The book Cordwood Construction: Best Practices is hot off the presses. It is written by long time cordwood builder Richard Flatau and is reported to be the most up-to-date tome on cordwood building.
Here are a few of the details.
Cordwood Construction: Best Practices
A log home building method using renewable resources
and time honored techniques (2012)
Authored by Richard Flatau
List Price: $25.00
8.5″ x 11″ (21.59 x 27.94 cm)
Full Color on White paper
196 pages
Cordwood Construction Resources
ISBN-13: 978-0615592701 (Custom Universal)
ISBN-10: 0615592708
BISAC: House & Home / Do-It-Yourself / General
259 color photos, diagrams and formulas will take the novice or experienced builder from house plans to cordwood home occupancy. Sections include: mortar mixes, R-values, code compliance, types of wood, drying wood, shrinkage tables, foundations, how we became mortgage-free, post & beam framing, formulas for estimating materials, homeowners insurance, Cordwood Conferences 2005 & 2011 summary, Best Practices with cordwood construction, lime putty mortar, cob, paper enhanced mortars, Permachinking walls, building codes, color photo album, making stained glass bottle ends, how-to “mortar-up” a cordwood wall, tuck pointing, FAQ’s, maintenance, weight of a cordwood wall, cost analysis, Cordwood Education Center, White Earth Reservation cordwood home, a condensed version of Cordwood Cabin is included (which is architecturally drawn and state code approved and now serves as a classroom for the local public school), 196 pages, and much, much more…
Here are two reviews of the book, one by Richard Freudenberger, editor of Backhome Magazine and the other by Rob Roy, Director of Earthwood Building School.
Excellent Up-to-Date Cordwood Reference May 8, 2012
By R. Freudenberger
This book by veteran cordwood builder and instructor Richard Flatau turns out to be one of the most comprehensive references available on cordwood construction. Flatau has put a lot of effort into the “Best Practices” studies, and as a result we all have the benefit of other builders’ experiences, much gleaned from his involement in organizing some of the large Cordwood Conferences held in the U.S. and Canada. All the basics are here as well for novice builders–foundations, framing, wood choices, mortar mixes, special effects, utility interfaces, and increasingly important code compliance. The book is full of illustrations, tables, a few floor plans, and lots and lots of good color photos. The bottom line is that cordwood masonry is cost-effective, energy-efficient, fire-resistant, and very sustainable…and it’s a perfect do-it-yourself endeavor for the owner-builder.
Book Review by Richard Freudenberger Editor of Backhome Magazine
Cordwood Construction: Best Practices … Richard Flatau CoCoCo/05 organizer (and long-time cordwood writer and builder) Richard Flatau has just published this new compendium, his best yet. True to its title, the author details “best practices” methods about cordwood masonry and its relationship to foundations, electrical considerations, energy codes and so much more. By themselves, two recent case studies (the Cordwood Education Center in Wisconsin and the Whole Earth Reservation Cordwood Home in Minnesota) are worth the price of this beautifully illustrated and meticulously documented work. 196 large 8.5″ by 11″ pages, including 259 color pictures and diagrams.
Book Review by Rob Roy Director of Earthwood Building School
