Books and videos by Thomas J. Elpel, author of Living Homes.

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Thomas J. Elpel
Author, Builder, and Conservationist

      Thomas J. Elpel is the owner of DirtCheapBuilder.com, and the author/producer of numerous books and videos covering house-building, economics, wilderness survival, botany and more.

      Tom started his building career in 1989. Twenty-one years old and newly married, Tom and his partner bought land, moved into a tent, and started building their passive solar stone and log dream home. They had little construction experience and even less money, but they read books and learned through hands-on experience, completing their home without a mortgage, for approximately what most people would spend on a new car.

      Tom has continued to refine his ideas on low-cost, high-efficiency construction ever since, designing and building, or participating in the construction, of several additional stone, log, and straw bale buildings.

      With no mortgage and minimal utility bills, Thomas J. Elpel could afford to pursue his interests and launch a successful writing career and multiple businesses in the effort to make the world a better place for all.

Books
authored by
Thomas J. Elpel

Roadmap
to Reality

Green
Prosperity

Living
Homes

Participating
in Nature

Botany
in a Day

Foraging the
Mountain West

Unique Books & Videos by Thomas J. Elpel
Shanleya's Quest: A Botany Adventure for Kids Ages 9 to 99
Shanleya's Quest: Patterns in Plants Card Game
Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification
Foraging the Mountain West: Gourmet Edible Plants, Mushrooms, and Meat
Participating in Nature: Wilderness Survival and Primitive Living Skills
Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log, and Strawbale Construction
Slipform Stone Masonry DVD Video Companion to Living Homes
Build Your Own Masonry Fireplace DVD Video Companion to Living Homes
Green Prosperity: Quit Your Job, Live Your Dreams
Roadmap to Reality: Consciousness, Worldviews, and the Blossoming of Human Spirit

Canoe Camping: On a Song and a Paddle. The Art of Nothing Wilderness Survival Video Series
Available on DVD!
3 Days at the River with nothing but our bare hands.
Mountain Meadows camping with almost nothing but the dog.
Mountain Lakes a survival fishing trip.
Canoe Camping on a song and a paddle.

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Dear Tom,

I'm taking this opportunity to thank you so much for your awesome books. I love them. They are the best in every field. I am thrilled to see Botany recommended all over the place in plant and naturalist programs and our local elementary teacher already knew about Shanleya! I have Botany, Shanleya, Survival Skills, and Roadmap. I am so grateful for the detail, clarity, overview, ideas, and presentation. Thank you for your work.

Best,
Pam Sherman
Boulder, Colorado

Participating in Nature: Wilderness Survival and Primitive Living Skills.

Thomas

I just received and read from cover to cover Participating In Nature. Just wanted to let you know that I loved it and used some of the info from it on my last course. Just thought I'd let you know because I get tired of reading inaccurate information about bushcraft/wilderness living, and so your book was a breath of fresh air.

--Jeff Butler
Northwoods Survival
New Brunswick, Canada

Looking for life-changing resources? Check out these books by Thomas J. Elpel: