Category: Book Reviews

editor1 Book Reviews, Construction, Foundation

Book Review: Foundations and Concrete Work

We decided to tackle our own foundation. The estimates we are receiving for much of the work on the house are in most cases double the cost of doing doing it myself. The cost for labor is very high, and sub contractors are adding a percentage on top of the cost of materials.  As a result I have decided to manage my own monolithic foundation pour. I will do everything except the actual pouring of concrete. I have a sub who will inspect the pre-work, make recommendations for improvements, if any, and bring a crew to mash the mud into the holes and smooth it all out.

Lacking an experience in concrete work other than to watch it done several times, I turned to literature to learn as much as I could. I found the book, Foundations and Concrete Work, published by the editors of Fine Homebuilding, to be an excellent reference and source of information which ultimately boosted my confidence in tackling the job.

The book has sections dealing with; the basics of concrete, the basics of foundations, working with rebar, concrete tools, and information on various types of foundations. The book is more geared towards the northern tier where footers, stem walls and floor joists or basements are built. There was little on the peculiarities of the monolithic pour which is prevalent in southwest residential construction. I found the basic information to be be very useful. The section on the use of rebar and how to tie the various portions together was a great help. In addition the discussions of compacting soil was helpful with building the pad. Many of the techniques discussed in the section had a bearing on how we built up the foundation pad. I would recommend this book for the novice homebuilder and give it 4 out of 5 stars.

editor1 Book Reviews, Design, Gardening, Homestead

Book Review – Gaia’s Garden

Gaia’s Garden, by Toby Hemenway

This book is a sort of gateway book into the world of permaculture. With a brief description of the core principles of permaculture, you can get an idea of how to begin thinking the way a permaculturist would in the design of your garden/food forest. Hemenway lays out the basic ideas of permaculture without going into great detail… enough information to be useful, but not so much that you become bogged down in minutiae. Once he lays out the general ideas of the underlying theory, he proceeds to give real-life examples of how the ideas have worked in various locales.

Using permaculture principles in determining garden layout, harvest/storage of water and sunlight, plant biodiversity, a home garden can become less labor intensive and more productive. This book gives many useful ideas for making this happen in your own back yard.

I particularly loved the examples of garden layouts showing non-traditional designs. By using a keyhole gardening bed, you can minimize the space needed for the garden path and maximize growing space (while making the garden more interesting and appealing as well). The herb spiral is another idea that will add beauty and usefulness to the beds right outside the back door.

The theory of zones and how they impact the permaculture design is also discussed, with examples illustrating the ideas. He even shares a zone layout example for a typical 1/4 acre suburban lot that is highly productive.

From design of the space, he moves on to helping with building up the soil. I plan to use his sheet mulching system when setting up our gardens in New Mexico, and will no doubt be referring back to his book often when planning and laying out the garden there.

From plant recommendation, to orchard planning… from attracting helpful insects and birds to chicken tractors, the author puts forward many applications of permaculture principles you can implement at home. The book offers a wonderful appendix with excellent resources including plant suggestions for the various permaculture layers.

This book is a very excellent book to introduce the ideas of permaculture and sustainable food production. I highly recommend it, especially to those who are unfamiliar with permaculture principles. It’s easy to see why this book continues to be a best-seller.

editor1 Book Reviews

Book Review – The Self-Sufficient Home

The Self Sufficient Home, by Christopher Nyerges

The Self-Sufficient Home: Going Green and Saving Money, by Christopher Nyerges is a very interesting book in our homesteading library. I bought this book after hearing Nyerges interviewed by Jack Spirko on The Survival Podcast awhile back.

His book is a collection of information about tackling the various systems of support we all depend upon and becoming self-sufficient. He talks about heating and cooling, covering such topics as insulation, the color of your roof, attic fans powered by refurbished solar panels…

There is a very interesting story about a family’s experiences during a California earthquake in 1971, and how they got by with the preparations they had in their home for very low cost.

Nyerges covers other topics, such as composting and gardening, alternative energy, solar water heaters, water storage, toilet alternatives and even a very nice tutorial on biodiesel.

I would say that Nyerges has taken the idea of self-sufficiency a bit farther than I ever hope to need to do, but there is a lot of very good information in this book. If nothing else, he does bring to mind the awareness of just how much there is in everyday life that we take for granted.

editor1 Book Reviews, Gardening

Book Review: Kitchen Garden: What to Grow and How to Grow It

Kitchen Garden, by Lucy Peel

Kitchen Garden: What to Grow and How to Grow It, by Lucy Peel.

This little gardening book is one that I have found to be very helpful. One of the first books I purchased upon my decision to may a foray into the gardening world, I continue to return to it for ideas on crop rotation, tips on tree pruning, etc.

I particularly like the way the book is laid out, giving the reader a pleasant read through, as well as a well-organized reference. The book has three main sections, garden practice, comprehensive plant guide and lastly, problem solving.

Within the garden practice section, you’ll find various topics including assessing your site, crop rotation, growing under cover, and composting. In the detailed plant guide, there is much information that is very specific about particular seed varieties and details such as when to sow, transplanting and when to harvest for each type.

The book layout is very nice, with helpful tabs for the different sections. I love the colorful photos throughout and the color-coded boxes with helpful tips and care charts.

As I begin thinking about our first garden on the new homestead, this book has become another old friend that I am visiting again this winter.

If you are interested in another similar book review, you may like this previous post: Book Reviews, The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan

editor1 Book Reviews

Book Review: The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan

For the would-be homesteader,
The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan, is one book I can highly recommend. Just leafing through the chapters, you’ll be astounded at the sheer quantity of information you can find in this book. I found it to be a huge inspiration to try things and learn new skills.

The author, Carleen Madigan, who is listed on the book as a gardening editor at Storey Publishing, gives an amazing breadth of information in this fairly compact book.

At 339 pages, not including the appendices, this book is packed with ideas on how to make your property produce for you. The sample plan for laying out a 1/4 acre piece of property with a plan to produce a huge amount of homegrown food is simply inspiring.

The topics included range from gardening (including information on herbs, grains and orchards) to raising dairy goats and building your own chicken coop. She covers the basics of breadmaking, cheese-making, beer brewing, seed-saving and more.

Since buying this book, I have learned to love gardening, dehydrating foods, sprouting, wine- and beer-making, seed-saving and more. I still have more horizons to explore when we get the homestead going, so I plan to continue using this helpful book as an inspiration and guide.