Cordwood Building: A Comprehensive Guide to the State of the Art - Fully revised Second Edition - Softcover

Roy, Rob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0865718288 ISBN 13: 9780865718289

Publisher: New Society Publishers, 2016

Synopsis

Cordwood masonry walls are low-cost, easy to build, aesthetically pleasing, and score high environmental points for making use of low-impact materials.

This fully revised second edition of the most widely read and used book on cordwood construction presents the latest innovations and on-the-ground experience from four decades of cordwood building and research.

New chapters cover the practical how-to and the full depth and breadth of cordwood construction, including load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls, integrating electrical wiring, innovations on corner designs, new mortar options such as lime putty, and the latest on cob-cordwood, insulation options, and bottle-end designs. There is detailed treatment of code compliance, efficient house shapes, and design considerations.

Richly illustrated and augmented with fresh case studies ranging from Hawaii and the Adirondacks to Tasmania and Michigan, Cordwood Building remains the most comprehensive book available on cordwood masonry construction methods.

Rob Roy has been building, researching and teaching about cordwood masonry for four decades. Widely recognized as a world leading authority on cordwood construction, Rob started Earthwood Building School in 1981 to train builders in the latest cordwood building methods. He has authored and edited a dozen books on alternative and natural building including the first edition of Cordwood Building, Timber Framing for the Rest of Us, Earth-Sheltered Houses, and Stoneview. Rob has also presented four videos, including two about cordwood, and has taught cordwood masonry all over the world.

About this title

Review

By far the most comprehensive book ever written on cordwood construction. Fact-filled, richly illustrated, and full of experience-based advice, this is the only book you’ll need if you are interested in this planet-friendly, simple, low cost, and artistic construction technique.
Lloyd Kahn, author of the Shelter Series of Building Books, including Shelter, Home Work, and Tiny Homes

Cordwood Building hits the proverbial nail on the head with its thorough investigation of this sustainable practice. Rich in hands-on practicality, replete with attractive case studies and loaded with eye-catching photos, the reader is invited inside the pages, to have a look-around. This tome should be on the must read list for anyone contemplating cordwood construction.
Richard Flatau, author, Cordwood Construction Best Practices and Director at Cordwood Construction Resources

As keeper of the cordwood masonry flame, Rob Roy has devoted his 40-year career to the conscientious evolution of this unique building method. Champion of the owner-builder and defender of dollar-wise construction, his careful documentation of step-by-step procedure, user-friendly formulas, and ongoing development in the field combine to make this revised and updated edition an invaluable reference for the curious and serious alike.
Richard Freudenberger, Resource Manager at Living Web Farms and former Publisher of BackHome Magazine.

I wholeheartedly recommend this new edition of Rob Roy’s classic book on Cordwood Building, which I consider to be one of the foremost techniques for furthering the cause of sustainable architecture. Not only do the results look naturally gorgeous, but the walls provide good insulation and thermal mass, without the need for further treatment once they are assembled. Couple this with the fact that the building process is easily learned and utilizes marginal wood unsuitable for other construction, and you have an outstanding system that is fully explained in Rob Roy’s comprehensive book.
Kelly Hart, founder, greenhomebuilding.com

If anybody knows cordwood, it’s Rob Roy, who’s been at the center of this expanding movement for more than two decades, experimenting, innovating and living within his creations. His comprehensive, practical guide Cordwood Building explores the nitty gritty of cordwood how to”, lessons learned, and innovations like cob mortar, paper-enhanced mortar, and bottle ends. A traditional building method for more than a millennium, modern cordwood
homes pass building codes and introduce building science to the hobbit way of building”, and Rob Roy’s in depth book addresses air infiltration, vapor barriers, discussions of mass and insulation, and even electrical wiring. Practical and thrifty, Cordwood Building is on the cutting edge of mortgage free” thinking, inspiring do-it-yourself tiny homes that utilize affordable materials, and offer a beautiful aesthetic.
Catherine Wanek, author/photographer, The Hybrid House, co-editor, The Art of Natural Building, and co-founder of Builders Without Borders

By far the most comprehensive book ever written on cordwood construction. Fact-filled, richly illustrated, and full of experience-based advice, this is the only book you’ll need if you are interested in this planet-friendly, simple, low cost, and artistic construction technique.
―Lloyd Kahn, author of the Shelter Series of Building Books, including Shelter, Home Work, and Tiny Homes

