will take you to the same books shown here, and more!