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cordwood

Building with Wood /Cordwood, Timber, Pole, Log

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Cordwood building uses small wood pieces laid in mortar for a super insulated and inexpensive wall. Local woodlots can be used, and no old growth trees are cut, nor is there added cost or energy in milling and refining the wood.
Cordwood

NEW!...Cordwood Building The State of the Art

By Rob Roy
Cordwood masonry is an ancient building technique whereby walls are constructed from "log ends" laid transversely in the wall. It is easy, economical, esthetically striking, energy-efficient, and environmentally-sound.

Cordwood Building collects the wisdom of over 25 of the world's best practitioners, detailing the long history of the method, and demonstrating how to build a cordwood home using the latest and most up-to-date techniques, with a special focus on building code issues.

Author/editor Rob Roy has been building, researching and teaching about cordwood masonry for 25 years and, with his wife, started Earthwood Building School in 1981. He has written ten books on alternative building, presented four videos including two about cordwood masonry and has taught cordwood masonry all over the world.
(Includes the round, sod roofed house in Wales built by Tony Wrench, plus many others.) Soft cover/Paperback - 240 pages 9 Inches x 8 Inches Illustrated, photos.
#4002N...$28.00...View & Order Here

Cordwood Basic Cordwood Masonry Techniques- VIDEO Rob Roy walks you through a wall building workshop, and explains the details very clearly. This informative video shows you how to bark the wood, mix mortars and build cordwood walls. How to handle pointing, laying-up windows, stackwall corner construction and more. Discusses wood types and how to dry, estimate quantity needed, special design effects and much more, 88 minutes. This is an excellent instructional video! #4005... $35.00...ORDER HERE
NEW Cordwood Homes video available for purchase or RENTAL:
Cordwood Homes-presented by Rob Roy This is a great companion video for folks who want to see several completed cordwood homes inside and out. Shows round, 16-sided, stackwall corners( with special edge techniques), post and beam infill, and dozens of creative details on artful use of cordwood while building. [Shelving, bottles to admit light, clever use of wood end pieces, masonry stove designs, building small, and more] Rob Roy visits with friends and neighbors all over, who built with this technique. 70 wonderful minutes #9016...$30.00...ORDER HERE..or rental..$8.00
SPECIAL OFFER...$7.00 see below.. Cordwood Construction: A Log End View , is a great, smaller book on how to build a cordwood home, by author/builder richard flatau. 158 b/w photos,diagrams, and formulas; design ideas and good information on all aspects of constructing a home, with tips, and resources for the do-it-yourselfer. Sections on mortar mixers, types of wood, insurance, how to be mortgage free. And what Richard says he'd do differently from his 20 years experience! 102 pages #4020...$16.00..Order here

