- Paperback: 156 pages
- Publisher: Resurgence Books; Revised edition edition (Oct 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1870098528
- ISBN-13: 978-1870098526
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.6 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 732,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
- Real World magazine
"Couldn't be more timely."
- E magazine
"Addresses all the topics you or your contractor need to know."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are many books on the renovation, extension or adaptation of residential buildings, but no other that I have found with such a broad coverage of the ecological aspects of home improvement. The flavour of this book is gained immediately from the foreword written by the chairman of the Ecology Building Society, Gus Smith, and from the author's own Introduction. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on the importance of living a healthier life, of saving energy as a contribution to conserving the earth's resources, and of using "environmentally friendly materials" for the sake of ourselves and for the sake of the globe on which we live.
Having acquired a partly-modernised former shepherd's cottage a thousand feet up a Welsh hillside, I needed practical advice, and I bought Eco-Renovation after borrowing an earlier version from my local library, for despite its inherent idealism this is in fact a very practical book. I had already spent several months considering a range of renovation problems and possible solutions, but Edward Harland's book prompted me to consider problems that I'd missed and to modify my views on appropriate ways of solving the problems I had identified. Divided into five sections, the book covers Space, Energy, Health and Materials, with a final part, Further Information, containing not only an excellent guide to all aspects of surveying one's home (or prospective home) but also useful references to other sources of advice. It is a pity, though, that the author fails to give the Website addresses of the numerous organisations listed.
A major fault to my mind is the absence of a full analysis of the problems of water penetration, except in the "Assessing your home" section at the end where the reader is alerted to a number of potential problems but with no recommendation for action. The index carries no entries for terms such as rising damp, damp proof course, leaks, flashing, gutters. Nor is there anything on drainage, despite the fact that many people buying rural properties for conversion or improvement will need to consider the installation of a septic tank or the possible alternative of reed beds (the only index entry for reeds relates to thatch and matting).
However, the book scores heavily for the refreshing way in which the author links to the practical elements of home improvement such realities of modern life as the finite life of fossil fuels, our tendency to "fill our homes with clutter," the benefits of growing our own food, the importance of recycling in its many forms, the value of natural light, the hazards of toxic materials, and the ways in which we can live more healthily in our homes by using plants to absorb pollutants and by eating organic produce.
This is an ecological guide in very many different ways, and well worth its modest price.
[ 474 words ]
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Mostly Useless
7 Dec 1999
Format:Paperback
Don't kill any trees by bothering to buy this book. In fact, don't waste any brain cells by trying to read it either. When I bought this book I was looking for some sensible ways to reduce my impact on the environment as I was finishing my basement. I had already read about easy energy saving measures like better insulation and fluorescent lighting and was looking for a little more in depth knowledge. I certainly didn't get it here. The author advocates wood burning stoves and construction, without taking into consideration the durability and recyclability of other materials and the destruction to forests caused by clearcutting. He does not seem to understand that environmental problems have different solutions in England than they do in California. Worse yet, on several occasions he is just plain wrong. On page 104, while describing photovoltaic cells, he says that "the negative electrons are activated." I was forced to assume that the author was a total flake and that the Union of Concerned Scientists had failed to read this book when they recommended it in their otherwise excellent book, "The consumer's guide to effective environmental choices." Though there is some good information in this book, if you can filter it out from the useless junk, you don't need to read it, and if you can't, get a better book and skip the misinformation in this one.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Basic introduction
2 Jun 2000
Format:Paperback
Jane Smiths review seemed a bit biased. I will agree that this book has different illustrated different approaches in england than in CA. But then again CA at times seems to think they are a different country than the entire US. It seems she didn't review the book for what it was rather than her own personal agenda.
This book can be used to get a basic overview of what it means to take a sustainable approach. THe Author limited its scope to dealing with remedies for existing houses and didn't not focus on new development. Its target audience seemed to be the average Joe.
The author does not get to specific on remedies but at least touches on all of the major issues providing an outline for further research or a guide to know what to look out for.
I would recomend this book to anyone with no backround or understanding of sustainable building looking for an good introduction.
Recommended for green beginners
23 Jun 2010
Format:Paperback
As an introductory guide for the newcomers to the eco-remodeling, this book does a good job. It covers all the basics plus a few items usually overlooked by the green mainstream: the radiation, the houseplants and the sound environment. The "Priorities for action" at the end of each chapter is a novelty that provides a good advice about how to prioritize the capital investment. The illustrations are helpful and easy to understand. For those who whish to get into the details there is a long list of resources at the end of the book.
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