The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options [Paperback]

Daniel Chiras (Author)

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Product Details

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing (Jun 28 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1931498164
ISBN-13: 978-1931498166
Product Dimensions: 25.3 x 20.4 x 2.1 cm
Shipping Weight: 794 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #233,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in Books > Home & Garden > Home Design > Energy Efficient Design

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Product Description

Shelter, like many other elements of human existence, comes at an extraordinary cost to our planet and its inhabitants. In the U.S. alone, construction of 1.2 million new homes a year results in a massive drain on Earth's natural resource base. Today, nearly 60 percent of all timber cut in the U.S. is used in building houses, not to mention construction wastes and the huge amounts of resources used in the day-to-day operation of the "modern" household. In addition to environmental costs, there are the personal economic costs--the thousands of dollars each homeowner spends each year to heat, cool, and power our homes. Today, a new generation of architects and builders is emerging, intent on creating homes that meet human needs for shelter while causing only a fraction of the environmental impact of conventional housing. The New Ecological Home provides an overview of green building techniques, materials, products, and technologies that are either currently available or will be in the near future. Author Daniel Chiras provides a wealth of up-to-date, practical information for home buyers, owner-builders, and anyone interested in building for a sustainable future. Included are chapters on: * The Healthy House; * Green Building Materials; * Wood-Wise Construction; * Energy Efficiency; * Earth-Sheltered Architecture; * Passive Solar Heating and Passive Cooling; * Green Power: Electricity from the Sun and Wind; * Water and Waste: Sustainable Approaches;* Environmental Landscaping.

About the Author

Daniel D. Chiras is a leading authority on green building and renewable energy options for home construction. He is the author of numerous books, including The Solar House and The Natural House, both from Chelsea Green Publishing. He lives in Evergreen, Colorado.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.4 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

109 of 113 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Overview of Green Building...Superb!, Nov 4 2004

By Linda M. Stuart - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options (Paperback)

Author Dan Chiras has produced a series of amazing books on green building, including The Natural House, The Solar House, Superbia!, and The Natural Plaster Book. His books are extremely well written, well organized, comprehensive, and extremely well illustrated. He's truly one of the best, if not the best, writer in the green building field.

The New Ecological Home is no exception. In fact, I think it is one of the best books he has written. Although the cover is pretty drab, the book is a beauty inside. The book is engaging, easy to read, and full of interesting and helpful information that will assist those who want to explore the many options for building homes that are good for people, the planet, and the economy. This book should be read by all who are considering building a new home as well as those who are thinking about remodeling their homes. It is also a valuable resource for architects, builders, and students of architecture. Adding to its value, this book has a detailed resource guide that adds considerably to its value.

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to wide array of green building options, Dec 11 2006

By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options (Paperback)

During the planning phase of building our first home, this book was very helpful. We liked the emphasis right at the start on site selection -- what to look for in everything from the overall community to aspects of the land itself and how to environmentally protect that land during construction. A comparison checklist for assessing lots is included. Even though ours will not be a "natural House" (rammed earth, straw bale, etc.) and though those types of construction are covered, there was plenty of solid information on building a more energy efficient, and less wasteful, home of wood and concrete. Also included are chapters on design, using green and non- or less toxic materials, sustainable approaches to water and waste, environmental landscaping, and enery-efficient design, heating, and cooling. As this will be a retirement home, we especially appreciated the chapter on accessiblilty and ergonomic design.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great textbook!, Dec 27 2007

By J. Van Wagner "Jacquie Van Wagner" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: The New Ecological Home: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options (Paperback)

This book could very easily serve as a textbook for a green building course. It's not a coffee table book - the photos are small, and black and white - but very useful in supporting the text. This is a serious book about alternative building written by and about a group of people who have been creatively, responsibly, thoughtfully building for a very long time. It's a good choice for builders who want to learn more about sustainability, students who want to go into the field, or homeowners who are looking to build. It's not so much glitzy and inspirational as it is informative and useful: comprehensive from site selection and design through building options and techniques, to landscaping, it also contains a great resource guide.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 8 reviews 4.4 out of 5 stars