The Half-Acre Homestead - by Lloyd Kahn & Lesley Creed (Paperback)

About the Book

"This is the story of Lloyd and Lesley building a home and establishing a garden on a small piece of land on the Northern California Coast over a 46-year period. Lloyd, the former shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, has published seven books on owner building, showcasing hundreds of builders, and this is his first book on his own work. Starting with a vacant half-acre piece of land, they built their own home, created a garden with vegetables and fruit, and describe raising chickens, bees, and goats. The book also covers cooking, foraging, fishing, crafts, birds, butterflies, and tools. Their main theme is that this was all done by hand. They have never paid rent nor have they ever had a mortgage. There are over 500 photos illustrating all the above facets of their lives and clear explanations of building skylights, maintaining a septic system, building greenhouses and raised vegetable beds. There is a section on unique kitchen tools, as well as advice on useful tools used in construction"--

Book Synopsis

Discover the benefits and joys of simple living in this coffee-table book that presents the homestead of Lloyd Khan and Lesley Creed.

If you've ever researched a DIY home-building project, then you've probably come across the books of Lloyd Kahn. If you've ever been curious about self-sufficient living, The Half-Acre Homestead is for you. Lloyd, the former shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, has published several books--including some of the most definitive titles on owner building, such as Shelter and Tiny Homes. Lloyd has showcased hundreds of builders in his books. Now, for the first time ever, he spotlights the work of himself and his wife, Lesley Creed.

Starting with a vacant half-acre piece of land, back in the 1970s, the couple built their own home, created a garden with vegetables and fruit, and began raising chickens, bees, and goats. This book presents every aspect of their homestead, from the kitchen and dining area to the shed and workshop. It also introduces several fascinating aspects of their lifestyle, such as crafting and small-scale farming. It goes on to cover cooking, foraging, fishing, birds, butterflies, and tools.

Book Features

• Detailed look at a homestead built entirely by hand


• More than 500 full-color photos, illustrating every facet of home life


• Tips about building skylights, greenhouses, living roofs, and more


• Section on unique kitchen tools, as well as useful tools for construction

Lloyd and Lesley have never paid rent and never had a mortgage. This coffee-table book is their story of building and maintaining their own home, over a 46-year period, on a small piece of land in Northern California.

From the Back Cover

In 1974, Lloyd and Lesley started building a home and establishing a garden on a half-acre piece of land in a small town on the northern California coast. Here is their story, along with over 500 photos of their home, the garden, pantry, kitchen, greenhouses, chicken coop, and animal visitors.

The book also covers cooking, foraging, fishing, crafts, birds, butterflies, and tools. Their main theme is that this was all done by hand.

"We both wanted to create a home and grow our own food. I'd been working as a carpenter for about 10 years and had built a homestead in Big Sur in the '60s. Lesley had been gardening, sewing, and practicing crafts most of her life.

"We wanted to do as much for ourselves as possible, and we wanted to avoid paying rent or getting a mortgage. And we both wanted to have a home built of natural materials, that was functional, practical, and good-feeling."

Review Quotes

"I just inhaled your book, reading it cover to cover in one sitting. It's all that I hoped it would be. Now my favorite book of yours...."

--Kevin Kelly, Wired

"Warning: Reading the book may lead to pulling up stakes and heading into the hills to claim your own half-acre homestead."

--Patrick Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle

"The King of D.I.Y. Dwellings--Before cabin porn and van life were hashtags on Instagram, before tiny houses were a movement, Mr. Kahn, now 84, was the indefatigable champion of their funky, D.I.Y. antecedents.... A memoir of sorts of this hard-won idyll, [The Half-Acre Homestead] is also a love letter to Ms. Creed, a skilled artisan and gardener whose glorious handiwork is vividly portrayed."

--Penelope Green, The New York Times

"The book is absolutely wonderful... [a] magnificent one-of-a-kind gift to us all."

--Peter Nabokov, professor at UCLA

"The whole thing is about a harmony in life that few achieve but most desire...."

--Jack Fulton, photographer

"I love the new book. It is beautiful and useful.... You've so well captured not only how your homestead looks but also its soul and spirit."

--Charlotte Mayerson, former senior editor, Random House

"It's great!"

--Bill Steen, co-author of The Strawbale House

"What a treasure!"

--Charlie Winton, musician/publisher

"Excellent photos."

--Drew Langsner, author of Country Woodcraft

About the Author

Lloyd Kahn started building more than 50 years ago and has lived in a self-built home ever since. If he'd been able to buy a wonderful, old, good-feeling house, he might have never started building. But it was always cheaper to build than to buy, and by building himself, he could design what he wanted and use materials that he wanted to live with.

Lloyd set off to learn the art of building in 1960. He liked the whole process immensely. Ideally he'd have worked with a master carpenter long enough to learn the basics, but there was never time. He learned from friends and books and by blundering his way into a process that required a certain amount of competence. His perspective was that of a novice, a homeowner, rather than a pro. As he learned, he felt that he could tell others how to build--or at least get them started on the path to creating their own homes.

Through the years, he's personally gone from post and beam to geodesic domes to stud-frame construction. It's been a constant learning process, and this has led him into investigating many methods of construction. For five years in the late '60s to early '70s, he built geodesic domes. He got into book publishing by producing Domebook One in 1970 and Domebook 2 in 1971.

He gave up on domes (as homes) and published his company's namesake Shelter in 1973. Since then, Shelter Publications has produced books on a variety of subjects and returned to its roots with Home Work in 2004, The Barefoot Architect and Builders of the Pacific Coast in 2008, Tiny Homes in 2012, and more.

Building is Lloyd's favorite subject. Even in this day and age, building a house with one's own hands can save a ton of money and--if you follow it through--you can get what you want in a home.

Lesley Creed (1947-2023) moved out of San Francisco in the early '70s, intent upon a back to-the-land lifestyle. She worked with Shelter Publications as a consulting editor, while maintaining a vegetable and flower garden and pursuing an interest in how things are made. She lived with her husband and co-author, Lloyd Kahn, in West Marin County, California, until her death in 2023.