Product Description

Will Anderson's monthly features in "The Independent" have an enthusiastic following; readers are following his progress from finding a plot, getting planning permission and building himself a stunning contemporary eco home, which mirrors the fine-tuned ecology of a tree. Drawing on his columns in "The Independent", Will has created a diary that will be invaluable to anyone contemplating building their own eco house. "The Diary of an Eco Builder" focuses specifically on environmental issues through the story of his attempt to realise an inspiring and challenging vision. Honest, amusing and unexpected, it highlights all the key issues which arise when you build an eco house, records the process of the nitty gritty of self build, and provides contacts and references for more information. The Energy Saving Trust is using Will's house as a case study and will monitor and evaluate the house to learn from the way it performs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154942 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"In a corner of Clapham that is now forever green, [Will Anderson] has designed and built a ""symbol of the power of ecological design"".

From the Publisher
The following is a review from The Guardian

In a corner of Clapham that is now forever green, [Will Anderson] has
designed and built a "symbol of the power of ecological design".
. . . It was a labour of love. The 6m-wide plot was not ideal. As the agent
said, with unusual candour, it was "a bit tricky . . . there's a bloody
great tree in the way." But as Anderson's richly illustrated book shows,
the mature sycamore became his inspiration: as well as being made largely
of wood, Tree House (as he named it) "harvests all its energy from the sun
and provides a secure and valued habitat".
Water usage has been halved, waste eliminated, and it is self-sufficient in
power and heat through an innovative combination of solar panels,
photovoltaic modules and a heat pump that draws warmth from the ground.
Anderson's diary of the building process is both an inspiring eco-read and
an invaluable resource for anyone following in his footsteps.

About the Author
Will Anderson is a freelance researcher, writer and journalist. He has a published academic background in health and social research but now writes with a focus on ecological design: he is a regular contributor to Timber Building. His several degress include one in sustainable development. He hopes to continue this deliberately lateral career path in the future. His tree house in Clapham, London, will be completed in 2006.

Customer Reviews

Don't be put off by the title
This is a really lovely book that can be read cover to cover or dipped into when the mood takes you. I'm a self builder, eco-building anorak and know-all, but still found loads of inspiration in these sumptuous pages. The author has a refreshingly rigorous approach to sustainable design combined with, IMHO, a great visual design sense that made me re-think a number of my assumptions.

Issues are explored and uncertainties are aired and I hope there is a follow up that builds on the lessons learned.

Whether you are a weekend DIY dabbler, serious self builder or 'Grand Designs' dreamer, buy this book, it's a bargain and also makes a great present.

An entralling page-turner of an introduction to eco building...
This account of a self-build eco project in London is warmly written and dare I say even poetic at times. As the first reviewer here already mentioned, it reads very well from cover to cover as a diary but is also useful to dip into about a particular topic to refresh your memory.

The book isn't intended as a thorough exploration of the physics and scientific calculations for building an ecohouse, but there are still useful summaries of the best practices and materials to use for anyone who wants to get a quick insight into how an ecohouse can be designed.

The author and partner obviously have a real passion for design and when the going gets tough dont compromise either the eco credentials or design and settle for second best. This is what makes the book so gripping, you really get a glimpse of the exhaustion and trials they put themselves through to realise their work of art.

There are two really useful features of the book, firstly is a sort of inspiration that you get from reading it, twinned with a note of realism as to how difficult a self built of this sort can actually be. However, the inspiration part in my head wins out over the caution. This is where the second useful part comes in, I have decided I would like to build an ecohouse in the future rather than buying an existing property. Each chapter and section comes with summarised contact details for all the companies, products and services used by the author. An invaulable resource potentially taking a lot of the legwork out of doing it yourself.

I am thrilled at the thought of building an ecohouse and will cherry pick their practical eco features but modify the interior design to suit my lower budget.