Shelter II
Introduction
Shelter II is the second in a series of books about people building their own homes in different parts of the world. Shelter, a scrapbook of building ideas, was published five years ago and since then, housing costs - land, building materials, real estate, rents - have increased dramatically. The principles outlined in Shelter seem even more important today: re-learning the still-usable skills of the past, finding a balance between what we can produce for ourselves and what we must buy, and doing more hand work in providing life's necessities. Shelter II goes on with a review of world-wide housing techniques, provides a basic manual of design and construction for the first time house-builder, and covers self-help housing projects now underway in large cities.
The book begins with simple shelters still being built and lived in by people with minimal resources. They can be viewed either for historical or anthropological interest, or as sensible even instructive - examples of efficient construction by those who lack the choices available in industrialized societies. We can also learn from the farm and country buildings of North America - still-standing reminders of an era of practical design and straight-forward construction practices: siting to minimize wind exposure, roofs shaped to shed rain or snow, shady porches for summer coolness.
Stud framing has been the most common housebuilding technique in this country since sawmills began turning out 2x4's and 2x6's in the mid-nineteenth century and is shown next as the most practical form of house construction in most situations today. There is an introduction to the principles of design, framing drawings of seven roof shapes, and a 24-page abbreviated construction manual for building a small home.
In some cities, abandoned buildings are being cleaned out and rehabilitated, older houses repaired and maintained. People are working to create their own living space and learning new skills in the process; derelict neighborhoods are revitalized, and housing is provided where it is needed most. Some more recent developments are also examined: dome housing, and America's current program to establish colonies in space are reviewed and commented upon.
There are also personal accounts and seasoned advice from builders in different climates, with a variety of design approaches, construction techniques, and building materials: adobe in New Mexico, log cabins in Washington and Idaho, a family-built stone house in California, homesteading on a Scottish island, floating summer tents in Alaska, and houseboats in Amsterdam.
Throughout, there are consistent elements. Practical builders, wherever they live, work with simple techniques and what is most readily at hand: earth, thatch, stone, milled lumber or abandoned city buildings. Weather, purpose, materials govern design. Tradition, experience, practice determine building technique. Individual initiative and hand labor by owners can decrease spiraling costs and reduce or eliminate life-time mortgage obligations.
In the past century, industrial-technological progress has been rapid. Yet basic human needs are still much the same. Shelter has always meant a roof overhead, protection from the elements, a refuge. A home is still a place for working, resting, sharing, healing, dreaming... some things haven't changed that much.
A shepard's refuge from the wind, Akeshir, Turkey, 1978
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