A slightly older 1997 Edition is now available for just $7.00! Order Here

Building with Vision: Optimizing and Finding Alternatives to Wood


Dirtcheapbuilder Note: This is the best book I have seen describing the latest in alternative materials, eco-crete, papercrete, floor options- really well done!
The United States has both the rare fortune and the dubious distinction of being among the only industrialized nations to use wood as its primary material for residential buildings. While other developed countries have evolved masonry and other building systems not reliant on wood, on average, a full acre of trees is consumed to build just one house in the United States. And, for every twenty houses built, enough waste is typically left over to frame another house.
Combining environmental philosophy, practical information, and dynamic visuals, Building with Vision makes accessible many solutions to wasteful tree-dependent construction and design. In addition to identifying the benefits, challenges, and applications of the recommended alternatives to contemporary American construction, this book details building methods to minimize wood waste, maximize efficiency, and emphasize the unique aesthetic properties of non-wood materials.
Part resource guide, part photo essay, this 136-page gem features beautifully composed, nearly tactile photographs that bring to life an array of alternative materials. Case studies highlight successful building projects that utilize innovative and effective framing, siding, insulation, roofing, and finishing materials and techniques.
Building systems featured include Rastra, a new kind of interlocking block made of recovered Styrofoam packaging; Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) made of plywood, OSB, or strawboard with a thick foam core; and a variety of "Eco-Crete," super-insulating concrete systems. A wide range of finish materials are discussed as well: panel board made from agricultural crop waste, flooring derived from used tires, natural linoleum and certified woods, and cement countertops embedded with finds from the urban waste stream.
"This book can be a lifesaver for trees and our limited architectural horizons. It invites challenges to its critiques. Let the debate begin." -- Ralph Nader
"Building with Vision is timely and extremely useful, a must-have resource for every architectural studio across the country." -- Sim Van der Ryn architect, director of the Ecological Design Institute
About the Author Dan Imhoff has authored dozens of articles and essays on issues ranging from forest conservation and paper production to the global economy, sustainable agriculture, and green building. Imhoff's articles have appeared in Sierra, Saveur, Whole Earth, Communication Arts, Orion Afield, and many books and journals. With his wife and two children, he lives part-time in an off-the-grid home produced with many certified and salvaged, wood and non-wood materials.
Born in Parma, Italy, Roberto Carra is an internationally renowned photographer, graphic designer, and art director. softcover :: 9" x 8" :: 136 pages, color photographs :: b/w photographs bibliography :: resource list
#1098...$23.00...ORDER HERE

Low-Cost Pole Building Construction by ralph wolfe. If you want to build it yourself, but lack experience, this one-of-a-kind book will save you money, labor, time, and materials in building a small home, barn, or other structure. Involves limited grading, no excavation for a foundation, use of hilly, uneven sites unsuited for other types of buildings, good wind resistance, and fewer materials. You can build it yourself with this book. Illustrated with plans, drawings, and photographs. Makes pole building construction the answer to your needs, is great for beginners! Plans for: *Solar cottage *Woodshed *Small pole barn *Garage, storage and tool shed, *Year-round houses, 192 pages, 8 1/2 x 11, paperback. # 4017... $15.00...Order Here
[Recommended book for elevated houses, or for those who want to eliminate the cost ($3,000-$5,000) of a poured cement foundation in any location.]

Rough Framing Carpentry... Teaches builders about shortcuts for laying studs, speed cutting blocks, trimmers, plates by eye; building rake walls, installing ceiling backing and joists, truss joists, cutting and assembling hip trusses; arches and drop ceilings. 100+ photos, 304 pages. #4043...$27.00...Order Here

Build a Classic Timber-Framed Houseby Jack sobon. Planning, design, traditional materials and affordable methods. * The timber-framed home is attractive, affordable, and easily expandable. Following the traditional 'hall-and-parlor' home design, architect and builder Jack Sobon carefully and clearly explains: * Finding the ideal building site * Creating the master plan * Selecting the best tree species * Hewing and milling timbers * Assembling the frame *Installing wall sheathing, windows, and doors *Designing and finishing the interior * Expanding on the plan. Jack Sobon knows how to make home building affordable with economical hand tools by taking control of the processing of building materials and using local inexpensive supplies. The basic house design of this book is easily adapted to meet different needs. Sobon's practical advice incorporates the latest knowledge on building a healthy house, integrating natural systems, and finding effective home heating solutions. Jack Sobon is an architect/builder specializing in timber-framed buildings, 208 pages, photographs, line drawings, 8 1/2 x 11, paperback. #4022... $22.00...Order Here
$15K How To Build Your Own Log Home For Less Than $15,000 Author Robert L. williams and his family built a 4,300 square foot house with no previous carpentry experience. He shares his building strategies and techniques, in 36 detailed chapters; you'll learn the essentials of chainsawing and squaring logs, building foundations, constructing walls and rooftops, installing floors, windows and doors, wiring and plumbing, and much more. Williams' engaging, easy-to-follow text is accompanied by numerous photographs and illustrations to guide you every step of the way. 216 pages, paperback. #4003...$20.00...Order Here
Low Build Your Own Low-Cost Log Home by Roger Hard 'one of the best books on this popular subject.'--Country Journal. More than 100, 000 copies sold. The basic book for log house building. All construction techniques and professional tips on simplifying the work. 208 pages 8.5 x11, line drawings, photos, drawings, charts, paperback. #4015... $20.00...Order Here

Pole and Wood building books by expert Monte burch.

