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Think
Small
Small can be beautiful and cozy. The trend lately has been toward huge mansion-style houses. Large houses generally use a tremendous amount of energy to heat and cool. This energy usually comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, depleting these resources and emitting greenhouse gases and pollutants into the air. Also, the larger the house, the more materials go into its construction; materials which may have their own environmental consequences. A home should be just the right size for its occupants and their activities. My wife and I (and our two dogs) happily lived in a forty foot bus for four years. The key to this is efficient use of space, good organization, and keeping possessions to a manageable level.
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RESOURCES ARTICLE: EXPERT
ADVICE |
The New Cottage Home by Jim Tolpin, 1998. This book represents a return to a previous school of thought about living space: that it should be no larger than is needed, conservative of resources, rich in detail. The 30 cottage homes pictured each has a unique character and many cottage-style nooks and crannies: the converted island pump house with sod roof, the 600-square-foot woodland temple, the salvage-built house on the Kansas prairie, the off-the-grid shingled hilltop house built to take advantage of natural light. Tolpin does an excellent job of pulling together the elements of each that make it a cottage and make it appealing. In his own words, "These houses seem to call as much to the heart as to the head, enriching us more with the highs of nature than with the highs of technology. These are the new American cottages that embody the ancient storybook dream, and the kind of homes that many of us have always dreamed of living in." More information about Jim and his book is available at his website.
Jay Shafer and The Small House Book by Jay Shafer, 2006.
This 4" x 5" three volume set presents the economic, environmental, and social merits of compact housing with dozens of color photos on 95 total pages. It also describes the principles and processes of designing a tiny house of one's own. |
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Creating the Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the New American Home by Sarah Susanka, 2000. Sarah Susanka contrasts the glamorous, glossy-photo house plans of vaulted ceilings and palatial living rooms with the livable, day-to-day pleasure of cozy window seats and comfortable breakfast nooks. Descriptors like "spacious" and "expansive" fill the real-estate promos, but Susanka seeks the elusive yet affordable qualities that turn a house into a home. She selected 25 house designs, from a southwestern adobe to a Minnesota farmhouse to a New York apartment to a Rhode Island summer cottage, and she profiles each home in great and well-illustrated detail.
Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities by Shay Salomon, 2006.
Live in less space but have more room to enjoy it. Does that sound like a contradiction? Smart readers will discover that, on the contrary, living small can free up your mind, your wallet, and your soul. With the cost of living rising, and the environment suffering from excessive building, now is the time to scale back. Join the movement. Little House on a Small Planet is a guidebook and an invitation. With floor plans, photographs, advice, and anecdotes, this unique book asks and answers, “What fills a home when the excess is cut away, and how do we get there from here?” Discover how to – Build, remodel, redecorate, or just rethink your needs – Think, sometimes literally, outside the box – Live close and simple – Apply spiritual and social solutions to your material desires. Pockets of people all over the continent are realizing the benefits of scaling down. You, too, can build a joyful, sane life that emphasizes home life over home maintenance. . |
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Blueprint
Small: Creative Ways to Live with Less
by Michelle Kodis, 2003. When it comes to deciding on the size of a home
or living space, one question must be asked: How much space is enough?
Americans often relate "enough" space to dimensions, rather
than to how a space will really be enjoyed. In Blueprint Small, Michelle
Kodis examines small spaces (each 1500 square feet or less) from a wide
spectrum of locations, budgets, and individual styles-each chosen because
they illustrate that scaling back in size doesn't have to mean scaling
back in comfort, spaciousness, or beauty.From a sleek urban apartment
to a funky mountain home to a renovated beach house, Blueprint Small reveals
how smaller homes invite rather than overwhelm, comfort rather than alienate.
The projects offered here represent a variety of functions, locations
and environments, combining the technical aspects of building and using
small spaces with the stories of the people who live in them. Blueprint
Small invites you to explore inspiring and imaginative ways to inhabit
smaller spaces, and still live large. |
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Compact Living by Jane Graining, 1999. This book contains over 300 color photographs of real homes designed by architects who bring verve and style to tiny areas. Urban dwellers, who often live in closets called "apartments," will appreciate advice on how to best utilize wall and floor space, lighting, and color. Problem areas can be transformed by planning inventively, cheating perspective, and playing with new technology. The book also includes unusual diminutive country homes, and sheds and beach huts that have been transformed into vacation homes, home offices, or playrooms. The simplicity of a tiny home really can be an advantage, and Compact Living shines as an inspiring guide to the possibilities of a small space. |
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 Little Retreats : More Than Thirty Cozy Getaway Spaces for the Seaside by Jane Tidbury, 2001. A magically photographed collection of cottages, rustic cabins, tree houses, and huts by the sea, with advice and ideas for decorating a small space of your own. Is there anyone who doesn't dream of having a cozy getaway spot within earshot of the surf, high on a hill, deep in the woods, nestled in a suburban garden, or even up a tree? Little Retreats takes us on a magical tour of 100 wonderful architectural idylls in the United States and Europe, showing both interiors and exteriors. It is filled with tips on maximizing a small space, while also making it comfortable and inviting. For example, even in the most primitive cabin, the addition of sumptuous fabrics or delicate embroidery can create a welcoming space. |
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Tiny Tiny Houses by Lester Walker, 1987. This book contains more than 40 invitations to explore--and maybe build--some of the most charming, eccentric, and livable tiny houses ever built or conceived in America.
