Product Description
A thorough, informative, and up-to-date reference on green, sustainable and energy-efficient home construction that clarifies definitions of green and sustainable and guides builders and architects through the process of new or remodel green construction, including issues of site, landscaping, durability, and energy-efficiency. It starts with clear explanations of the concepts and fundamentals of green, healthy and energy-efficient construction and walks the reader … More >>
Green from the Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-Efficient Home Construction
Very good, except it didn’t treat radiant floors and wind energy as much as I wanted. I’m going off-grid and need all the help I can get.
Rating: 4 / 5
The author has good experience in building green as well as using the buildings. This book has great details for those who are wanting to build an energy efficient house. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m working as a green building consultant for a major remodel/upgrade on a 250 yr old house in NH. This book has brought a beautifully wide perspective to a very concrete process. Johnston & Gibson understand green building and more importantly they understand that the most expensive answer is not necessarily the best. They give a balanced discussion on the pros and cons on various techniques and technology. After discussing the merits of tankless water heaters and there are many, they note that a California Build Water Heater can deliver similar energy efficiency results at a fraction of the cost. I appreciate that they understand the Return on the Investment side of the equation.
It is a complete book; all the various facets of HVAC from duct trouble spots, sheet metal ducts vs flex ducts, geothermal pumps, swamp coolers to night flushing are discussed. I would recommend it to both experts and novices.
Taunton Publishing brought their exceptional understanding of how-to books to the text. It is well-designed and laid out for both readability and comprehension. The illustrations are excellent and the pictures informative.
It is nice to see this level of quality in such a cloudy and sometimes hyped subject matter. In a word: Inspirational.
Rating: 5 / 5
This book breaks down the different components going into residential building construction. It gives ideas and suggestions while being cautious not to sound to “Granola-or-Bust.” I really enjoyed the well thought out approaches to explain why these new (and not so new) approaches are not only more environmentally friendly, but just make sense and are therefore inherently more efficient.
My wife and I are currently designing our own modern ZEH (Zero Energy Home) and this a perfect start towards planning and implementing Green and Efficient practices into our Dream House.
Rating: 5 / 5
A little bit of an alarmist attitude in a few places, but overall, it provided useful details and material information, which was what I was looking for.
Rating: 5 / 5