One thing that sets this book apart from other green building books that I’ve read is that the aurthors emphasize the “cons” to the various methods. It’s not unusual to come away from a book about adobe, for example, believing that a person with zero building experience can build an adobe home in 4 months for $100 that will last centuries and keep it’s northern Minnesotan owners warm in the dead of winter and dry in the monsoons of spring.

Snell & Callahan are… cautious. They recommend going overboard with the framework supports. They suggest that someone who has never taken hammer to nail might not want to cut their teeth on building a home, at least not without some expert help. They admit that the cost of green homes, even hand-built ones where the owner does much of the work, can cost as much as their more mainstream counterparts (and can cost even more if you need to hire out a significant portion of the building). They say flat out that what works in the desert of Arizona may not be the best option for the cool, wet Pacific Northwest–and vise versa–and they recommend that potential home builders do significant research on what techniques have been historically used in their area (if there aren’t any adobe homes in Iowa, there’s probably a reason for that).

All of Snell & Callahan’s criticisms could leave readers feeling like green building options are more trouble than they’re worth. I don’t think that’s their intent, and I hope that readers won’t be so disheartened that they give up their dream of building a beautiful, natural, healthy home. Rather, readers should come away with a more realistic outlook on things like budget, building materials, workload and the like, and to avoid problems before they cost you time and money.