Small Houses: Big Ideas for Today's Small Houses (Great Houses)

This is a polished edition is filled with interesting designs, floor plans, and photographs. There is an emphasis on the efficient use of space and energy conservation. Each house is described by the architect. If you are thinking of downsizing and building your own home, this book is for you.

I purchased Small House primarily for inspiration, and I was far from disappointed! The pictures are clear and crisp - showing the many interesting details in the homes. I have not read the book. I've only looked at the photos two or three time, so I can provide no review of the text - sorry!

This book could be useful in deciding what kind of materials and/or finishes one might want to use., altough there is a monotonous use of orange-colored wood on exteriors and interiors which I think is outdated. There are floor plans for the various houses, but they lack dimensions, which of course one needs in order to get an idea of possible cost. I suspect that most of the houses are beyond the means of most of the people who might be interested in them. There are also a number of houses with flat roofs. Having lived in a mid-century modern in the northeast with a flat roof, that is positively the stupidest idea in the world. Your contractor better love you if you want to get the snow shoveled off the roof before it collapses. I bought the book to provide ideas for my one-day dream house which I think will happen soon, but all in all I was disappointed.

Great “stuff” for making the most of an existing structure, or creating one from scratch. Color, landscaping and detail emphasis makes for an absolutely “take charge” text.

I love this book. It exceeded my expectations. There are some really nice, practical ideas in this book. I highly recommend it.

Pics are wonderful. There are many of most houses. House plans of each house. Overall the best book I've seen yet for small house plans and designing efficiency. I'm very appreciative of efficiency in a house, no matter the size.

What I said in the title

This is a pretty neat book with one exception: Small houses to me are less than 1100 square feet. Only five of the many in this book are less than 1100 square feet. Some exceed 2000 square feet. The middle category is large indeed. BUT the book is interesting and well assembled. It's just not for me. I returned it for another book that looks more promising. Also online Tumbleweed.com has some really small homes both on wheels and foundations. These start really small--130 square feet. The site is really helpful in organizing thoughts about living small. The videos can seem corny but I found them helpful. Oh, and check out Sunset and Dwell magazines for more ideas. Then when you know more about what you're looking for, I do think a good book with lots of pictures and floor plans is an absolute delight in developing these ideas. So I will review the next book I get too. The concept of small-house living is really intriguing, especially if you are like me with a larger than needed home that is too economical to leave currently.

Lots of these homes are not what I would consider small. I was disappointed in that.

やはり欧米と日本では「スモール」という概念大分違います ここに出てくるスモールハウスは日本では立派な家ばかり セルフビルダーなどには適した本ではありません