Lloyd Kahn - the owner-builder publisher

[John Raabe]

Many of the older CountryPlans members will remember the Shelter book and maybe the Dome Home book. Lloyd is still going strong with his Shelter Publications and there is a fine little movie on his recycled timber and driftwood house and other adventures.

Click the image below...



• See reviews of some of his books HERE
• Direct Link to Lloyd's SHELTER PUBLICATIONS
• See OTHER OWNER-BUILT STORIES posted to the forum.

[glenn kangiser]

John,  I just received a copy of Lloyd's new book, Builders of the Pacific Coast,  and like his other books it is full of interesting high quality pictures and stories from front to back. 

I'm still going through it now but I will try to fill in a bit more later.

[speedfunk]

Thanks so much for posting this John.  Being younger I found homework first then got shelter.   I'll have to see what I can do about the pacific coast book.      I love the pictures and the storys ,  I really can't say enough about the cool stuff in the books.


I was hoping the video would keep going     

As far as the domes go.  I still think a dome has promise.  I do believe that a geodesic dome though is not that great for house.   
The dome shelter trigged something I thought I would like share

I've named it the OCTA DOME...    .  There is a nice long description of the building process on the page with simple renderings that you can scroll through.

http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/node/3128

I'm interested in your thoughts, I really like the idea of a dome like many I'm sure.

[CREATIVE1]

I have the Shelter, Homework, and Pacific Coast books.  Love reading the stories of the homes and the owner/builders.  Great stuff.

[Pox Eclipse]

In 1972, Popular Science magazine published a set of plans for a geodesic dome home designed by Bucky Fuller no less, the only architectural plans he ever offered to the general public.  His "Hexa-Penta" dome can be seen in the following Pop-Sci articles available on Google Books:

5/72:

http://books.google.com/books?id=VvyLShXydNgC&pg=PA128&dq=%22popular+science%22+%22hexa+pent%22+dome+fuller&num=100

6/72:

http://books.google.com/books?id=kcwHCy6F4vcC&pg=PA80&dq=%22popular+science%22+%22hexa+pent%22+dome+fuller&num=100

Did anyone perchance purchase a copy of these plans when they were available?  I can only assume they are long out of print.

[glenn kangiser]

Interesting, Jeff.  I have been interested in the shell concrete domes Ken Kern did also.

[bgarrett]

I've named it the OCTA DOME...    .  There is a nice long description of the building process on the page with simple renderings that you can scroll through.

http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/node/3128


 

Jeff, This could be covered with ferrocement at a very low cost and would be nearly indestuctable.

[OkieJohn2]

I am sure these have been posted before but a couple of books from the same period were always my favorites(alas, I no longer have copies but there's always ebay)

Handbuilt houses, the wood butchers art

Jersey Devil design build
those may not be the exact titles tho.
I really liked Jersey Devils use of gothic arch roof trusses and Undillo silos, loved the snail house.

[CREATIVE1]

Any more info on that "Jersey Devil" book?  Don't think I've seen that.  Have most of the others from that period.  Did find this link, though.
http://www.jerseydevildesignbuild.com/

[OkieJohn2]

A quick ebay search turned up this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-JERSEY-DEVIL-DESIGN-BUILD-BOOK-by-MICHAEL-CROSBIE_W0QQitemZ170239903959QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Nonfiction_Book?hash=item27a316c8d7&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
Title: "The Jersey Devil Design Build Book
Author: Michael J Crosbie
Pub Date: 1985

[speedfunk]

Here's a mother earth news interview..enjoy

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/DIY-Home-Building-Lloyd-Kahn.aspx?page=1