The New Natural House Book: Creating a Healthy, Harmonious, and Ecologically Sound Home

Amazon.com

The Natural House Book, first published in 1989, originated the phrase "natural house" and established the presence of the Green movement in home design. Author David Pearson has updated and expanded this eco-aware homebuilder's classic with new resource listings, a new photo-essay in the introduction, and revised text describing the latest and best developments in natural construction.

The first part of the book deals with the interaction between the home and the external environment, the second part with the home's components, and the third part with the design of the living space itself. Throughout the book, well-drawn illustrations and numerous photographs show how enlightened home design makes Green living easier by encouraging builders and residents to take advantage of natural light and heat. They're also a powerful tool for convincing those who might not yet be committed to natural living, as many of the homes are luxurious and warm looking. (The natural bathrooms are so beautiful and comfortable, one can only wonder why anyone settles for the prefab "luxury master baths" that the construction industry pushes on new homebuilders.) It's truly a book that takes a larger view, appealing not only to those with fewer resources who have always wanted to live simply, but also to those who can afford to live where they want, in effect saying to them, "Our way is better--for the environment and for you."

Book Description

This completely revised and redesigned edition of the bestselling Natural House Book brings you hundreds of practical energy- and money-saving ideas to enhance your home, your environment, and your well-being.

Originally published in 1989, The Natural House Book anticipated our problems with garbage disposal, indoor air pollution, water purification, and environmental hazards. Today more than ever, we need inspiration and cutting-edge information to transform our homes into havens for the body, mind, and spirit.

Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 full-color photos, combining the expertise of top architects, designers, and ecology authorities from all over the world, here is a hands-on, step-by-step, room-by-room architectural and design guide to bring you and your family safely and happily into the twenty-first century.

You'll find out how to:

Use the latest toxin-free materials
Improve air and water quality
Save energy
Minimize maintenance
Create green space
Combat environmental hazards
Incorporate aromatherapy and feng shui
Design a personal space for contemplation
Build an exercise room
Use color, texture, and design to create a nourishing, stress-free environment for your family

Featuring a new Gaia House prototype design, a new Charter for Natural Building, and completely updated appendices on natural paints and varnishes, household cleaners, and indoor air pollution, as well as a mail-order resource list for furniture, carpeting, water filtration, and textiles, The New Natural House Book will help you create a better future.

Customer Reviews:

The Natural Home.......2007-08-18

True to its name, this book is about building natural homes or creating healthier ones. A classic. Not much specific information in regard to where to order healthier materials and product. The book has been out for a while and new products are on the market. What the book does really well is explain the history of architecture in regard to building for health and how to build with health in mind. Lots of cool, full color pictures of natural and healthy interiors including kitchens and bathrooms.

I am Dan Stih, author of Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health.

A perfect book for those serious about change...for the better.......2007-05-10

The New Natural House Book by David Pearson is a very serious, very dedicated book...dedicated to changiing the way we look at things, through the footprints we leave.

The renderings are clear and thought provoking...exciting even. There is not only imagination here but considerable working knowledge. One is left with the feeling that even if I do not build a home from the ground up I can still do many things to alter my lifestyle. It is at once practical and vibrant.

Superb quality throughout and a real bargain at this price.

A coffee table book.......2006-03-06

A pretty book that is mainly a life-style and remodeling book. NOT a necessary book for anyone interested in sustainable building or substantial practical advice. I highly recommend The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes by Daniel D. Chiras. No glossy dream rooms (or houses) unless your dreams are realistic and desirous of making a smaller impact on the Earth.

For a healthy house read this book.......2004-01-16

Our home, especially if we have the opportunity to build from scratch, should reflect a great deal about our worldview. The visitor should be able to tell from what he sees and from a few simple questions how the owner feels about some of the most pressing questions of our time, including the environment. Do we wish to tread lightly on the earth, taking for ourselves a fair portion of the world's resources or are we more interested in looking after ourselves whatever the price paid by others? These are not easy questions to deal with in practical terms as we are continually faced with trading off one priority against another and sometimes the factors we have to consider become overwhelming.

The contributors to this book are those who want to help us to tread lightly on this earth and find our way through the complex maze, realizing that the hundreds of small, and perhaps seemingly unimportant, decisions do make a difference and we must remember that we have an influence on others through the home that we create.

The reason that I read this book was that I want a well body in a well home in a well earth and I needed practical, down-to-earth advice on how to get there while building our house. I am aware that the house of an unwitting builder can actually damage health and do damage to the earth and that it is not easy today to find the path to ensure that our house would be a healing place for body, mind, spirit and the planet. I want to take advantage of all the wonders of science, our latest technologies and new materials but want to reject those which could be harmful. I don't want to turn the clock back and live according to the best of a bygone age but want to do the best possible job in today's world. I am also aware that our world will be different at some point in the future - whether it be very soon or some years away. We cannot take cheap fuel and clean water for granted, and there will be increasing pressure to adopt a sustainable life style as poorer nations seek a similar standard of living for their people as I seek for my family. So was this book helpful to me? The answer is yes.

