3.92/5
Author: Sarah Susanka, Kira Obolensky
Publication Date: Sep 15, 2009
Formats: PDF,Paperback,Hardcover
Rating: 3.92/5 out of 1918
Publisher: Taunton Press
Fan Club Reviews of best titles on art fashion, artists, history, photography. Check out our top reviews and see what others have to say about the best art and photography books of the year. Check out The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live Community Reviews - Find out where to download The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live available in multiple formats:Paperback,Hardcover The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live Author:Sarah Susanka,Kira Obolensky Formats:Paperback,Hardcover Publication Date:Sep 15, 2009
Ten years ago, Sarah Susanka started a revolution in
home design with a deceptively simple message: quality should always
come before quantity. Now, the book that celebrated that bold
declaration is back in this special 10th anniversary edition featuring a
new introduction and 16 additional pages that explore three new
homes.
Nearly a quarter-million people bought this
ground-breaking book when it was published in Fall 1998. Since
then, the book's simple message ― that quality should come before
quantity ― has started a movement in home design. Homeowners now know to
expect more. And the people responsible for building our homes have
also gotten the message. Architects and builders around the country
report clients showing up with dog-eared copies of The Not
So Big House, pages marked to a favorite section.
Why are we drawn more to smaller, more personal spaces than
to larger, more expansive ones? Why do we spend more time in the kitchen
than we do in the formal dining room? The Not So Big House
proposes clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both
our spiritual needs and our material requirements, whether for a couple
with no children, a family, empty nesters, or one person
alone.
In 1999, Sarah Susanka was then architect and
principal with Mulfinger, Susanka, Mahady & Partners, the firm selected
to design the 1999 Life Dream House brought Frank Lloyd Wright's same
common-sense, human-scale design principles to our generation. Consider
which rooms in your house you use and enjoy most, and you have a sense
of the essential principles of The Not So Big
House. Whether you seek comfort and calm or activity and
energy at home, The Not So Big House offers a
place for every mood.
Jun 01, 2009
I really enjoyed the basic premise of this book: that we should focus more on the quality of our homes than on the quantity (i.e. square footage), and that we ought to build (or remodel) homes that reflect our actual lifestyles. I also particularly enjoyed her assertion that we should think about the ways that we use space--where do we spend most of our time? What activities do we do in those spaces?--and compose our homes inline with that thinking. In other words, we may find it worthwhile to I really enjoyed the basic premise of this book: that we should focus more on the quality of our homes than on the quantity (i.e. square footage), and that we ought to build (or remodel) homes that reflect our actual lifestyles. I also particularly enjoyed her assertion that we should think about the ways that we use space--where do we spend most of our time? What activities do we do in those spaces?--and compose our homes inline with that thinking. In other words, we may find it worthwhile to spend more time, money, and effort on certain parts of the home than on others; and we may be able to find ways to incorporate multiple activities into a single space by the way we design the space itself.Feb 24, 2010
This is a terrible book. The houses in this book are more than twice the size of my house! I already mentioned like 150 times that we bought a house and it's fairly small and we're trying to adjust our lifestyles to use our space better. And actually, our house is 1100 square feet, which is not *really* small. Basically, this book is for people who are rich beyond my lived experience and have some novel desire for a smaller house, and a desire to spend as much on it as middle America spends on This is a terrible book. The houses in this book are more than twice the size of my house! I already mentioned like 150 times that we bought a house and it's fairly small and we're trying to adjust our lifestyles to use our space better. And actually, our house is 1100 square feet, which is not *really* small. Basically, this book is for people who are rich beyond my lived experience and have some novel desire for a smaller house, and a desire to spend as much on it as middle America spends on their giant 'burbian houses.Jan 24, 2008
This book should really be titled "The EXPENSIVE Not So Big House".May 25, 2013
When I read a book on not-so-big houses, this is not what I'm expecting:Oct 10, 2008
Occasionally described as the JK Rowling of architecture, Sarah Susanka's books all follow a similar theme-- smaller, exceptionally designed homes with personal details are much more pleasant to live in than impersional McMansions.Aug 02, 2008
I absolutely loved this book. I checked it out from the library and have added it to my amazon wishlist. The Not So Big House concept is not so much about the square footage, but in maximizing the usable space in your home. If you're a family that will always eat your meals in the kitchen, no matter how much you have to extend the table in your nook but are scrambling for office/studio space-why would you waste over 100 precious square feet on a formal dining room?Dec 12, 2013
