The not so big house, love the concept, the book, meh.

8 years ago

So at the suggestion of many here I ordered the book "the not so big house". Took me about a day to read cover to cover. My mother-in-law, an interior designer, has this book and I borrowed it from her a few years back. At the time I wasn't going to build, I just liked design books. While I like many of the concepts verbalized I don't really find the book terribly enjoyable. I'm sure a big part of my issue is that there is a preponderance of Arts and Craft and Prairie style homes, and tons of references to Frank Lloyd Wright. Styles that depress me and an architect whom I don't revere. I've toured a couple of his homes and was not impressed. I liked the artistry of the homes but thought they were not something I'd ever want to live in. Then our book club read the book "Loving Frank", further deteriorating my opinion.

My husband has now started reading it and is better at compartmentalizing the text from the pics and will probably get more out of it than I.

I also got the book, "Creating the not so big house". This looks like it may be more up my alley style wise so will start on that tonight.

I realize the author hails from the part of the country where that style is suited to the locale I just wish there was a bit more variety.

Additionally I got a few other books recommended by GWers so am looking forward to getting those soon.

Featured Answer

PRO

Virgil Carter Fine Art

8 years ago

There are a lot of good books about residential architecture available, with both useful ideas and good photo illustrations. The challenge, of course, is that we are all different and each of us has our own individual preferences, likes and dislikes when it comes to residential architecture. Which is the way it should be. I, too, am not a strong fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, but a number of his principles for designing residences deserve serious consideration, especially these days when it is so expensive and challenging to think about an architect custom designed home.

For example, Mr. Wright tended to believe in maximizing the possible space in the areas of communal use by the entire family--living room, et al--and minimizing the spaces in rooms used only briefly by individuals--bedrooms, kitchens, et al. These days, if the master bedroom suite isn't as large (or larger) than the living/family room the plan will not attract many interested folks. Same goes for the kitchen: an aircraft carrier-sized island and banks of custom, floor to floor cabinets is the dream to die for.

Mr. Wright also believed in spatial contrast and drama to make interiors dramatic and inspiring. For example, entries might be narrow, rather dark and have a low ceiling leading to the living area which would suddenly explode with a very high ceiling and a large expanse of windows. He often would further the dramatic sense by causing a change in direction to further emphasize the spatial contrast: upon entering a home, one might have to transit through the entry space and then turn 90-degrees or 180-degrees before entering the major space! Contrast that experience with the all-too-common plan in so many builder's houses where one enters the home in a bowling alley like procession with a study on the right, dining on the left and at the end one sees the living/family area! No spatial progression, no change in experience, no anything! There is plan after plan like this posted here on Houzz.

I could go on, but the point hopefully is obvious: there are many different approaches possible for the design of a custom home, and the goal should be to find those approaches which not only keep out the rain and support one's way of living, but also provide inspiration and delight for a lifetime!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

DLM2000-GW
8 years ago
I understand your frustration with the visualization of descriptions in the book - felt the same way and have the much same feelings about FLW. There are quite a few of his designs in the Chicago area and I've been able to tour in a few communities - left me feeling like I needed to crouch down and hunch over - and I'm only 5'2"

