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Possibly the most detailed and comprehensive video ever made on the design and construction of a sustainable straw bale home. This beautifully photographed how-to DVD will show you how to build straw bale walls for insulation, adobe walls for interior thermal mass (which greatly increases the efficiency of a straw bale home), earth plasters for a beautiful finish, 100% electrical generation by sunlight, and passive solar heating and cooling. This video could save you thousands of dollars in design and construction costs. Beautiful aesthetics and energy-efficiency can both come from the same materials. It is how the structure is designed as a whole that makes the difference. Follow the design and construction of one house - from start to finish - and see how aesthetics, comfort, and energy efficiency can all come from the same materials and design parameters. This video is jam-packed with green design and construction techniques from professionals working in the cutting edge of home building and design. Although the video emphasizes the idea of building small, the concepts can be scaled to any size structure. Whether you are a novice builder or a professional, you will learn about rubble-trench foundations, post-and-beam framing for straw bale walls, step-by-step straw bale building techniques, adobe wall construction, roof framing, roof insulation, acid-stained concrete floors, rainwater cisterns, graywater plumbing, photovoltaic electrical systems, wiring for straw bale and adobe, radiant floor heat, window placement & installation, green materials, earth plaster mixes and techniques, and much more.
NOTE: TVR has not viewed the DVD, so instead of a screencapture, the above image is the cover image.
(about 162 minutes)
This video was added to our catalog on June 07, 2005 in Construction::Housebuilding.
Product availability: available now, ships immediately!
This is a great documentary and DIY if your interested in building a environmentally safe and efficient home. Attention to the small details during the building process was not left out. A time-lapse set of photos would have been nice for a start to finish review. The video quality was good, the sound was clear and editing was smooth. The DVD's chapters were just the right length for people with short attention spans. I would recommend this DIY video for anyone interested in building his or her own home. This video showed me things I would like to do when I build my home. The video also made me aware of how much fun building your own home can be. The building of this home was a DIY with family and friends. Experienced adobe or straw bale tradesmen directed the workshops. Again take the time to watch this movie to learn how you can make a home from the ground up using earth as the medium, rain as a water supply and the sun as a power plant.
Great... I may in fact purchase this video one day... it gives great insight to alternative methods of construction it gives nuts & bolts OF construction, & it is focued on energy efficiency... you don't have to be a tree hugger to appreciate that!! I would definitely re-rent this & probably will if I don't buy it instead!
I really liked this video. It is extremely well organized and very professionally done. I learned so much from it. I was also frustrated because even though it was only an 800 sq. ft house, it was a TON of work. The owner had an army of people working on it at times. He even had the benefit of getting volunteers to help with the straw bales and mudding because it was for a workshop class they were taking. It is definitely not a 1 or 2 person DIY project unfortunately. The results were outstanding and the solar panel electricity generation is impressive.
Very professional! Artfully produced. Left out very little detail, if any.
This video is professionally done from start to finish. Audio/video are informative and very well done. I have never seen a better how to video.
This tape takes one through the process of designing and building a straw bale home with many environmental details. It is really two tapes in one since there is one highly produced version, and a second with the same video, but with the designer voicing over many technical considerations. Well done with many cutting edge "alternative" building ideas in one project. Professional grade production.
This is a beautifully entertaining video with excellent production. It provides a great overview of a spectrum of sustainable building technologies and approaches, yet is liberally sprinkled with helpful details.
BRAVO!!!
This is a really neat documentary. The first time I watched this my eyes were wide open. Then I discovered that there is an entire alternate audio track of Tim reflecting on what they did and how he feels about it after the fact... which is priceless. Just think how many things you have built and thought about afterward wishing you would have done something different. This is a great find, rent it now if you are interested in this subject.
This is a great DVD. Covers all kinds of alternate building and construction. Lots of great tips for the DIY even if you don't plan on building a house. Don't forget to check out the "audio" option on the main menu.
