Housing Ourselves: Creating Affordable, Sustainable Shelter by Richard Burnham

Product Details

Synopsis

Rediscover the secrets of affordable housing that modern builders have all but forgotten! Through centuries of human history, people in every part of the world have practiced the art of building their own homes—homes that turned out to be remarkably practical, sustainable,and affordable...Today, we have homes built by "professionals." And we also have homes built of synthetic materials, a coast-to-coast homogenization of style, prodigious, wastefulness of natural resources, and ever sky-rocketing prices—even for the most modest housing. This timely, much-needed book offers a practical and workable approach to building affordable, sustainable, environmentallysensitive housing BY HAVING PEOPLE BUILD IT THEMSELVES! Illuminating case studies show how such housing can be constructed for one-third the cost of custom-built housing. The author shows architects, contractors, planners, and would-be homeowners how to: CHOOSE MATERIALS that are locally available, cost-effective, and sustainable; DESIGN HOUSING that's suitable to an area's climate, topography, and other shelter requirements; LAUNCH THE PROJECT on a shoestring and add on incrementally as finances permit; CREATE HOMES that bring individuality and variety back to today's homogenized landscape...AND MUCH MORE!

Booknews

Describes how to design and build incremental housing<-->structures that can be added on to as time and money permits<-->using local, cost-effective, sustainable materials and bringing individuality and variety back to today's homogenized landscape. Coverage includes recycling; modular building; regional characteristics and housing; case studies of affordable housing; labor and tools; electricity, plumbing, countertops, and cabinets; policy considerations; and areas for future research. An appendix includes designs for one-,, two-, three-, and four-module starter houses. Paper edition (unseen), $36.95. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Biography

Richard Burnham is the owner and principal architect of Richard Burnham Architect and Associates. He is certified nationally and is registered in several states, and he specializes in single- and multifamily housing. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Dartmouth and Virginia Polytechnic Institute, respectively, and has published a number of articles on housing design. He has also received several grants for his work on low-income housing.