ReCraft 90: The Construction of a Resource Efficient House

Building Better with Less

Steve Loken. 1993. Center for Resourceful Building Technology, PO Box 3866, Missoula, MT 59806; 406/549-7678. 56 pages. $12.50 postpaid.

The ReCraft 90 house was the first in what has become a flurry of environmentally sound demonstration houses. Built in ’90 and ’91 by Steve Loken at the Center for Resourceful Building Technology, ReCraft 90 pioneered the use of many resource-efficient building materials. A primary focus of the project was to minimize the use of large-dimension lumber to reduce stress on our limited timber resources. Loken has been in great demand, lecturing and consulting with other groups building demonstration houses. Now he’s published a booklet describing the process of building ReCraft 90, making his expertise even more broadly available.

ReCraft 90 (the booklet, not the house) contains some useful background reading on the reasons for pursuing resource efficiency, but its real strength is in the details. Loken goes through each of the innovative products used in the house and describes what it was like to procure, work with, and finish each material. Photos illustrate the installation of most of the materials. Reading about the successes and challenges Loken encountered is terrific preparation for anyone interested in using innovative, resource-efficient materials. Finally, Loken’s explanations of the advantages and disadvantages of each material— functionally and environmentally—are thoughtful and clear. While one could take issue with a few points, such as the relative importance of operating energy as opposed to embodied energy, on the whole this book is an extremely valuable resource.

CRBT has also just published a third edition of their

Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements (GREBE). The new version, available for $25 postpaid, is expanded and reformatted, making it better and easier to use than the last version (see EBN Vol. 1, No. 2 for review). They also have a 6-page listing of related resources and demonstration houses for $3.

– NM