Green from the Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-Efficient Home Construction

by Scott Gibson, Scott Gibson

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 through the entire construction process, injecting expert advice at every decision point. Construction techniques, materials, and products are thoroughly explained, making the often vaguely understood concepts cleanly understandable. The book gives builders and architects the tools to respond to growing requests from homeowners for green and energy-efficient houses, whether new or remodeled. Homeowners can use the book to understand the concepts, process, and options, whether they're doing it themselves or working with a professional.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Green, Technical, Engineering, Design

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good introduction to the house as a whole system when it comes to green construction. All systems were covered, including passive solar design and solar energy devices, plumbing, and interior finishes. That said, it didn't cover individual sections as in depth as some green building books, for instance alternative construction methods such as hay bale, adobe bricks, etc. are sometimes mentioned but not really covered. That said, this is a good book for thinking about various approaches to green building,

The book is, as the title states, geared towards builders. Many things are covered in depth in terms of engineering principles. Most things are explained in terms that are pretty accessible to non-builders but some chapters are a bit heavier in technical jargon than others and therefore somewhat less accessible.

This book is also a lot less "preachy" than some green architecture books that I've read. They recommend building to better standards but primarily for economic and/or performance reasons. Their recommended approach is also very reasonable, suggesting venturing out into one or two realms at a time, familiarizing oneself with those and then perhaps incorporating more green methods into ones repertoire as they become more comfortable with them.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the book and found that it was very informative.

[Matt Trimble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for college, one of the few books I still pick up and reference for work. Informative concerning products in the construction market

[East Bay J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome! If, like me, you are interested in increasing sustainability, Green From The Ground Up gives you step by step guidelines and construction techniques to improve the efficiency of residential and commercial buildings, whether in remodeling or new construction. It covers everything from start to finish, including foundations, framing, solar, energy efficient appliances, gray water, flooring, indoor air quality... this book covers everything.

I can't think of a single criticism for this book. It's well written in an educational and engaging format. There are dozens of clear, easy to understand diagrams and illustrations as well as photos so you can see whet you're reading about. The authors provide a number of additional resources so you know where to go to find out more about a given topic. It's also packed with facts, concepts and ideas relating to green energy and energy efficiency. For example:

"If we keep our dollars local by not buying fossil fuels, the money saved provides local jobs. It can go toward movies, dinner, clothes and books from companies that pay local sales tax. Those savings are cycled three to eight times before leaving that community. What that means is a city collects three to eight times as much sales tax when energy is saved than when it leaves the community and is sent to oil and gas companies."

By tying seemingly disparate actions and issues together, Green From The Ground Up allows a reader to be better able to comprehend why it is so vital that we move to greener, more energy efficient ways of living.

Whether you're a professional building contractor or a home owner, this book is a valuable resource for greening your home or business.

[Tyler Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I've done a lot of reading in preparation for building our house. This has been the most helpful thing I've found in book form. Some green books are too esoteric and full of black and white comparisons of good and bad materials or methods. This one is practical. It's far more nuanced in its approach, and actually helps you weigh the alternatives based on value for cost.

I appreciated the sections on insulation and ventilation the most. Also some nice detail on geothermal heat pumps. This book has helped me pick my battles with the builder when it comes to material choices or just "the way it's always been done." And they didn't skimp on the printing either. The book has lots of great illustrations and full color photos. This is one to own.

[Joni Baboci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green from the ground up is a highly informative book about building green. It has numerous diagrams and illustration which integrate beautifully with the extremely interesting and professionally useful text. It seems targeted towards professional architects or builders, however with a bit of effort and google helping out it can also be useful to non-professionals. It is also targeted to the American private-house building market so some of the data might have to be reinterpreted for other types of building construction, however the green and energy-efficient principles are sound and should hold for any kind of construction. Highly Recommended!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book. Great advice on how to build wise and sustainable without the emotional hysteria of other books on the topic. Honest look on why not everything called "green" is a good idea while always keeping the budget in mind. Recommend highly to anyone thinking of building a house that you want to last a long time.

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As others have commented, the book is geared toward builders but still reads simply enough for a layperson to understand. Even better, the book discusses alternatives for all regions and climates. Many guides to sustainable construction focus heavily or entirely on the cooler North. This offers the most information applicable to all climates and all building preferences.

[Jason Bibeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information for those looking for energy efficient alternative building styles or to improve existing homes. I warn you it's heavy on PC speak if that sort of thing irritates you. One other note is that I bought this at a log cabin show and educational event and there is about two sentences on log and timber frame construction in the whole book.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more focused on new construction than retrofits of existing homes, so not really what I needed for information, but useful nonetheless. A real broad yet deep look, mainly at materials, but also at methods for design and construction.

[Dave Hutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that started my eco friendly life style and constant need to make everything energy efficient.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

great, easy to read, lots of pictures. a good read for people inside and outside of the business of building.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book that changed some of my decisions. We have to be practical and conscious of every detail that affects our health and the environment.

[Luiz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a bad book for it’s time, which has past. The information and details in this book are now outdated. Triple pane insulated windows are the only way to go for a passive house. Doing a double stud wall with exterior insulation is the norm. There are better resources out there.
Some of the design elements like keeping the mechanical room and kitchen/washrooms close is a good idea.

[Mark]

As my daughter said in her excellent review, this is primarily focused on building a green house and not retrofitting an existing one. I looked at it re insulation, and it does have a good section on insulation, but, again, is useful in planning a build, not fixing.