The book has been written by people who have an interest in and experience in ecological architecture and the Gaia movement (inspired by the view of the earth as a living planet) and is divided into three parts. The first provides the big picture telling us how the home interacts with the environment and the user. The second part shows how to build, service and furnish a home for health and ecology while the third applies the principles to the design of spaces in the home.

I had not studied the Gaia Home Charter, which is the heart and soul of the philosophical approach adopted by the authors, but it seems to me to be sensible and to reflect the values I would want to be known for. The Charter does not ask me to give up those things that I truly value - in fact it urges us to do only what we are ready for and can carry through - but helps to ensure that all people on the earth, if they adopt the Charter, have a better chance to enjoy those same pleasures and benefits.

The second part goes into detail about the various systems such as solar windows, solar walls, sunspaces, natural cooling, energy conservation, prudent water use, indoor air pollution and the criteria for selecting healthy materials.

The third part gives advice, examples, pictures and photographs of how to integrate the philosophy of Part I with the details of Part II to produce beautiful, harmonious, peaceful, and practical living spaces.

Having read this book, I feel that my wife and I are better equipped to build a house which is a practical place to raise three active children but which reflects the values which we want to espouse in our lives. I have a better understanding of the wisdom and knowledge of other cultures, ancient and modern, and how to blend these into our house in a manner which balances the demands of ecology, health, and spirit, integrated into the natural systems which surround us. I have found that practical restrictions do not allow me to be as environmental as I would have liked to have been, but I have taken a step in the right direction by reading and acting upon the wisdom contained in this book.

If we wish to do something positive for the environment, there is no better place to start than in our homes and in our personal lives. People in West Germany and the Scandinavian countries have already adopted the lifestyle proposed in this book so there is nothing impossible about making a positive change to demonstrate respect for the environment and care for our personal health. Whether or not you are building, renovating, advising or just interested, this is a good book to guide us through the maze.

Two good books when working with/on your house........2001-07-15

The New Natural House book is one of two books that I recommend when people ask me which books I feel have helped me the most while working on my house renovation. The other book is The Healing House by Barbara Bannnon Harwood. The New Natural House Book is an excellent resource it covers material that you normally need five or ten books to cover. Alternative building methods, energy efficient lighting, indoor pollutants, color and light, non polluting paint, lighting design, sacred spaces, etc. and it is done in a thoughtful helpful way. I bought this book for one of the people that helped me on my project.

The New Natural House Book - Creating A Healthy, Harmonious, And Ecologically Sound Home

Average customer rating:

The New Natural House Book - Creating A Healthy, Harmonious, And Ecologically Sound Home
David Pearson
Manufacturer: Fireside / Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P8TIPK

Average customer rating:

beautiful book of contemporary work

The Best of New Ceramic Art, Featuring Winners of the Monarch National Ceramic Competition

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Customer Reviews:

beautiful book of contemporary work.......1999-07-15

This book is mostly a picture book, full of images of strong and interesting ceramic creations. Truly inspirational!

Book Description

This complete and easy-to-follow introduction to Adobe Photoshop Elements has been updated throughout to show all the new features of version 2.0, including digital video frame acquisition; the liquefy filter; the selecting/masking brush and the effects browser.

Philip Andrews in his clear, no-nonsense style goes on to set the package in the broader context of digital imaging. He provides you with far more than just an introduction to the software package, giving you everything to ensure you too can achieve professional looking results.

* Save valuable time with this successful, jargon-free introduction to digital imaging
* Real life examples, fully updated to cover all the new Elements 2.0 features, show you how to put each technique into practice
* Full color, high quality illustrations show you what you can achieve

Customer Reviews:

Not for Intermediate Photoshop Users.......2007-08-21

I have been using Photoshop Elements 2.0 for a few years now. I consider myself fairly adept with the program and have already familarized myself with all the tools. However, every time one of my graphically inclinded friends sits down with the program, they seem to be able to create their desired manipulations faster and better than I can. I was hoping with the help of this book I would get better at using the tools I had already been using - making me a more efficent and affective user.

Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. This book does a good job of explaining what each of the tools do and how to use them. As another reviewer already stated, it's like using the help section but in print form. The book is easy enough to follow (though it may be a little overwhelming if you're brand new to any kind of graphical software). If you're trying to figure out what everything in the program does, this book is definitely a viable option. However, if you're looking for a book to help you improve using the tools you've already been using, this book will be of little use to you.

This book is exactly what it says it is "A visual introduction to digital imaging". Even though the it was not useful to me, I cannot fault it for not being more than the title claims hence the 4/5 stars rating.

