Your natural home

About this book

Your Natural Home shows you how to create an environment-friendly house that nurtures human health and has a natural beauty, with all the warmth of homespun architectural traditions. Part One of the book offers a handsomely illustrated, easy-to-understand primer that points out where our homes' major environmental and health problems lie. Part Two explains which conventional products pose the greatest health risks, how to set priorities in building or remodeling, and how to trim costs and make compromises, whether you're on a bare-bones, moderate, or spare-no-expense budget. The heart of the book presents a compendium of two thousand tested building, remodeling, and decorating products - the most extensive list ever published - that can be used as substitutes for their more hazardous counterparts. From recycled lumber and urea-formaldehyde-free plywood to paints made of plant oils in exquisite earth colors, from area rugs made of untreated wools to all-natural bedding, the hundreds of stylish and effective products recommended in the compendium lay the groundwork for a new interior and exterior design that celebrates natural materials and superb craftsmanship. And because many of these products aren't available at Home Depot or the local hardware store, each listing is followed by the names and addresses of suppliers.