Fruits and vegetables are some of the most expensive parts of any regular menu in your home. With rising transportation costs, a food increase in the summer of 2008 of almost 2 percent, and continually shrinking supplies, the cost of maintaining a healthy supply of these necessary staples is becoming harder and harder for many families. However, with the right resources and planning, you can take advantage of an age old method of storage that will allow you to buy fruits and vegetables when they are least expensive or to grow your own and store them for future use.

This book will walk anyone through the process of building and using a root cellar to store their fruits and vegetables for later use, through the cold winter months when even the most basic items can cost an arm and a leg. Before even starting your root cellar, you will learn the basics of choosing the right crops and planting them at the right time or buying them in advance for your root cellar. You will learn how to know which crops and which specific vegetables and fruits are good to keep and which ones should be left alone. You will learn how and when to bring in the harvest and how to prepare for storage effectively. You will learn the basics of spoilage and what to expect from your foods. You will learn what to expect each winter for multiple month storage and which vegetables and fruits to start expecting in your cellar.

You will also benefit from interviews with the top experts in the field of storage and root cellaring and farmers who have been storing vegetables for years. You will learn how to start your own underground garden and what various types of cellars exist – trenches, closets, and hideaways. You will learn how to start planning your root cellar, how to utilize your basement if you so desire and how to start excavating and preparing it for the first harvest. No matter your situation or your crops, you can benefit from this book and its take on the world of root cellaring and long term fruit and vegetable storage. #9781601383419 $24.95

In today’s economy and socially conscious environment regarding the environment, many people cannot afford not to start considering ways they can build or remodel their home to ensure it is green. With scientific sources such as the UN council on global warming making statements about the degradation of ice flow and environmental conditions by 2050 and the likelihood that crude oil sources will be used up within the next fifty years, it is especially necessary for young families to consider the implications of reexamining their homes and living situations to be more green.

This book will guide you and your family through the process of learning more about and implementing the necessary changes and perspectives needed to change your home or build a new home that is environmentally conscious and prepared for the changing economic and environmental climate in the coming decades. You will learn why people have started to build green and how it can be done in today’s regulatory and cost conditions quickly and inexpensively. You will learn how to remodel with green in mind and how to start working with building professionals that can provide the necessary materials, plans, and paperwork you need to proceed. You will learn which materials are best for green building by lifespan and how to choose between various green materials. You will learn how to not only use green materials but to make sure the construction process is green as well. You will learn the basics of framing your building, natural building methods, the energy systems you might use, and the heating cooling options at your disposal.

Construction and environmental experts have been interviewed and their expertise is included in this book to help you learn everything you need to accomplish the above as well as to know what kinds of water and waste systems are best, how to site plan and landscape your home, and what the most common myths about green building are. You will learn ten things you can do on any building project to keep it green and any materials you should always have on hand for anything you do around the house. Regardless of whether you are just looking to remodel to make your house greener or are building a new home, this book will give you everything you need to stay green and respect the environment with your home. #9781601383648 $24.95 

Food costs these days are outrageous and only growing more each day. In 2008, during a two month period between June and July alone the cost of consumer products rose by more than 1.5 percent across the board, with nearly a 2 percent increase in food costs, according to the Federal Reserve. Added to rising fuel costs and a global food crisis and the costs just continue to rise. So, the prospect of building your own greenhouse and growing your own fruits and vegetables is probably starting to sound more and more viable and like a great way to bypass though prohibitive costs. Of course there is a myriad of issues that needs to be dealt with by anyone seeking to save money with a greenhouse.

This book, by walking you through every step of the process in building and taking advantage of your own green house, seeks to layout those issues and ensure you have as easy a time as possible without any surprises. You will learn the various principles of greenhouse use and the different types of greenhouses you can use depending on your location and the specific needs you may have. Learn how to select a proper site and to set a foundation that will hold the greenhouse effectively in place regardless of weather conditions throughout the year and maintain the heat generated in the greenhouse. Learn how to frame your green house and how to effectively glaze the glass. Learn what kinds of ventilation are needed and what forms of supplemental heat, insulation, and heat sinking you will need to acquire for your greenhouse.

Greenhouse and plant experts have been interviewed and their insights have been added to this book to help you make the right decisions about which kind of greenhouse is best for you and how to prepare it. Learn how to effectively install the necessary plumbing, wiring, and other amenities your greenhouse needs. Learn what is needed for shutters and shades and how to install cold frames and hotbeds. Learn how to install hoop houses, attached greenhouses, and freestanding greenhouses and the differences between each of them. For anyone seeking a means and the details needed to install their greenhouse, this book will walk you through every necessary step. #9781601383686 $24.95 

2011 President's Book Awards SILVER Medal Winner (Adult Non-Fiction Book Category - Florida Publishers Association): The Complete Guide to Building Your Greenhouse

Human beings have been building with stone for thousands of years, dating back to the ancient stone forms of the pyramids and the Sphinx. There are more than fifty different kinds of stone that have been singled out as ideal for construction and for those who know how to properly use and implement these different methods, there is a nearly infinite number of things that can be done.

