Building Green, Green Building
Written: Mar 31 '08 (Updated Apr 01 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very handy pre-project guide
Cons: Basic, probably too much so for some.
The Bottom Line: Good advice, reasonably well presented. Worth your while
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| pambo's Full Review: Eric C. Freed - Green Building & Remodeling for Du... |
Like most of the books in this series, "Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies" is a reasonably thorough overview, this time of environmental building practices. The smart thing about the Dummies series is that the publisher finds an expert in his or her field to write on a topic and the, despite the titles, addresses the reader in a respectful, helpful way.
Eric Corey Freed is an architect and certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) professional who has put together this informative and easy to read book, spread out over 18 chapters.
As seems to be the case with virtually every environmental book, the author first makes the case for need, but spares us the moral lecture, instead focusing on what green means and how to get there. The author notes that he makes certain assumptions about his reader, including the likelihood that cost IS a factor, that anyone buying the book is already somewhat aware of environmental issues, that people want a quality home, if not a fancy McMansion and that the reader wants to limit the harm done to his surroundings. Those seem like reasonable assumptions to me.
Anyone considering ways of remodeling a current building or starting from scratch would probably learn a bit from this book.
Among the main points considered, by chapter, are:
The need for green
Paying attention to materials
Green building methods
Green building systems and site planning
A series of 10’s-- 10 myths about building and remodeling, 10 green things to do on every new home project, 10 green materials you can’t live without and 10 green things you can do in your home now.
The first step is to make sure you know what green materials are and to size up a potential building site (or remodeling space.)
The book also helps you figure out who is a real green professional (and who is not) and then guides you through the following:
Understand the lifecycle of building materials
Choose the right system for your green building project
Put together a green team
Work within your budget
Refinish old fixtures and materials
Beware of asbestos and lead-paint hazards
Avoid costly mistakes
Use green building methods and sustainable systems
Speed construction and reduce energy use and waste
This is a very handy book, a very good way to start thinking about what you want to accomplish and how to stay out of trouble. We get illustrations of kitchens, bathrooms, walls, floorplans, with explanations of the materials and building requirements. The author is big on reminding us of the need to keep in compliance with codes and notes that, contrary to some people's expectations, green building concepts aren't always welcome in all areas.
The book offers a lot of resources, showing potential builders how to get started or watch over a professional doing the job. It provides numerous drawings, charts on materials, essential steps to follow, building code warnings and much more, all presented in an easy-to-read manner. Some information, set off and identified as technical, is probably not essential to someone reading this book. It's there but not vital to understanding the general issues of green building.
While I'm not ready to tear down my house, I am considering a couple of smaller steps, such as gradually replacing some kitchen cabinets with better wood choices. That's about all I can handle right now but if that goes well, who knows what the next step will be?
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pambo
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Member: Pam
Location: Long Island
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