Cordwood Building hits the proverbial nail on the head with its thorough investigation of this sustainable practice. Rich in hands-on practicality, replete with attractive case studies and loaded with eye-catching photos, the reader is invited inside the pages, to have a look-around. This tome should be on the must read list for anyone contemplating cordwood construction.
―Richard Flatau, author, Cordwood Construction Best Practices and Director at Cordwood Construction Resources

As keeper of the cordwood masonry flame, Rob Roy has devoted his 40-year career to the conscientious evolution of this unique building method. Champion of the owner-builder and defender of dollar-wise construction, his careful documentation of step-by-step procedure, user-friendly formulas, and ongoing development in the field combine to make this revised and updated edition an invaluable reference for the curious and serious alike.
―Richard Freudenberger, Resource Manager at Living Web Farms and former Publisher of BackHome Magazine.

I wholeheartedly recommend this new edition of Rob Roy’s classic book on Cordwood Building, which I consider to be one of the foremost techniques for furthering the cause of sustainable architecture. Not only do the results look naturally gorgeous, but the walls provide good insulation and thermal mass, without the need for further treatment once they are assembled. Couple this with the fact that the building process is easily learned and utilizes marginal wood unsuitable for other construction, and you have an outstanding system that is fully explained in Rob Roy’s comprehensive book.
―Kelly Hart, founder, greenhomebuilding.com

If anybody knows cordwood, it’s Rob Roy, who’s been at the center of this expanding movement for more than two decades, experimenting, innovating and living within his creations. His comprehensive, practical guide Cordwood Building explores the nitty gritty of cordwood “how to”, lessons learned, and innovations like cob mortar, paper-enhanced mortar, and bottle ends. A traditional building method for more than a millennium, modern cordwood
homes pass building codes and introduce building science to the “hobbit way of building”, and Rob Roy’s in depth book addresses air infiltration, vapor barriers, discussions of mass and insulation, and even electrical wiring. Practical and thrifty, Cordwood Building is on the cutting edge of “mortgage free” thinking, inspiring do-it-yourself tiny homes that utilize affordable materials, and offer a beautiful aesthetic.
―Catherine Wanek, author/photographer, The Hybrid House, co-editor, The Art of Natural Building, and co-founder of Builders Without Borders

From the Back Cover

THE MOST WIDELY READ BOOK ON CORDWOOD CONSTRUCTION

Fact-filled, richly illustrated, and full of experience-based advice, this is the only book you’ll need.
― LLOYD KAHN, author, Shelter,Home Work, and Tiny Homes

Rich in hands-on practicality, replete with attractive case studies and loaded with eye-catching photos.
― RICHARD FLATAU, author, Cordwood Construction BestPractices and Director at Cordwood Construction Resources

... Rob’s careful documentation of step-by-step procedure and userfriendly formulas make this updated edition an invaluable reference for the curious and serious alike.
― RICHARD FREUDENBERGER, Resource Manager at Living Web Farms and former Publisher of BackHome Magazine

CORDWOOD MASONRY walls are low-cost, easy to build, aesthetically pleasing, and score high environmental points for making use of low-impact materials. This fully revised 2nd edition of the most widely read and used book on cordwood construction presents the latest innovations and on-the-ground experience from four decades of cordwood building and research.

New chapters cover the practical how-to and the full depth and breadth of cordwood construction, including loadbearing and non-load-bearing walls, integrating electrical wiring, innovations on corner designs, new mortar
options such as lime putty, and the latest on cob-cordwood, insulation options, and bottle-end designs. There is detailed treatment of code compliance, efficient house shapes, and design considerations.

Richly illustrated and augmented with fresh case studies ranging from Hawaii and the Adirondacks to Tasmania and Michigan, Cordwood Building remains the most comprehensive book available on cordwood masonry construction methods.

ROB ROY is Director of Earthwood Building School in West Chazy, New York, which teaches owner-builders how to build with cordwood masonry. Rob has authored and edited 15 books including the first edition of Cordwood Building, Timber Framing for the Rest of Us, Earth-Sheltered Houses, and Stoneview.

Edition details

• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0865718288
• ISBN 13: 9780865718289
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 288