The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live

For a while there, people wanted large houses—big kitchens, big vaults, big bedrooms. But now, with a greater social awareness and rapid population comes the thought that there might be a limit to how much living space a person actually needs. Sarah Susanka’s The Not So Big House takes a look at how living spaces can be modified or built to accommodate a whole range of needs without becoming sprawling ranch houses.

When square footage is limited, details are important. The setup and flow of each room must maximize their utility. Susanka’s tour of dozens of houses and floorplans shows the reader how to conceptualize their space and build accordingly. What is most stunning about this is the hundreds of photos throughout. Floorplans show more are nice, but actually seeing a space is necessary when talking about it. There are few famous houses here, including Wright’s Goetsch-Winkler House and a few by Le Corbusier.

All in all, this is a handy guide for building a new house or remodeling an existing space that discourages lavishness. Instead, Susanka asks the reader to really think about how they live and what rooms mean the most to them. After that, it’s the details that make a house a home. I got a great deal of ideas from this book, and I suspect other readers may as well. An engaging and vibrant book. show less

This book belongs on the "to read" list of anyone buying or building a home. I had avoided reading the book because of Susanka's popularity, but the book contains quality content. When the book was first published in 1998 Susanka was on the forefront of the movement away from McMansions and large houses (a movement that, in my opinion, is only just now really hitting the mainstream). Although Susanka and her "Not So Big" mantra have become something of a brand now, when this book was published, she did not know whether or not anyone would care about her message.

After discussing trends in home sizes, Susanka gets down to the business of describing how to make a smaller house livable. Many books make it sound like living in a smaller show more space is an ordeal that must be dealt with; Susanka gives you reason to prefer smaller spaces over larger ones.

If you only remember one of Susanka's tips, remember to think about your home as a set of functional spaces rather than as a series of rooms. This small change in viewpoint changes the way you see a home. If you want to remember a bit more, the book explores several principles for creating a comfortable, livable, homey not so big house. These include: sheltered spaces around activity, multi-purpose rooms, ceiling height variation, interior views, diagonal views, and give each person a place of their own.

(Note: As of 18 Mar 2017, Dan is borrowing this) show less

A good introduction to thinking about architectural home design and becoming a knowledgable consumer through the questions to ask oneself. A disappointment because I was hoping for more "nuts and bolts" on the effective use of space in a small house.

Interesting concept about the space we live in. Quality above quantity. A house that fits the way one lives and reflects what one appreciates. Much of it harkened to the arts and crafts style and Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie and Usonian houses.

A delightful book of interior design ideas, pictures, inspiration. You ask yourself, is your house meeting the needs of your present style of living ? What extra spaces do we have that we do not use ? There are so many delightful photographs and new ideas. There is a fireplace with enormous rocks,a window seat,one of my favorites, bookcases just below the ceiling, a nice roomy computer area.

Planning ideas, such as a "wish list" aside a "reality list".

This is a really helpful book (mostly for those just moving in to a first home and also designing their own home). I used to think i wanted to live in a grand mansion but now i know differently.
This book has many helpful ideas for those of us living in smaller houses and smaller rooms.

Many houses are too big these days. Susanka helps us see that.