Terence Conran Small Spaces : Inspiring Ideas and Creative Solutions by Terence Conran, 2001. One of the most acclaimed figures in the field of home design offers the ultimate source of ideas for anyone who needs to design a comfortable, workable, and visually appealing home in a small space. The book offers tips, tricks, and inspired wisdom for making the most out of any available space. Stunning full-color photographs show Conran’s creative, stylish solutions in a variety of beautiful spaces, from a houseboat to a treehouse to a small office. His clear and practical tips and advice help translate that creativity into your own home or work space. Written by one of the driving forces in home furnishings and lifestyle retailing, Terence Conran Small Spaces is the essential guide for anyone looking to decorate a small living space with big style.
How to Live in Small Spaces: Design, Furnishing, Decoration and Detail for the Smaller Home by Terence Conran, 2007.
Compact Houses by Carles Broto, 2004. This exhaustively documented sourcebook will be invaluable to professionals and students of architecture, interior design, interior decorating, and furniture design. Information is provided on every aspect of the design process from the ground up—floor plans, materials, and specifications—on furniture and fixtures. The 30-plus illustrated case studies are of homes that are streamlined on the inside and out, and include full-color photographs, floor plans, and sketches. Also revealed are dozens of never-before-seen solutions in storage and an array of ingenious design solutions for furniture and fixtures that serve a variety of purposes.
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Small Strawbale: Natural Homes, Projects & Designs by Athena Steen , Bill Steen , Wayne Bingham, 2005. This practical guide is filled with rich photos of homes, greenhouses, studios, sheds, open-air structures and more, each pulsating with unique yet subtle creativity. Both a pragmatic construction manual and a philosophical, artistic guidebook, Small Strawbale is an inspirational starting point for a strawbale dreamer, and a great source of information for those who are ready to get bailing. 1. INTRODUCTION 2. GARDEN WALLS & FENCES 3. OPEN-AIR STRUCTURES 4. GREENHOUSES 5. CANELO PROJECT OUTBUILDINGS 6. TINY STUDIOS & MEDITATION SPACES 7. THE SHED ROOF 8. THE GABLE ROOF 9. SMALL HOUSES 10. CLUSTERED COMPOUNDS
Cabins: A Guide to Building Your Own Nature Retreat by David R. Stiles , Jeanie Stiles, 2001. The Stileses, a husband-and-wife team who have collaborated on a number of woodworking titles, show how to build a cabin that reflects the builder's lifestyle; some are simple, while others contain multiple rooms and utilities. Although the authors make it look easy, the amount of work that goes into a log cabin is staggering (even small cabins require 60 or more logs that each take five to seven hours to hew by hand). Other designs include a Japanese moon-gazing cabin, a pyramid-shaped cabin, and an A-frame cabin. A section on cabin accessories (including brief construction hints for rustic wood furniture) and a list of sources (including web addresses) completes this title. |
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 The
Treehouse Book
by Peter Nelson, et al, 2000. It seems that almost everyone likes treehouses.
Smiles of recognition turn into grins of enthusiasm as more people discover
them and dream about making their own private retreats or family play
spaces. We will visit many that were built to entertain, to hang out
with friends, or as guest houses. Trees welcome all types. From casual
treeshacks made from discarded lumber to multitiered feats of fancy,
the authors found shelters representing myriad builders-interesting
characters ranging from childhood fanatics grown up, to weekend carpenters,
to those who want their grandkids to have the best clubhouse on the
block. Detailed how-to information, including plans and drawings, is
woven with behind-the-scenes tales of each structure's occupants and
stunning interior and exterior photographic explorations. |
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New
Small Homes
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Rustic
Retreats : A Build-It-Yourself Guide
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Retreats
: Handmade Hideaways to Refresh the Spirit
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The
Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live
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Small House Tokyo:
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Wright-Sized Houses: Frank Lloyd Wright's Solutions for Making Small Houses Feel Big
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A Tiny Home to Call Your Own: Living Well in Just Right Houses
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Small Houses: Contemporary Residential Architecture
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The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space
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Small House, Big Style
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Compact Houses: Architecture for the Environment
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500 Small Houses of the Twenties
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Flagg's Small Houses: Their Economic Design and Construction, 1922
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Bungalows, Camps, and Mountain Houses: 80 Classic American Designs
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300 Small Home Plans: Our Portfolio of the Nation's Top Selling Designers
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New Compact House Designs: 27 Award-Winning Plans 1,250 Square Feet or Less
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The Big Book of Small House Designs: 75 Award-Winning Plans for Your Dream House, All 1,250 Square Feet or Less
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A Little House of My Own:
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25 Houses
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Dream Cottages : 25 Plans for Retreats, Cabins, and Beach Houses
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Small Homes: Design Ideas for Great American Houses
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Here is an 896 sf plan made for a couple's weekend retreat...or even full time residence. It won't take much to heat this place in winter or keep cool in summer. It will be easy to go off grid with this one!
For more information about this plan, and many others, visit our sister site www.dreamgreenhomes.com, where you will find a wide range of plans for sustainable homes, greenhouses, small buildings, garages, and food storage space for sale. Dream Green Homes is a consortium of outstanding architects and designers, who have pooled their talent and expertise for your benefit. |
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notsobighouse.com Sarah Susanka's informative site devoted to small house concepts and related topics. cottagehome.net Jim Tolpin's site shows more pictures from his book and has a resource guide for architectural components. tumbleweedhouses.com a set of beautifully designed and crafted tiny houses are depicted for viewing and for sale. treehousefoundation.org promotes making treehouses accessable for everyone. countryplans.com inexpensive plans for small cottages and cabins are described here, with lots of nice photos. greenerbuildings.com article: Small is Beautiful: U.S. House Size, Resource Use, and the Environment fabprefab.com A collection of small pre-fabricarted srtructures for sale. videochannel If you click on the video concerning the guy that has 96 sq. ft. of living space, he will give you a tour of this unique home. |
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Strawbale Retreat 900
