The SimpleHome Bookshop contains a growing list of titles to help you learn more about building your new home, remodeling the one you have, or just thinking about either.
Most titles are available at a discount through SimpleHome in association with Amazon.com, or from your local library. Just click on the title to go to Amazon.com where you can purchase your selection.
If you're thinking about building your own home then this is the book for you. Helpful
information on alternative energy and materials. Also covers contracting issues and
preparing your own working drawings. Incredibly thorough overall guide to building your
own home.Independent Builder: Designing & Building a House Your Own Way (A Real Goods Independent Living Book) by Sam Clark.
Straw what? Yep, straw bales. The easily renewable resource makes a great building
material in the right climate. This book covers practical information on building with straw
bales, and answers all your questions about safety, building codes and insurance. Many
photos of construction techniques and finished homes. If you are considering alternative
construction, flip through this book.The Straw Bale House (A Real Goods Independent Living Book) by Atheena Swentzell Steen, Bill Steen, David Bainbridge, and David Eisenberg.
Rammed earth homes are a beautiful alternative to other building materials. This book is
full of illustrations of these nearly indestructible houses. It is a resource conscious and
environmentally friendly alternative with a long history. Consider this technique as an
alternative in arid climates, or where dirt is abundant.The Rammed Earth House (A Real Goods Independent Living Book) by David Easton, Cynthia Wright, and David Eaton.
If you really want to know, this is the book to read. Detailed information on costs,
handling, durability, and other strengths and weaknesses on at least three alternative
materials per building phase. The focus is on residential materials and includes an index
on manufacturers and suppliers.Handbook of Alternative Materials in Residential Construction by Richard T. Bynum, and Daniel L. Rubino.
This book features some very alternative construction methods. Not as current as we would like to see, but a good starting point to get you thinking about the possibilties.Alternative Housebuilding by Michael McClintock.
If you are questioning the traditional modes of building and would like to see some other ideas, Neil Jackson's book is a great resource. Jackson chronicles the history of residential steel buildings with photos, drawings and text. The cover photo is a famous shot of the steel house built by the late Albert Frey. The light airy quality of the house high above Palm Springs defines the advantages of building in steel.
The Modern Steel House by Neil Jackson
Glenn Murcutt's work in Australia as shown in this book clearly reserves him a place in architectural history. The simple forms and delicate handling of the building site shows well in his later work. His houses are simple in plan, elegant in detail, and appropriate to the climate and environment. For a look at the ultimate SimpleHomes open a copy of this or any other book which covers the work of this outstanding architect.
Glenn Murcutt: Buildings and Projects by Francois Fromont
The Florida architects of the postwar era designed interesting modern houses suited to the Florida climate. If your living in the hot humid zones of the United States, you might find this an interesting look at the way buildings can modulate their environment. For beautiful Modern post and beam houses flip through this enjoyable book.
The Sarasota School of Architecture 1941-1966 by John Howey, Richard Guy Wilson, and Michael Sorkin.
The Essential House Book has great tips on how to make your living environment fit your life with style. Terrence Conran is one of Europe's premier visionaries on matters of living well. His home furnishing stores, called Habitat, have made good design available at realistic prices. This book has many ideas and practical information on how to acheive a comfortable and stylish environment. If SimpleHome had a hall of fame, Terrence Conran would be in it.
The Essential House Book: Getting Back to Basics by Terrence Conran
Great information for anyone interested in exploring the alternative to today's housing problems. This book shows many ways to think about and build houses. Great source for ideas, well illustrated with drawings and photographs, text features information on costs and materials.
The New American House: Innovations in Residential Design and Construction: 30 Case Studies. by Oscar Riera Ojeda (Editor), Oscar Riera Ojeda (Editor), Lucas H. Guerra.
Volume 2 continues the same high quality visual and written information as Volume 1, with another 30 great houses.
The New American House: Innovations in Residential Design and Construction: 30 Case Studies by Oscar Riera Ojeda (Editor)
This is a book we wished we had written. (Hey, sometimes you just have to applaud the competition.) Many SimpleHome ideals are clearly illustrated in this book with photographs and diagrams. The text is clearly written, and the information presented is worth thinking over before you build or buy.
The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live by Sarah Susanka, & Kira Obolensky.
Wright's Usonian houses started it all. These houses were designed for the ordinary person at the time. We recommend anyone interested in simplifiying their life through changing their surroundings look at these houses. They are great examples of decreasing size and increasing quality of life.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses (Wright at a Glance Series) by Carla Lind
John Sergeant's book goes into detail on the evolution of the design of the Usonian house and its construction. Interesting photographs of houses being built clearly show the Usonian methods with all their strengths and weaknesses. The text outlines what the drove the thinking behind these great houses.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses: The Case for Organic Architecture by John Sergeant
An interesting look at James Bond's Architect. Lautner's work has been featured in many movies for its futuristic look. Some of his early work, shown in this book shows the influence of the early California modern architects whose work embodies many SimpleHome ideals. This is an enjoyable escape into the mind of one of America's visionaries.
John Lautner, Architect by Frank Escher (Editor)
William Wurster's contribution to architecture goes beyond houses, though his firm's residential work is truely unparalleled. His small houses in the San Francisco Bay area are important sources for anyone thinking about efficient design and simple living.
An Everyday Modernism: The Houses of William Wurster by Marc Treib (Editor), David Gebhard, Daniel Gregory, Greg Ise
The Pattern Language is one of the most important books about architecture written in the past century. Constructed as a series of patterns, the book explores an explains what we find most pleasing in our architectural enviornment and how to acheive it in new construction. We often refer to this book, for inspiration and as a reality check. We can say from experience that the ideas presented here will help you make thoughtful and informed decisions about you environment.
A Pattern Language: Towns, Building, Construction
Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein with Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel
This book contains valuable information for the owner/builder. Helpful excercises take the reader through the design process and on to construction. Clear diagrams and helpful appendices cover issues like structural design, mechanical and plumbing issues, and geographical and climate data.
Homing Instinct: Using Your Lifestyle to Design and Build Your Home by John Connell
Joseph Eichler built some wonderful houses. His commitment to quality and design created a lasting legacy of open plan post and beam houses. This book tells the Eichler story in words and pictures. The introduction is by noted historian Sally Woodbridge. Anyone who has lived in an Eichler house must have this book, and anyone interested in breaking out of the current housing rut might want to look back at his innovative approach.
Eichler Homes: Designs for Living. by Jerry Ditto, Lanning Stern