The best
Energy Efficient Remodeling & Renovation books:
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The best of Energy Efficient Remodeling & Renovation books by number of unique Reddit comments:
Top Reddit reviews mentioning Energy Efficient Remodeling & Renovation books:
This is the premise of the book Unf*ck Your Habitat . I’m only into Part two of this 200 something page book and it’s been a great read.
Yes, Martha! Her Homekeeping Handbook in particular has so much on organizing and cleaning everything. It sounds similar to the Home Comforts which I've never read.
I heart organizing in my go-to. Lots of tips. She doesn't always just go to the Container Store. She DIYs a lot of her storage. Always declutter before you get into organization to make sure you actually want all of the belongings you want to organize.
I separate tidying into tidying and decluttering. Tidying is the act of straightening up. Decluttering for me is letting go.
I don't have any advice for you as I'm currently going through the same struggle, but I wanted to let you know you're not alone. I honestly feel like I could've written this post, word-for-word. I recently ordered this book on Amazon, and though I haven't finished it yet, it seems to have some great strategies in it, especially for those of us with chronic pain. <3
I had the original as a kid. It was my favorite bathroom book.
https://www.amazon.com/Unf-Your-Habitat-Youre-Better/dp/1250102952 this book helped me a lot. It's aimed at people with mental health problems to work on their living spaces over time. It's concept of small amounts of cleaning rather than marathon cleaning helped me a lot. I have a pretty clean house because of it without any help from a cleaning person and not much help from my partner (we have one kid but three cats).
Ha. I love the idea of that book being required reading for any job that has social engineering vulnerabilities.
Then here's another suggestion. Very different, but lots of ideas and practical instructions: The Good Life Lab: Radical Experiments in Hands-On Living
Fair enough, I am also slowly getting things ready. But I am also flying on a bit of faith for the moment.
I do not think we can organize and change the political and economic system at this moment.
Maybe we can when things begin to really fall apart and people are looking to change things. But at this moment, I'm simply working on things I can control. Learning skills. Learning how to grow food.
I bought this book, you may find helpful.
But realistically, what do you think can be done to get us to alter course before disaster comes ? I am not able to come up with much myself on that topic.
As an individual it’s a lot of hard work. Just veggies, you can, if you have fertile soil and a good water supply, feed yourself on roughly three acres. The biggest problem with that type of farming are grains and livestock.
If, for example, you decided to raise swine, you may be able to “trade “ pork for grains and/or silage.
This and a couple of other of Abagail Ghering’s books are an excellent introduction:
Always always have a cash emergency fund. Read and practice personal finance first, even if your job is paying well you have to know how to really manage money and actually prepare for retirement and old age.
The “Dad, How Do I?” YouTube channel is amazing for learning self sufficiency.Dad
I like the book “Back to Basics” about skills everyone should know. Limited-time deal: Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills (Back to Basics Guides
We've built a coop from here twice. If you keep them in the run, it will not house that many, but if you let them free range, they will hold a lot of chickens. backyard projects
I recommend this. Shows how to lay out different size lots.
Your link was broken for me.
It seems to work if you remove the extra:
https://www.amazon.com/Projects-Building-Backyard-Homestead-Hands/dp/1580117104/
FYI, when sharing amazon links, you can always remove the “/ref=…” which is just link tracking stuff for amazon to know where the source of the click came from.
This one by Martha Stewart is pretty good/comprehensive. I think there are pictures online that include the contents so you could have a browse before purchasing.
I agree on hard copies. No equipment needed, and durable enough to be passed on to others. My favorite is “Back to Basics”, by Readers Difest.
This book is like the homestead bible!
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills (Back to Basics Guides) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1629143693/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5-klFbAQAYCGC
Such a great resource for so many things!!
It's not necessarily a survival guide but this has been a staple in my library for basic stuff and its a great easy read. https://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Complete-Traditional-Skills/dp/1629143693/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JRA6ZK4QFMRCW0KAB1KE
I really like The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling by Charlie Wing. It's geared a little more towards building but gives you a good idea of every building system.
Re: how overwhelming it can be to bring a chaotic/messy living space in order, especially if your standards for cleanliness are higher... I found this book incredibly helpful for figuring out how to minimize time spent cleaning with maximum results. You should check it out if you have the chance! There's a whole section about mental health and cleaning, which helped me out a LOT when my depression was at its worst.
Regarding the rest... I'm really sorry that you're going through all of that, and I wish I could help. I've been through similar things with my partner, and to some extent am still going through them. If you ever need to vent, feel free to reach out to me. I may not be able to help, but I'm always here to listen, which can be more helpful sometimes!
Does he have a toolkit that's in working order? Does he collect honey?
Perhaps something along the DIY/building theme. There are some good books like this that could be useful
A really great "all around" book is by Charlie Wing called The Visual Handbook of Building and Remodeling
I just purchased the updated and revised 4th edition earlier this year at my local Tractor Supply Co. but I never read any of the earlier versions to give a comparison. Edit: Correction, I have the 3rd edition which is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Complete-Traditional-Skills/dp/1602392331
Between "Back to Basics" and a trusty copy of Fannie Farmer for cooking, you can cover a LOT of good ground. There are lots of great books, but those are two I can't live without. To be clear, both are about techniques and methods, not so much the theory behind it. They're fantastic reference books though.
Reminds me of the trestle table in <em>Back to Basics</em> which is kind of like this table.
Here is a book that is AWESOME and cheaper.
We did an energy audit, yes they'll quote a price and recommendations.
You aren't missing anything - utility will often rebate a % (in our state it was 1/3 the cost of the recommended air sealing and insulation install).
I ended up buying a book and doing the air sealing myself. Amazon link
Depression and being sad are two different things. You do sound depressed to me. I've had depression for quite a while and the first thing I notice during low points is that I sleep more and feel detached, not that I feel sad.
Have you heard of the tiny house movement? Or have you considered homesteading or something similar? Try reading this book. It seems like that sort of life might appeal to you. If you're attached to having a lot of stuff and etc, it might not, but it's possible to seriously cut down your expenses and not really have to work.
Expanding foam is also useful. I found this book to be quite helpful: http://www.amazon.com/Insulate-Weatherize-Tauntons-Build-Like/dp/1561585548/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325214346&sr=1-1