I think this book has some good ideas but it is also flawed in ways. The architecture feels very '90s, and the author is in love with lots of wood and built-ins. The book was very different than I thought it would be--more expensive ideas than I anticipated and bigger "not so big" houses than my average suburban home is. I've read better books on small houses. The idea here that really doesn't seem that fresh to me is that you love the space you have and use it in the way that best suits your I think this book has some good ideas but it is also flawed in ways. The architecture feels very '90s, and the author is in love with lots of wood and built-ins. The book was very different than I thought it would be--more expensive ideas than I anticipated and bigger "not so big" houses than my average suburban home is. I've read better books on small houses. The idea here that really doesn't seem that fresh to me is that you love the space you have and use it in the way that best suits your needs. My takeaway: I liked the IDEA more than I liked the book. ...moreJul 25, 2009
Don't know when I became interested in the architecture and decoration of homes, but I remember week after week reading the floorplan page in our Sunday paper as a kid. When I got older I discovered architecture and decorating books and I was hooked.Sep 21, 2011
great idea, beautiful book--go for less, and quality--not quantity....Aug 29, 2016
A really good book about quality over quantity and being thoughtful in how you design the spaces in your home. Deserves to be even more widely known.Sep 19, 2012
We're getting ready to turn our summer camp into a year-round house and our designer-architect Deb Randall recommended this book. It represents a rejection of the bigger-is-better attitude in recent residential construction, where McMansions predominate. The book has helped us think about how we will use the space and reminded us that quality is more important than quantity of space. It's given us great ideas that Deb can incorporate into the design and renewed our excitement about the whole We're getting ready to turn our summer camp into a year-round house and our designer-architect Deb Randall recommended this book. It represents a rejection of the bigger-is-better attitude in recent residential construction, where McMansions predominate. The book has helped us think about how we will use the space and reminded us that quality is more important than quantity of space. It's given us great ideas that Deb can incorporate into the design and renewed our excitement about the whole project. ...moreJul 05, 2010
This book was ahead of its time. When written, the McMansion era was at its peak. The book advocates for smaller and more sustainable homes that, at the same time, feel bigger and more comfortable by making full use of the space.Feb 03, 2009
for me, this was just okay.May 15, 2010
I took this book to bed with me last night, my trusty yellow post-it notes at the ready. As the night wore on, my trusty post-its became less reliable, they were tiring and dwindling in number. This book is full of post-its now, they stick out from every open side. And they bear little phrases like "Cut glass bowls featured here could be windows, a la Dan Phillips," or "would my library, kitchen, or fireplace be the heart of my house?" I don't know that I can answer that last one right now, I took this book to bed with me last night, my trusty yellow post-it notes at the ready. As the night wore on, my trusty post-its became less reliable, they were tiring and dwindling in number. This book is full of post-its now, they stick out from every open side. And they bear little phrases like "Cut glass bowls featured here could be windows, a la Dan Phillips," or "would my library, kitchen, or fireplace be the heart of my house?" I don't know that I can answer that last one right now, unless I had a gazillion bucks and an architect who could give me some sort of Rorshach floor plan test. But at least, thanks to this book, I'm starting to ask the right kind of questions. My eyes were tired of endless, flat graph paper diagrams. ...moreJan 27, 2010
Although I found this book useful, I couldn't buy in completely to some of her ideas, especially on double duty spaces. Having been forced for thirty years to do this because the rooms in my house are not appropriately sized for my needs, I will be the first to say that making one space serve two functions is not optimal. Other ideas I liked, especially the open kitchen and living room idea. Having said that, I agree wholeheartedly that simplification is the key, McMansions (what I call monster Although I found this book useful, I couldn't buy in completely to some of her ideas, especially on double duty spaces. Having been forced for thirty years to do this because the rooms in my house are not appropriately sized for my needs, I will be the first to say that making one space serve two functions is not optimal. Other ideas I liked, especially the open kitchen and living room idea. Having said that, I agree wholeheartedly that simplification is the key, McMansions (what I call monster houses) are not necessary, and one should only build what one needs and definitely not to keep up with the Jones or to impress. I wish she had done more with maintenance and cleaning. Houses with two stories to a room - how do they clear out the cobwebs that always form in the corners in those now out-of-reach places? How do they paint? If the owner does not want to hire people to keep their place clean and in good order and doesn't want to invest in scaffolding, is a two-story room even an option? What works best for those of us who want to do our own work on the house? Has any progress been made in building in ways to get to