This is the OLD website for The Dirt Cheap Builder. To order books fast
and easy online please click on www.dirtcheapbuilder.com...my Webstore link. It will take you to the same books shown here, and more!
Taylor Publishing
PO Box 375, Cutten, California 95534
Home of The DirtCheap Builder
books@dirtcheapbuilder.com
Telkes Solar Cooker (l) #7575, Solar StoveTop Cooker
(r)#5011
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|
Now Available: Information on basic skills and
tools.
- Build A Rocket Stove Cooker..Shows how to make a portable,
outdoor or emergency stove - A hot, fast burning mini stove for boiling
water, and cooking food. Made from inexpensive metal cans, needs only
scrap paper, twigs, small wood pieces. ( Folks, I make these with
coffee cans and boy do they work! If you can punch a hole in a can, and
follow the simple directions you can boil water, fry eggs and burgers,
saute, steam, and cook just about anything. ) Shows four different
metal can designs, and a clay stove design which needs no tools to
construct, and uses local clay and sand. Lots of photos and clear
directions. You'll be amazed at how well these little stoves work. Also
describes a haybox retained heat cooker...simple to make and use,
increases your cooking & fuel efficiency when combined with rocket
stove use! 12 page booklet #5012..$5.00
A
friend tending my rocket stove, (he got the hang of it right away and
didn't burn the barn down), a clay version stands by.
New!
Rammed Earth Walls for Buildings: Farmers Bulletin 1500 ... This
is the great 1926 edition with photos, drawings and complete low tech
construction information on rammed earth. The US Government produced
this booklet as a series, to show farmers and poor rural folks how to
build a house from earth (pise' de terre). Praises rammed earth over cob
for ease of construction. The building information, tools and formworks
description needed for manual wall building are ideal for anyone wanting
to learn this method. 26 pages, xerographic, b&w photos of houses and
tools, foreworks, plus sketches throughout. A very thorough little guide!
#2012...$8.00
NEW!...Create an Oasis with
Greywater ... by Art Ludwig/Oasis Design. Includes use of
greywater, health guidelines, greywater sources, irrigation requirements,
shows 20 system examples, plus biocompatible cleaners, plumbing
principles, and troubleshooting. Covers cycles of freeze/thaw & rain,
soil conditions, storing rainwater, suppliers;24 figures, 35 photos, 51
pages, 8.5x11, printed on recycled paper with soy ink.
#7011...$15.00
NEW!...Builder's Greywater Guide (A Code
Compliance Companion book )... by Art Ludwig. This book helps
homebuilders and professionals understand health and wastewater codes and
work with local officials. Topics includes working with inspectors,
flowcharts, a legality checklist, system construction details, and design
tips, estimating irrigation demand, plus the complete text of the new
California greywater law with annotations from Oasis Design.. 9 figures,
8.5x11, 46 pages, printed on recycled paper with soy ink.
#7012...$15.00
- Safe Rainwater Collection compiled and written by Charmaine
Taylor. Designed for typical American ( traditional housing, not Third
World ) collection, with tips and information on water storage, testing,
purifying, filters, chemicals to use and avoid, garden use, and use of
rainwater and runoff. Covers simple systems you can build (gutters,
alternative containers) tools and supplies needed, and more for low cost
home collection. You can experiment and just create a simple system to
collect water just for gardening and animal needs, and save on your
water bill! Booklet, 8.5 x 11 52 pages, plus additional information
provided with booklet. #7560...$12.00
- How to make a Rope and Washer Pump This handy booklet will
teach you how to build a water wheel pump from tires and pipes which can
lift water over 90 feet from a well or stream. Clear direction for
building and using the manual pump, made from very low cost materials.
#7576...$14.00
Build a Ferro Cement Water Tank This UK imported book was
designed for Third world and rural water catchment and storage. Details
how to build large and small cement-wire reinforced, and non reinforced
tanks with cement and sand. Some ingenious designs are shown, with
construction techniques, materials calculations; how to on curing tanks,
pumps, systems; and info could be used to make large pottery too, or
other storage vessels. B&w photos, drawings, 100+ pgs, Order by
title..$18.00
Barbara's current bookThe Expanding World of Solar Box
Cookers is available now, and is frequently used to
teach simple cardboard solar cooker designs. In addition to using the
sun for cooking meals for family and pets, she discusses some of the many
ways to use a solar oven, such as to pasteurize water and milk, sanitize
dishes, utensils, and diapers. You can even sprout seedlings and prepare
potting soil, among many uses explained in this book. Thousands of women
outside the US use her simple cooker designs, and the book includes
photographs of ovens made of cob and other practical designs in use
around the world. Four easy to make designs are shown, b&w photographs,
illustrations, and excellent information on low-cost materials usage.
