[.ca] The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live (ISBN 1561583766)

From Amazon.com:
When describing a favorite room in the house, do you find yourself using terms such as "expansive," "formal," and "spacious"--a marble foyer or a formal dining room perhaps? Or do the words "cozy," "intimate," and "warm" come to mind--a cheery little breakfast nook or a window seat complete with plenty of pillows and a breathtaking view? More than likely, you--like thousands of other homeowners--are drawn to the more personal spaces in your home, where comfort, beauty, and efficiency meet. In The Not So Big House, respected architect Sarah Susanka and coauthor Kira Obolensky address our affinity for the "smaller, more personal spaces" and propose "clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements." The heart of the not-so-big house--which is not "just a small house ... \obut\c a smaller house," that uses "less space to give greater quality of life," and is designed to not only "accommodate the lifestyles of its occupants" but also to express "our values and our personalities," is discussed in chapter 1, entitled "Bigger Isn't Better." Susanka's urging for homeowners to get creative with their space as well as loads of ideas to encourage that creativity are covered in "Rethinking the House" and "Making Not So Big Work." Discussions of specific needs, such as a home for one and designing for kids, can be found in "Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous," while "Dreams, Details, and Dollars" gets down to the nuts and bolts of the operation, looking at quality versus quantity, budgeting, and what "low end," "middle ground," and "high end" really mean in home design and construction. Lastly, the authors look at the home of the future, which involves simplifying, recycling, reducing waste, and using energy-efficient construction. With more than 200 color photographs, as well as floor plans and Susanka and Obolensky's intelligent and lively dialogue, The Not So Big House is perfect for homeowners ready to rethink their space. --Stefanie Hargreaves

Bourgeois bohemian guilt assuagement:
Let's see....2000 square feet is considered "not so big." And working one's way up -- oops, I mean down! -- to that modest allotment of space requires spending at least six, more like seven figures. And, supposedly, this fits under the philosophy of "simpler living." What sort of people buy into this? Bourgeois bohemians, of course, a subspecies wittily described in "Bobos in Paradise" by David Brooks. These are people with lotsa dough who live in nice neighborhoods and drive nice cars. But they're not rich, you see. They're "progressives" (read: liberals). So, in order to assuage the subconscious guilt they suffer for the "sin" of their own affluence, they drop loads of money on expensive stuff that's no different in quality from many cheaper brands, but merely has "progressive" cachet. You know...REI and L.L. Bean clothing ("environmentally aware"), coffee that costs $12 a pound (because it's "fair trade"), and just about anything that comes out of the public radio tchotchkes catalogue. Susanka's book has kicked this up the ultimate notch. No longer is buying a high-priced Saab or Volvo the ultimate in pretense to "conscience" while indulging oneself. Now the bobos of America can take out second and third mortgages to cover what their six-figure incomes won't and build the "not so big house" of their dreams. Hey, it's not the money that's important. It's "feeling good about your choices." Susanka, Obolensky, and anyone who gave this book a good review are welcome to trade their huge houses for my one-bedroom, second-floor apartment in a working-class neighborhood with no off-street parking. They can then acquaint themselves to their hearts' desires with the reality of "modest living." As for me, I'll buy lots of cool stuff and fill up their former abodes. I've got better things to do than wring my hands over my "ecological footprint." And for my housewarming party, I'll be barbecuing up a few spotted owls, bald eagles, dolphins, and baby seals in that spacious back yard.

Not So Big, but Just Right:
My husband and I are preparing our 5-year old, sterile house for sale with the intention of buying an older bungalow. We'll be looking for slightly smaller houses, since we've found that so much of the space in our present house is really wasted. We won't be building from scratch or even remodeling, but the philosophy of design in this book is really helpful to us as we think through what we want and need in our next house. I think the basic Not So Big concept is sound for any budget: square footage means little, rather, utility and comfort is paramount. The book is teaching us to think in terms of spaces rather than rooms, of getting the most possible use and enjoyment from a space. I think it will definitely help us train ourselves to see the possibility in houses we look at in our search.

Not Bad, but Not Great Either:
Susan Susanka presents her ideas on how to build a better home. Half way through the book she presents her trinity of compromises that the architect, builder & home-owner have to make...price, quanity & quality of the proposed home. I think this is the gem in the book. As many have noted, this is definitely not a book for a "small" or "cheap" home; and this should be obvious as nobody who is limited to building a "small" or "cheap" home would hire an architect to design it! Though she never states it, I estimate that the houses she designs cost over $500,000 to build so consider that when you read this book. I value this book for the ideas it presents; however, it is definitely a coffee-table book rather than a reference for an architect or home-builder. Not until the last two super-homes does Susan even mention a number. Nowhere in the book does it actually talk about the square feet, total price, price for materials, cost/square foot, material trade-off possibilities, building codes, or anything that is actually needed to design or build a house (or even remodel). The lack of details and thoroughness was disappointing and the reason I only gave her three stars. I suppose this book can be considered a "theory" book rather than a "practical" book, but it seems to me that a well-written book could contain both. On the plus side, the pictures were very nice; there were floor-plans for each of the houses and Susan has a very nice and clear writing style.

Informative:
I just finished this book and I found it informative. Susanka plainly writes about the way most houses are typically built and the waste in their construction as well as the lack of soul and personality in most. I have noticed this myself for years. I completely agree with her concept of creating homes that are smaller and more efficient, using more of the structure's square footage for actual living and evolving the formal spaces that are rarely used anymore (i.e. formal dining and living room) into one area. Creating a home with enough room and spaces for how people live day to day and not just a place that says "look at how much money I have". I especially liked the chapter "Dreams, Details, and Dollars". Although it was disheartening to read that even a small home with attention to detail can be costly. And this is what I am/was leaning toward. Also, to keep the cost down in most home building one needs to start with the box shape, which to me is boring. The one negative point I would make is that, as someone else mentioned, this book does lean toward those who have more to spend than most. Although she does give a good stratedgy on how to begin to look at affording a home (the quantity, quality, cost triangle) that can work for anyone. All in all I liked this book and plan on reading the second one, Creating the Not So Big House. This may answer more of my how-can-I-do-it questions. The photos are great too!

Informative:
I just finished this book and I found it informative. Susanka plainly writes about the way most houses are typically built and the waste in their construction as well as the lack of soul and personality in most. I have noticed this myself for years. I completely agree with her concept of creating homes that are smaller and more efficient, using more of the structure's square footage for actual living and evolving the formal spaces that are rarely used anymore (i.e. formal dining and living room) into one area. Creating a home with enough room and spaces for how people live day to day and not just a place that says "look at how much money I have". I especially liked the chapter "Dreams, Details, and Dollars". Although it was disheartening to read that even a small home with attention to detail can be costly. And this is what I am/was leaning toward. Also, to keep the cost down in most home building one needs to start with the box shape, which to me is boring. The one negative point I would make is that, as someone else mentioned, this book does lean toward those who have more to spend than most. Although she does give a good stratedgy on how to begin to look at affording a home (the quantity, quality, cost triangle) that can work for anyone. All in all I liked this book and plan on reading the second one, Creating the Not So Big House. This may answer more of my how-can-I-do-it questions. The photos are great too!