those pipes when they leak or put in new wires for new fixtures without having to tear out walls? Ms. Susanka mentions practicality often, but skipped the practicality of maintaining what you've built almost totally. There were a few mentions at the end of the book. On the other hand, the book brought up something inadvertently through its pictures. I found I liked almost all the interior pictures (some were too cluttered because the rooms were too small) and disliked almost all the exterior pictures. My conclusion is that having an exterior you love may not mean you have an interior you love and vice-versa. I hope it is possible to have both since we hope to build a house in the next few years. It's the first time we have chosen to build rather than buy and frankly, the idea scares me to death. Too many details to think about. ...moreAug 04, 2017
A fascinating read of what to consider in designing a home you can live in along with the costs to expect.Dec 01, 2017
There are some nice spaces in this photo-intensive book, but the author needs a realty check. Perhaps her view is slanted because it is mostly the affluent who think to (and can afford to) hire an architect (which she is). Maybe she honestly believes that 3,000 sq. ft. is "not so big."Apr 29, 2019
This book was written in response to the McMansion craze that continued to overtake the housing market since the 1980's. In a McMansion sized world we focus more on quantity than quality. The author, an architect, shares numerous examples of clients who built a huge house with tons of space but with no personality. They spend on excessive square footage and huge ceilings. These are houses that are designed to be marketed and sold, not to actually be lived in. The Not So Big House is a book that This book was written in response to the McMansion craze that continued to overtake the housing market since the 1980's. In a McMansion sized world we focus more on quantity than quality. The author, an architect, shares numerous examples of clients who built a huge house with tons of space but with no personality. They spend on excessive square footage and huge ceilings. These are houses that are designed to be marketed and sold, not to actually be lived in. The Not So Big House is a book that counters this perspective by promoting houses be built for the individual needs of the resident with higher quality materials and more thoughtful design.Nov 05, 2017
The basic notion of dropping rooms you don't use (e.g. formal living and dining) in favour of rooms you do use (e.g. a larger combined kitchen dining) is appealing. And the idea of eliminating wasted space and building human scale rooms that incorporate storage and lighting where you need it is sound. Positioning windows to take advantage of views, and using high-quality materials to create beautiful and functional space are all ideas I can get behind.May 28, 2018
A little dated, even with the 10th anniversary expansion, but not terribly so. Lots of good ideas for creating a home that is more livable with less wasted space. Not so helpful for people who live in a house that they like, that may not include many of these features (but there are Not So Big remodeling books for that if you have the cash to renovate). I’m hoping to find practical solutions that are a little less built-in, as much as I love the built-in ideas.Dec 12, 2016
Some people’s list of life-changing books focuses on works of great spiritual, emotional, political or literary power. Not sure what it says about my priorities but this book and at least some of its sequels happen to be near the top of mine.Sep 03, 2019
A little bit dated but good food for thought, especially in terms of thinking about storage and the functionality of certain rooms. It's cute that 2000 square feet is defined as "not so big" when to me, since I grew up with four people in a 1400 square foot home before moving into a dorm room and a series of apartments, it seems plenty big. Also, did this book document the dawn of the open-concept kitchen movement? If so then I know who to blame because I really hate that, even though apparently A little bit dated but good food for thought, especially in terms of thinking about storage and the functionality of certain rooms. It's cute that 2000 square feet is defined as "not so big" when to me, since I grew up with four people in a 1400 square foot home before moving into a dorm room and a series of apartments, it seems plenty big. Also, did this book document the dawn of the open-concept kitchen movement? If so then I know who to blame because I really hate that, even though apparently I'm the only one. ...moreFeb 01, 2018
Interesting juxtaposition to the still-persistent craze of building more than is residentially necessity, and also speaking for the necessity of architectural design (rather than just building “box housesâ€). I especially enjoyed the extra chapter in the 10th anniversary edition, and the last part of the book that looks towards the future of home building.Sep 03, 2019
Rereading this reminded me of how much I loved it when I first encountered it in 2003, and why I still love it 15+ years later. The 2008 housing bust hopefully put paid to some of the excesses Susanka was fighting against in her original manifesto, but this document remains vital as a blueprint of how to build or change your house to suit you and not the paid by the square foot builders of the social mores of 100 years ago. The photography is beautiful and the advice is top notch.Jul 23, 2018
Enjoyable, got tedious because sooooo self-righteous.Take your time and choose the perfect book.
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