I like all of Monte's books because he provides good "how to" information and clear drawings throughout which the beginning builder can understand and follow. Some projects or instructions are repeated in each book so you don't need all of his books to get the same information. More extensive description of contents is given here to help you choose which is best for your planned projects. In addition a pole style building allows room for testing alternative wall infills like papercrete or light-straw-clay, thus reducing additional need for wood siding or paneling.

Monte Burch's Pole Building Projects: The Latest in Pole Construction Plans.. 25 Projects are given which include: a workshop, recreational vehicle and barbecue shelter, mobile home cover, livestock shade, a wood shed, grape arbor, a lean to shelter, decking, attached carports, hay barns, sheep or hog sheds, henhouse, two vacation home designs ( plus sketches of several others), and a Gambrel style barn. Economical pole building construction saves time, labor and money because it requires NO foundation, or excavation and only limited grading, and uses fewer materials. Plus the simplicity and ease of construction of pole buildings makes them ideal for first time builders. Explains poles, treating poles, metal and non metal roofing, making roof trusses, framing tips, door hanging, finishing details.shows several designs for houses based on pole foundations. Photos, line drawings, softcover, charts, 8.5 x 11, 208 pages of great information. #4018...$20.00...Order Here

Building Small Barns, Sheds and Shelters: by Monte Burch. This handsome book covers tools, materials, safety tips, various foundations needed, framing, sheathing of walls, wiring, plumbing and finish work necessary for beautiful barns, woodsheds, garages, fencing and animal housing. Also covers construction of footings, and window and door treatment, and finishing. Shows how to build barns, root and storm cellars, carports and sheds, poultry, rabbit and hog housing, a smoke house, and describes fencing for animal needs and protection. B&W Photos, drawings, 8.5 x 11, 248 pages, softcover. #4016...$20.00...Order Here
How to Build Small Barns and Outbuildings: by Monte Burch. A barn or garage can be built for a family's temporary housing while a house is under construction. As builder Rob Roy says, these simple outbuildings serve as mortgage free living spaces while owner builders build their homes. And, outbuildings can continue to serve as barns, storage sheds, and guest quarters or offices once you move into your finished house. This book is aimed at the Do-it-yourselfer on a budget and offers 20 projects for small scale construction, with step-by-step instruction. Photos, drawings, 8.5 x 11, 288 pages, softcover. #4023..$20.00...Order Here

A Guide to Logging Aesthetics: practical tips for loggers, foresters, and landowners This publication addresses planning and conducting a timber harvest to minimize the effects of cutting and removing trees from a forest., 28 pages., 1993. , #4009...$8.00 ...Order Here
Note: You may want to consider using sawdust and wood chips for construction also. This information presents some new and established uses:
Building with Free Materials: A Series of Articles ....A How To starter kit of Ideas for ultra low cost building. Explains using Adobe, Cob, Papercrete, Lime, agstone, and cobwood to create your own very low cost, durable projects and structures sculpted from free and almost free ingredients. Use earth, paper, sawdust, woodchips, sand, lime, clay , hemp, straw, weeds and dry grass clippings. Add river rocks, driftwood, seashells, tree branches and other items to add special touches. Explains how to use these building materials, wall infills, mixes, recipes, simple tools and equipment needed, testing soils and clay, tips and problems to avoid. Covers alternative materials such as reed, jute, burlap, coir, plus recycled materials like pallets. Unleash your creativity and build something for almost nothing! by Charmaine Taylor 35+ pages, 8.5 x11, Photos, drawings, product resources. #1045..$10.00...Order Here

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© Copyright 2000 Taylor Publishing.This page updated 03-04

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!