One of the books that I'm currently reading is "Pretty Good House: A Guide to Creating Better Homes". The title for the book came from one of the monthly get-togethers of a building science discussion group in Portland, Maine. Frustrated by the complexity and questionable impact of the requirements of many home-rating systems that have been developed to make homes healthier and more environmentally friendly (for example, Passive House and LEED), they sought to create guidelines and a framework for determining which high-performance measures are practical and which aren't worth the additional expense. The book describes it in this way: "a Pretty Good House is a house that's as small as possible; it is simple, durable and well designed; it uses wood and other plant-derived products as construction materials (preferably local); it should be insulated and air-sealed well enough that heating and cooling systems can be minimal; and, above all, it is affordable, healthy, responsible and resilient."
"Pretty Good House" explains the basics of building science in a way that is approachable for those without a background in construction, design or building science, and includes case studies showing how the principles were applied (with lots of beautiful home photos!) to both new homes and renovations. I think that the authors have done a great job of explaining the basics of a good house, including plenty of photos, illustrations and bullet points so that it's enjoyable to read.
"Pretty Good House" explains the basics of building science in a way that is approachable for those without a background in construction, design or building science, and includes case studies showing how the principles were applied (with lots of beautiful home photos!) to both new homes and renovations. I think that the authors have done a great job of explaining the basics of a good house, including plenty of photos, illustrations and bullet points so that it's enjoyable to read.
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