80 pages, 8.5x11, paperback, index, reprinted (not updated) 1999.
#5007...$15.00 (note: the solar through-the-wall oven is not
shown or explained in this book.)
- Solar StoveTop Cooker Pattern This amazing foil and cardboard
cooker focuses the sun's energy so well that temperatures reach 600
degrees in just minutes! Excellent for fast cooking foods ( you can fry
eggs in less than 3 minutes), also ideal to pasteurize water to 158
degrees F quickly for safer drinking water in an emergency. Pattern
includes the instructions and forms to build the reflective cooker, plus
materials list, and tips, recipes. This reflective cooker can also be
used INDOORS by a sunny window and works very well.
#5011...$12.00 (Shown in photo at top of page.)
- The Sustainable Home Tour (60 min), See Barbara Kerr's off
the grid Living Center in Arizona. She uses solar energy for hot water,
canning foods, an indoor garden, and has photo voltaic energy to run her
computer, refrigerator and appliances, plus she cooks with a through-the
-wall solar oven which she patented. Water is pumped by wind power, and
foods are dehydrated and stored. See how you can plan and adapt your
house or get ideas for comfortable, off the grid living.
#5008...$18.00 Rent for $5.00
- The Contrary farmer's Invitation to Gardening by Gene
Logsdon. Gene throws out all ideas of hard work and offers mulch beds and
wry advice, including his "3 chicken theory" for success! If you are new
to gardening this is a must have book, covers all you need to know.
#7582...$17.00
- Chicken Tractor-Healthy Soil and Happy Hens Andy Lee...this is
another recommended book...with just a few chickens in a portable cage
you can have improved soil for better gardening, plus fresh eggs and meat.
232 pages. #7542...$20.00
BOOKS TO TEACH YOU ABOUT IMMEDIATE NEEDS
Water- Food- Heat- Waste
PROTECT YOUR WATER SUPPLY
The Home Water Supply: How to find, filter, store and conserve it
by Stu Campbell. Knowledgeable discussion of home water systems,
potential water problems, and practical solutions. Extensive line
drawings, and good how to advice on building a pond, a catchment, water
for gardens and much more. 8.5x11, 240 pages, paperback.
#7020...$19.00
Private Water Systems Handbook Some people do not have access
to municipal water supplies. This handbook addresses how much water is
needed, water quality treatment, and equipment. Various water sources
such as wells, catchments, ponds, and springs are discussed. The
information helps the reader make correct planning decisions for new
systems and also helps find and correct problems in existing ones. 72
pages, 4th Ed. #7004....$8.00
Home Water Treatment...#7539...$16.00 Details 23 common water
treatment devices and methods, filters, great for understanding household
systems and what to do to test and fix problems with drinking water. 120
pages.
Cascade Solar Water Heating Plansby Bob Larson.
Easy to follow do-it-yourself plans for custom designing and building a
passive "batch type" solar water heating system. The CASCADE SYSTEM can
be
built in or on your roof and made to look like a skylight. The CASCADE
SYSTEM integrates solar collection and storage and can be baked up with
wood
or electric heat. #5020...$10.00
COOKING HOT MEALS AND KEEPING WARM
Woodstove Cookery-At Home on The Range by Jane Cooper. You'll
learn how to buy a stove, new or used, how to set it up, how to fuel it
for various uses, how to keep it clean and in peak operating condition.
In a woodstove hot air bakes from all four sides of the oven creating an
even cooking environment. Dozens of recipe best adapted to the kitchen
range -baking breads that smell heavenly, stews that gain goodness in
hours on the back of the stove, roasting meats, and more. 208 pages, 6
x 9, *paperback. #5030...$13.00
Book with the MOST information on how to build a masonry
stove/oven.
The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens, by Daniel
WIng & Alan Scott. This book has over 65 pages of complete building and
construction detail. The balance of the book is about masonry stove bread
baking, with recipes, stories, and more. The Stove building section has
many drawings, descriptions, instructions on materials, tools,
techniques, problems, fixes and more, on masonry ovens. Photos show
indoor and out door ovens, old style and new, and a masonry oven with or
without a bread baking area, can be designed and built using this book.
253 pages, 12 color and 60 b&w photos, illustrations, and bread recipes
too, plus commercial baking information. #4001...$35.00
Also see the Ken Kern Masonry Stove & Fireplaces
books for great how-to for the owner-builder.
The Book of Masonry Stoves by David Lyle. Builder Rob Roy says
these stoves are 35% more efficient than the best 'air-tight' stoves.
