Why self-build, and why build green?

Building your own home can be a very satisfying thing to do, and many people have gained a great sense of achievement from doing it. At the same time you can ensure that your home does not make unsustainable impacts on the environment. Homes currently consume around 30% of all the energy used in the UK, and this figure is rising. However, a home which does not rely on fossil fuel is perfectly feasible using current technology. At the same time, more and more people are becoming aware of the limitations of the mass housing market and are looking for homes which are well designed, better equipped, and more energyefficient than the market provides.

What this book contains

The book describes examples of people who have successfully carried out green self-build projects, and shows what they have achieved. The examples include different forms of construction appropriate for self-builders: timber construction for speed and adaptability, steel for lightness and strength, straw for low embodied energy, earth-sheltered for storing energy, and cob for low cost. The book goes on to outline:

• the issues that you should consider when you design a house, including the need for a house to be capable of adapting to changing needs and expectation in the future

• sustainable methods of construction which are preferred for the walls, roof and floors and other principal elements of a house, together with the issues that have to be addressed to reduce the impact on the environment of building and occupying houses

• sources of materials and components which are suitable for low-environmental-impact construction

• the policy implications of a wider commitment to a more sustainable development process

What building your own home has to offer

My main aim is to inspire you to build for yourself. Organizing the designing and building of your own house is within the reach of us all. It is enjoyable and can have great economic, practical and social benefits. You can feel the satisfaction of making something really useful, and experience the excitement of dreaming about what your house will be like, how it will be laid out, what you are going to put in it and what it will be like to live in. You will see it slowly taking shape and will imagine the next steps in your mind and have a vision of the finished house. A handmade house is a pleasure to live in, and you will know every corner intimately. You will be able to afford a bigger, better house, arranged to suit your particular needs and desires, and you will be able to reduce your housing costs.

More and more people are becoming aware of the limitations of the mass housing ma