This book has been designed to walk anyone with a project in mind through the process of developing, planning, and implementing a stone building project. You will learn how to start using stone as a building material, including various details about how it is different from other materials like wood and brick. You will learn how to acquire stone and how is cut, sold, and used in various projects. You will learn what tools you need for stonework and how to start working with dry stone. Details about how to work with mortared stone will help you with more complex projects while numerous detailed projects will be taught as well. These include learning how to build stone walls, corners, buttresses, intersecting walls, arches, intels, keystone spans, gates, windows, doors, barbeque pits, fireplaces, flagstones, bridges, dams, spring houses, well houses, stone houses, and stone barns. Additionally, dozens of stonecutting experts were interviewed for this book and have provided their insights and experience in using stone as a building material and how you can start using it yourself for everything from new projects to restoration of existing stone structures. For every stone building project you need, this book is a great starting point.  #9781601383709 $24.95 

Animals need their own space, and nowhere is this more apparent that for those who own multiple animals. When not given their own private space to be alone in many animals, especially dogs and livestock will become overly territorial, marking space, and fighting with other animals or even humans for a place to call their own. Yet many owners put off or overlook the need for building homes for their animals because they think it might be too hard or time consuming. That could not be further from the truth however and this book aims to prove just that.

Written for every pet and livestock owner who has sighed or groaned at the prospect of building a home for their animals, this book shows you 101 different ways you can cut cost and time effectively build a viable home for your animals. You will learn in this book how to create homes from scratch for dozens of different kinds of animals. First and foremost you will learn how to assess the needs of your animals according to breed and personality, from indoor domesticated pets to outdoor livestock. You will learn what features these homes need to match your animals according to size, feeding habits, gender, whether you have more than one, and whether they will be bred or not. You will learn which building materials are best for which breeds’ homes and how these materials can be purchased and used by yourself at home.

Experts ranging from dog and cat breeders to small farmers have been interviewed for this book to learn more about their experiences with animal homes and they have provided a number of insights into how these homes can and should be built. More than 101 different plans and methods for home building will be laid out for you in detailed methods that allow you to effectively start building these homes and seeing to the specific needs of every animal in your home or on your farm. #9781601383716 $24.95 

The iconic image of the American barn is as old as the farms on which they are built and yet they still serve a much needed purpose today, housing the animals that so many small farm owners work with and the feed and supplies needed to maintain those animals. Every well meaning farmer or property owner with livestock, small animals, or farming equipment has need of a barn or a series of outbuildings for housing them. Knowing how to build these buildings is a necessary first step.

This book has been designed with the goal of ensuring everyone who is currently or has ever thought of building their own barn or outbuilding knows exactly what is entailed, from inception to the final design stages. Starting with the most basic steps of assessing the needs of your specific animals, you will learn exactly what you need to start building outbuildings and barns for your pets. You will learn how each animal needs to be cared for and what space they need in a barn as well as the dimensions, necessities, and spaces you may not have considered in your outbuildings, from motorized machinery, to shop space for fixing things and loft space for everything from hay bales to feed and farming equipment. Regardless of what you need for you farm or small property, you will have a complete list of spaces and suggested dimensions in your barns and outbuildings.

Small farmers and construction experts were interviewed for this book and have provided detailed information about how you can create and build the proper necessities for everything you need. You will learn which building materials are best for creating your barn as well as the best designs, methods of building, places to look for equipment or hire help, and backup plans in case of any problems that might occur. You will learn how to effectively draft and prepare plans that go over everything you need in an outbuilding from start to finish and then learn how to implement it effectively. For anyone looking to build their own outbuilding or barn, this book will walk you through every step of the process. #9781601383723  $24.95 

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The cost of housing is growing at an unstoppable rate. Even during the 2007 and 2008 foreclosure crisis, which saw the drop in value of housing for the first time in more than 15 years in the United States according to the Wall Street Journal, the prices continued to increase and will likely regain their climbing ways in short order. For this reason as well as a growing concern over maintaining an eco-friendly relationship with a world that is in increasing trouble due to pollution and careless construction, the desire for earth-sheltered homes has only increased.

This book will provide a detailed walkthrough and information on how individuals can start researching and building their own affordable earth-sheltered home. You will learn how to start building your own underground home at a moderate cost, starting with the benefits of sheltering a home with earth and the added comfort and energy efficiency of doing so. You will learn how the earth affects your home’s temperature and how it protects against everything from fire to sound, earthquakes, storms, and intruders. You will learn about the longevity of your earth sheltered home and the environmental impact you are able to salvage by not building an above ground home.

Construction experts and earth sheltered home builders have been interviewed and their expertise included in this guide to help you learn how you can create your own underground home. Details of construction include planning, footings, excavation, flooring, walls, framing, waterproofing, roofing, drainage, and insulation. Additional information you will learn includes pouring your own footings and floor, dry stacked concrete block walls, post and beam framing, plank and beam roofing, and waterproofing membranes. With the information provided in this book, you can start planning and building your own earth sheltered home in no time and start benefiting from the natural protection of the earth. #9781601383730  $24.95