The Econest Home - by Paula Baker-Laporte & Robert Laporte (Paperback)

About the Book

Step-by-step instructions to build your own beautiful, environmentally friendly, healthy natural home.

Book Synopsis

"Every aspect of creating a beautiful, sensible, and healthy home is explored and demonstrated with elegance and clarity." --Martin Hammer, architect, co-director, Builders Without Borders

An EcoNest is not just a home--it is a breathtakingly beautiful structure that nurtures health and embraces ecology. This unique approach to construction combines light straw clay, timber framing, earthen floors, natural plasters, and other natural techniques with the principles of Building Biology to create a handcrafted living sanctuary. By bringing together time-honored traditions and modern innovations, owners of EcoNests enjoy living spaces that reflect the best of both worlds.

The EcoNest Home is an in-depth exploration of the benefits of choosing this technique over conventional alternatives, combined with a complete practical guide for prospective designers and builders. Authors Paula Baker-Laporte and Robert Laporte draw on their own extensive experience to provide:

• A detailed explanation of the nature-based science behind EcoNests
• Fully-illustrated, step-by-step instructions to guide you through construction
• Dozens of inspiring photos of completed projects

The most comprehensive, North American resource on light straw clay construction, written by its leading proponents, The EcoNest Home is a must-read for anyone considering building their own healthy, affordable, environmentally friendly, natural home.

"A great new book for the ecological designer, builder and homeowner." --Sukita Ray Crimmel, coauthor of Earthen Floors

"The EcoNest Home is made from well designed, sophisticated techniques rooted in simplicity. This book demonstrates the outstanding results that arise to their steadfast commitment to creating healthy, natural homes." --Adam Weismann and Katy Bryce, authors of Using Natural Finishes

From the Back Cover

Build your own beautiful, environmentally friendly, healthy natural home.

This masterpiece is recommended to novices and experts respectively.---Franz Volhard, architect, and author, Leichtlehmbau

In The EcoNest Home every aspect of creating a beautiful, sensible, and healthy home is explored and demonstrated with elegance and clarity. Filled with practical information... [this exceptional work] is at once informative, beautiful and inspiring. ---Martin Hammer, architect; co-author, Light Straw-Clay and Strawbale Construction appendices in the International Residential Code; co-director, Builders Without Borders

An EcoNest is not just a home - it is a breathtakingly beautiful structure that nurtures health and embraces ecology, bringing together time-honored traditions and modern innovations for the best of both worlds. This unique approach to construction combines light straw clay, timber framing, earthen floors, natural plasters and other natural techniques with the principles of Building Biology to create a handcrafted living sanctuary.

The EcoNest Home is a complete theoretical and practical guide for prospective designers and builders, including:
- A detailed explanation of the nature-based science behind EcoNests
- Fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions to guide you through construction
- Dozens of inspiring photos of completed projects.

The most comprehensive North American resource on light straw clay construction, written by its leading proponents, The EcoNest Home is a must-read for anyone considering building their own healthy, affordable, environmentally friendly, natural home.
...

In this remarkable book, Paula and Robert offer a radical paradigm shift worth seriously considering for better health and a more sustainable world!---Cindy Mercer, co-founder, Planet Heritage Foundation

A great new book for the ecological designer, builder and homeowner.---Sukita Reay Crimmel, co-author, Earthen Floors: A Modern Approach to an Ancient Practice; and developer, Claylin

Paula Baker-Laporte and Robert Laporte are the creators of the EcoNest concept. Robert has built over 50 houses using the EcoNest system and has trained hundreds of professional builders and aspiring owner-builders in using the techniques. Paula has worked as the architect for the EcoNest Company for nearly two decades and is the primary author of Prescriptions for a Healthy House.

To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, Mother Earth News is recommending select New Society Publishers books to its readers. This book is one of them.

About the Author

Robert Laporte introduced light clay straw construction to North America, combining it with a family of other hand-crafted techniques including traditional timber framing, earthen floors and natural plasters to create a holistic natural building system. He has built over 50 houses using this system, in climates ranging from the arid deserts of New Mexico to the frigid cold of Manitoba. Together with Paula Baker-Laporte, Robert created the EcoNest concept and has trained hundreds of professional builders and aspiring owner-builders in using the techniques. He is the co-author of "Econest: Creating Sustainable Sanctuaries of Clay, Straw and Timber."
Paula Baker-Laporte is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and is considered one of the leading proponents of healthy building in North America. After struggling with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and regaining her own health, she became deeply interested in creating the most health-enhancing built environments possible, eventually turning to the European-based study of Bau-biologie or Building Biology. Together with Robert Laporte, Paula created the EcoNest concept and she has worked as the architect for the EcoNest Company for nearly 2 decades. She is the author of "Prescriptions for a Healthy House" and the co-author of "Econest: Creating Sustainable Sanctuaries of Clay, Straw and Timber."