Very helpful.......2006-03-16

This book has been very helpful in learning more about Photoshop Elements 2 than just basics. I would reccomend it

adobe photoshop elements 2.0 a visual introduction to digita.......2003-07-06

This book is definitely not an introduction to digital imaging. What it is, a well organized and illustrated book listing the features of Photoshop Elements and what can be accomplished with it. This book is not something you can follow to perform various digital manipulations. In fact I believe that it is no better than using the help section of the program, which comes free with the program! After trying the book I found free material on several web sites that had good detailed steps to follow. this book should offer typical cases with step by step instructions.

Good for Beginners.......2003-06-08

I am only in my teens but my dad got a copy of photoshop elements, a digital camera and and this book. I found it great to start of with and it has helped me gain great marks on all my assignments. I reccomend to all beginners who are starting of with photoshop elements.

Great Book.......2003-05-13

It was the second book I had bought to learn elements. It hit the mark. Perfect. Lots of illustrations, lots of color, and not too much verbosity. A picture IS worth a thousand words. A web site provided has all the pictures available to "play with."
This book has given me a tremendous grasp of Elements in an extremely short time. Philip Andrews has done an incredible job. There may be more for me to learn in Elements but this is without a doubt the best introduction I have found. Before purchasing I thumbed through many books which left me cold. Philip's book truly gets you up and going quickly.

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Book Description

The concept of a legionary fortress as a permanent structure dates from the reign of Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). It is only from that time that we find a standing army distributed around the empire, and their permanent fortresses developed from the temporary field fortifications of the legions on campaign. This book describes the development, design and construction of these fortresses throughout the length and breadth of the Empire. It also deals extensively with the experience of life within a typical fortress and covers the operational history of these fortifications, including the famous siege of Vetera in AD 69.

Customer Reviews:

A funny thing happened to me at the Praetorium........2007-01-13

I read this wonderful book! A fine addition to the others they publish. Well written and accurate in art, a must for the serious reader and for young adults. The entire collection of Osprey Publishing is worth having for the entire family. Such colorful illustrations, with the original and restored pieces, are additions to our scope of the past.

Roman Fortresses, a worthy addition to your Roman military library.......2006-05-15

Roman Legionary Fortresses 27 BC-AD 378, by Duncan B Campbell, Illustrated by Brian Delf is recently published by the folks at 'Osprey' as a part of their "Fortress" series. ISBN 1-84176-895-2. There are 27 B&W photos, 16 color photos, 14 line drawings and 6 color plates and 2 color maps, not including the covers.

This is a good starter for people wanting to know about the Roman fortresses of the legions. Not only are there many different locations, with some nice photos, but there is a wealth of information about different positions, time periods, and legion deployments contained in this work. I enjoy the idea that it is not Anglo-centric, and covers Roman Fortresses from Scotland to Egypt, with a good deal of mention being given to the forces and forts in the Danube region.

I didn't see anything outstandingly controversial, or even 'jump in your face' new, but the work brings together a lot of different material from various sources in a concise and well written primer on Roman Fortresses. Unlike many of the modern speculative works so popular in recent publications, we have facts and a brief bibliography, and actual references are given in the body of the work.

Even though this is published by 'Osprey' it weighs in as a must add to my collection, and is informative and enjoyable to the serious student of the topic, as well as the dilettante.

Book Description

The turmoil and strife of the Middle East raises serious questions about the security of the world's oil supply. Oil, Turmoil, and Islam in the Middle East is a hard-hitting indictment of OPEC and OAPEC, arguing that these organizations can no longer afford to impose indiscriminate price increases on the marketplace because they hurt not only themselves but oil poor Third World nations. as well. The author analyzes the importance of Middle Eastern oil in world politics. He emphasizes that any consideration of the forces influencing development in the Middle East should take Islamic tradition into account. Each chapter is organized around a current Middle Eastern problem: oil politics in relation to international energy needs; the ramifications of the new oil wealth and power of the Middle East; the Iran-Iraq War; Muslim insurgency in Afghanistan; the Arab-Israeli conflict; turmoil in Lebanon; Palestinian nationalism; and the Middle East as a superpower.

Book Description

The first of four volumes in the landmark Lives and Legacies Oryx Press series, Scientists, Mathematicians, and Inventors profiles approximately 200 men and women who changed the world by leaving lasting legacies in their fields. It fills a gap in the biographical reference shelf by offering far more than basic facts about a scientist's life and work--each entry describes not only the immediate effects of the individual's discoveries, but their impact on later scientific findings as well. Each entry contains a timeline listing important dates in the biographee's life as well as a bibliography of the most important works on the subject. A master timeline chronicling major events in scientific exploration and an annotated general bibliography are also included.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2000-06-24

One of the best and most concise books detailing scientists and engineers that have changed the world. If you have a friend or relative that is into science, buy them this book.

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