The Earth Garden Building Book: Design And Build Your Own House

EARTH GARDEN BUILDING BOOK is a practical book for dreamers.

The present cost of land, high interest rates and the escalating price of building materials
have put the Australian dream of owning a home beyond the reach of many people. One
solution is for people to design and build their own homes.

Bob Rich and Keith Smith show how even the most impractical person can learn to build
a house. The authors were not originally skilled craftsmen and, since they have learned
through their own experiences, they are able to explain the processes involved to other
beginners. Their approach is analytical and scientific, but their language is straightforward and lively.

The book covers a wide range of topics:

• energy efficient design - architecture, plans and models
• safeguarding the house from bushfires, cyclones and floods
• footings and floors
• roofs (with practical, step-by-step instructions)
• walls (mudbrick, rammed earth, stone, weatherboard)
• necessary building skills, such as measuring, sawing, hammering, bricklaying and glass cutting
• articles by other people telling of their experiences when building

Dr ROBERT RICH was once 'the most impractical person on earth, until in 1972 he decided to learn some survival skills. He has now been teaching building for some years, and writing articles on the subject. At present he earns his living as a 'mudsmith, handcrafting houses from timber, stone and earth. 

KEITH SMITH trained as a journalist and is the author of twelve books. For fifteen years, with his wife, Irene, he edited the EARTH GARDEN magazine, a quarterly journal dealing with the practical aspects of self-sufficiency. He has also worked on a kibbutz and looked at mudbrick and rammed earth buildings from North Africa to China,