Essential Rainwater Harvesting: A Guide to Home-scale System Design

Secure Your Water Supply with a Custom Rainwater Harvesting System
Part of the Sustainable Building Essentials series, Essential Rainwater Harvesting is the complete guide to designing, building, and maintaining rainwater systems for any home, acreage, or farm. Learn how to turn rainfall into a reliable, sustainable water source—even in arid or extreme climates.

What You'll Learn

• Water Security and Independence: Harvest and manage rainwater to supplement or replace municipal or well water for your home or property.
• Smart Planning and Conservation: Assess demand, optimize water use, and plan for droughts or extreme rainfall.
• Custom System Design: Determine the right gutters, conveyance, tanks, pumps, and filtration methods for your site.
• Water Quality Management: Pre-filtration, filtration, and disinfection strategies ensure safe, reliable water.
• Step-by-step Installation Guidance: Detailed, practical instructions for DIYers, tradespeople, and sustainability practitioners.
• Maintenance and Longevity: Learn methods to keep your system efficient, reliable, and long-lasting.

Written by Rob and Michelle Avis, engineers and permaculture designers with decades of experience, this guide combines practical know-how, technical rigor, and site-specific strategies for designing rainwater systems anywhere in the world.

Explore the full Sustainable Building Essentials series for illustrated, hands-on guidance on sustainable building systems, high-performance homes, and environmentally responsible construction.

Rob Avis, PEng, co-owns Adaptive Habitat, a leading-edge property design firm, and Verge Permaculture, a globally-recognized, award-winning education business. He is co-author of Essential Rainwater Harvesting and lives in Alberta, Canada.

Michelle Avis, P.Eng is co-owner and operator of Adaptive Habitat, a leading edge property design firm for resilient homes, acreages, and farms and Verge Permaculture, a globally recognized award-winning education business. She has over 10 years of experience in project management, ecological design, and sustainable technologies. She lives in Calgary, Alberta.