Shelter Review
When I was just out of college I knew that owning is better than renting, and began scheming as to how I would accomplish that while working low-paying, high satisfaction jobs. I am not a hippie, but a how-to, DIY person. "Shelter" really fueled both the notion of what was possible and that things were even possible.
Having grown up in a middle class environment, I could only think of stock homes. I like stock homes, but I also know that a lot of the materials that go into them means for a huge price tag. While I would never live in a dome or a yurt, I did see plenty of ideas here and there that were more interesting than my cookie-cutter childhood home.
The second theme that "Shelter" delivers on is that of being able to do it myself. I was especially struck about the idea of buying a home on the cheap, improving it and flipping it. If you get George Nash's "Renovating Old Houses" he gets into the more nitty gritty of restoration. But, if you see some of these houses you know that, at the bottom as far as desirability goes, your house might still be better than renting (hey, it's yours).
The diversity explored in this book included materials I am comfortable with. Stone and recycled timber are two areas I have always wanted to explore, while the piece on demolition makes me want to buy a house and rebuild it elsewhere.
Today, I have a basic house that I did a lot of work on and will probably die in. It has flaws, but it is mine. I lost my old copy, and getting this reprint felt really great as I sit down after putting a new metal roof on my barn.
Armchair renovator, dreamer, real doer, or just like big books "Shelter" is great.
Shelter Feature
- ISBN13: 9780936070117
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Shelter Overview
Shelter is many things - a visually dynamic, oversized compendium of organic architecture past and present; a how-to book that includes over 1,250 illustrations; and a Whole Earth Catalog-type sourcebook for living in harmony with the earth by using every conceivable material. First published in 1973, Shelter remains a source of inspiration and invention. Including the nuts-and-bolts aspects of building, the book covers such topics as dwellings from Iron Age huts to Bedouin tents to Togo's tin-and-thatch houses; nomadic shelters from tipis to "housecars"; and domes, dome cities, sod iglus, and even treehouses.
The authors recount personal stories about alternative dwellings that illustrate sensible solutions to problems associated with using materials found in the environment - with fascinating, often surprising results.
Shelter Specifications
Lloyd Kahn has managed to pull together a stunning catalog of the phenomenon of human shelter through history, across cultures and climates from around the world. Yurts and huts and tree houses and cathedrals of stone. This is an eye-opener for anyone considering building their own home, or anyone just interested in human inventiveness and creativity. With over 1000 photos and drawings of cave houses, communal huts, wooden shacks, tents, domes, towers and holes in the ground, you'll be amazed at all the different ways people have tried to keep the rain off their heads and the wolves outside!
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Related Products
- Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter
- Builders of the Pacific Coast
- Shelter II
- The Barefoot Architect
- Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Classic Guide to Building Wilderness Shelters (Dover Books on Architecture)
Customer Reviews
Disappointed - Jeanne M. Jardine -
I was quite disappointed with this selection. The large size format was great, but I expecxted more floor plan types of diagrams. I also expected a little more of "how to" information. The last half of the book was filled with photos from the 1970's hippie days. If you are looking for a clear description of various kinds of living places, this isn't it.
Great book for the builders in your life - ReneeD - Sac, CA USA
Bought this book for my father-in-law. He's done rammed-earth building, straw bale, and is currently working on a crazy place with some new materials. He loved this book and has gotten some new ideas for his current project. The pictures and descriptions are very descriptive. Only bummer is the print is tiny!
wonderful find - C. Leftwich - Kalamazoo Mi USA
I saw this book at my brother's house and immediately knew I had to buy it for my husband. It is a high quality reprint of an older book and has that "60's" feel. Much excellent info and lots of great pictures. Very eclectic. We got it specifically for the info on Geodesic Dome houses but there's plenty more for shelter freaks.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 24, 2010 09:15:05
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