Learn how a masonry stove can maximize wood heat in your home. These
stoves are designed so you can sit close and not be burned if you touch
them, heat radiates out, making living areas comfortable for hours with
less fuel consumed. An excellent introduction to this most
environmentally friendly of combustion-based heating systems. Includes
extensive history of wood burning, principles of masonry stoves, and
examples of masonry stoves used around the world. 52 photos, 92
illustrations, index, paperback. #4014...$25.00
LEARN TO SAVE AND STORE FOOD PROPERLY
Home Storage of Fruits and Vegetables Well designed and detailed
information on the outdoor/indoor/underground/cool-box method of storing
food. Many simple, economical storage building plans and ideas for
adapting areas in the home for cold storage. Contains excellent
information on food characteristics of many vegetables, optimum storage
conditions and harvesting methods, 28 pages, illustrated.
#5016...$10.00
HOW TO LIVE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY
How To Live Without Electricity -And Like It! by Anita
Evangelista. There's no need to be dependent on commercial electrical
systems for your home's comforts and security. Describes dozens of
alternative methods that can help the individual become more self-reliant
and free from utility companies. Tells: How to calculate your actual
power usage * Employ alternate light sources, including candles, oil,
kerosene, gas, and solar-powered lamps * Obtain, pump and store potable
water * Cook with gas, wood, and solar heat * Heat and cool your home
effectively * Refrigerate food without electricity * Maintain radio
communications * Generate power and recharge batteries * And much, much
more! Numerous illustrations and photographs, listings for the best
mail-order sources for the products depicted. This is a complete
sourcebook for those who wish to both simplify and improve their
lives.1997, 5x8, 168 pages, illustrated, soft cover. #5013...$15.00
DEAL WITH HUMAN WASTE SAFELY!
The Humanure Handbook II -A Guide To Composting
Human Manure
-Joe Jenkins' very practical solution to waste
management. This book describes a very simple safe way to handle daily
human 'waste' and even how to process it for safe garden compost. His
family has used this simple 'bucket' system for 15 years. This book
answers every question anyone could have about managing a compost toilet
and compost pile. 198 pages, indexed illustrated, color photos, funny,
fulll of cartoons. Prevent illness, and plan to handle waste safely.
#7006...$19.00 (new edition published 1999)
FIX UP AND REPAIR THE HOUSE YOU HAVE
People in this book are living comfortably now,
'off-the-power-grid'.
The Passive Solar House: Using Solar Design To Heat & Cool Your
Home by James Kachadorian. Practical, applicable solar design
advice that is usable in any region or climate. Information includes *
Proper siting and strategic window selection and placement * Energy and
money-saving construction tips * Ideal air-exchange rates, and ways to
avoid overheating * Methods for gauging and maximizing thermal mass *
Criteria for sizing of backup heating systems * Interior design for
year-round comfort. 220 pages, 50 b&w and color photos, 50
illustrations, charts, paperback. #5002...$25.00
The Solar Powered Home from Rob Roy This VIDEO shows how
to plan, purchase and set up your own home photovoltaic system, with tips
from some of America's leading experts in renewable energy and home
power, 84 minutes. #5009...$29.00 OR RENT this video $10.
for 14 days, credit card orders only, see order page.
The Solar Electric House by Steven J. Strong. Excellent
introduction to photovoltaic-powered houses, including design, wiring,
and energy management by one of the design pioneers. Covers both
stand-alone and grid-connected PV houses, 288 pages, paperback, graphs,
charts, index. #5003... $22.00
USEFUL PRODUCTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
LEARN ABOUT ALTERNATIVE HOUSE BUILDING OPTIONS
Alternative Housebuilding by Mike McClintock.
A giant, oversized, one-volume working encyclopedia! Why are so many
craftsmen turning to alternative housing instead of conventional home
designs? The Author thinks it is because you get to 'build something
personal and something special, and enjoy the trip as much as the
destination.' This book is your guide through the world of alternative
house construction. It shows how to build with traditional systems now
enjoying big revivals: log buildings, timber frame houses, structures
made from adobe, stone or cordwood. And you also see how to build with
the newer systems: pole foundations, rammed-earth walls, earth
sheltering. But this is much more than a look-and-dream book. You get
complete information on the construction techniques, with hundreds of
step-by-step photos and drawings. If you are looking for alternatives to
mass-produced housing, this is the most complete and authoritative guide
in print. 1989, 8 x11, 379 pages, illustrated, indexed, soft cover.
#6012...$22.00
This is the OLD website for The Dirt Cheap Builder. To order books fast
and easy online please click on www.dirtcheapbuilder.com...my Webstore link. It will take you to the same books shown here, and more!
© Copyright 2000 Taylor Publishing .This
page updated 11-03