I hope one of the books you have on order is Patterns of Home.
Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author
8 years ago
I don't think I have that book on order so will add it to my cart!
Related Discussions
Books that are suppose to have a big influence
Q
Comments (12)
The main thing I remember about "Catcher in the Rye" is that I didn't like it. Not the first time, not the second time, and most especially not the third time which is when I re-read it to see if age [mine] had improved it. It was dreary and induced depression as well as being depressing. I objected to it when it was included in DD's list of must-reads in her junior year -- the preceding year several local teens committed suicide. 9 of the 12 books on that list were of or about or simply were depressing, and I was appalled at the lack of emphatic comprehension shown by the instructor/s who chose the list. We can be deeply influenced by what we read, and adolescents more so. Interestingly, Grapes of Wrath was also on that list, and I don't consider it a depressing book. Graphic, yes; memorable, yes; but one's spirit isn't dragging earthworms after reading it. Like Suzi, I began reading young, and was fluent long before school-age. No one censored my reading, although one principal did require a written book report for most of the books I borrowed from the school library. He dropped that requirement after I turned in a report on the "Moonstone." Apparently he hadn't realized that it was among the shelved books.
...See More
ISO Advice on Reforestation Projects - Big and not so big
Q
Comments (62)
This is really a great thread! I just wanted to chime in a bit. I just finished planting 140 trees on about 1 acre, and it went pretty well. I planted: 25 Common Lilac 15 Manchurian Crab 25 White Pine 32 White Spruce 10 Bur Oak 5 Paper Birch 5 Silver Maple 5 Black Cherry 5 Red Oak 5 Rugosa Rose 2 Red Maple 5 Red Pine 4 Hybrid Poplar In addition, this summer, I planted 4 larger trees... a bur oak, an Autumn Blaze Maple, a Siouxland Cottonwood, and a Red Splendor Crab It will be interesting to see how fast everything grows. The clone of Hybrid Poplar I planted can grow anywhere from 5-10 feet per year.. while the bur oak will grow at a glacial 6-18" per year over its entire life. In 1996, about 60 red pines, 10 white pines, and 10 black hills and blue spruce were planted on our land. In 2007, the tallest Red Pine is about 15 feet tall, the tallest White pine is about 12 feet tall, and the tallest spruce is 7 feet tall. Of course, these were all started from seedlings with no weed control for the first 3 years, and only mowing after that (when we moved in). We no longer mow the eastern portion of the property, where red pines are growing. There are a few clearings among the trees, and some shrubs are starting to become established. Among them are Rugosa Rose, low bush blueberry, chokecherry, and American Hazelnut. To date, not one hardwood tree has seeded. Under our deck, however, about 6 Boxelder seeds germinated, and one vigorous and desperate sapling is about 4 feet tall in its second year. I will transplant it to the edge of our property when the leaves drop... Otherwise, the land we own on a lake is already forested... and it's more of a question of management than anything. I desperately want to clear some of the underbrush (it's nearly impossible to walk through the woods here... so thick with underbrush). Between the Beaked Hazel, tree saplings, fallen logs, grass clumps, and various other shrubs, if yo'ure not tripping and trying to regain balance, you have several small branches trying to enter your head through your eye sockets. You basically have to close your eyes and bore your way through the woods with your hands in front of you, shielding your face.
...See More
Small House Books
Q
Comments (9)
Scott says: "BTW Moccassin, I do hope your screen name refers to footware and not water snakes. " I'm glad you asked, Scott. Actually it refers to both. I was gone for months at a time working, and my house sat alone. I was concerned about vandalism or whatever, since it was on a small bayou in the city. It is not right to tempt folks, I felt. So I picked a name which symbolized my moccasins rested here. But also, it implied that the very ill tempered and dangerous water moccasins came around in the tall grass down by the water. I painted the name MOCCASINLANDING on an old paddle, and hung it over my carport. It had a snake slithering in the grass. Also, down at my tiny little dock, I hung a board up with lettering as suggested by a man I met down in Texas: MOCCASIN LANDING--PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE SNAKES. To further this mental image of snakes, while I was working in Louisiana, I picked up a 6 foot long dead snake (road kill) which I mounted on a board and covered with a fiberglas resin. It lasted for years swinging from the tree closest to the water. If a person thought it was killed in my yard, that was an impression I never bothered to correct. I never had any problems in the 18 years I lived there with invasion of my space. Except we did cut up a couple of snakes in the grass catcher of the lawn mower. I was really surprised when the body parts fell out. Spooky, yes? Where I am now, we have a nicer kind of snake--the King snake and the rat snake. The king eats the bad snakes, among other things. And I'm sure the rat snake earns his keep too.
...See More
Critique this 'not so big' house
Q
Comments (33)
"A vacation house..."; ..."A common architect's thing..."; yada, yada! Look folks, you want economy and efficency? Ok, good for you! Nothing wrong with that at all. On the other hand, you want something that excites your spirit; that you look forward to coming home to every evening, or whenever? Something which stirs your spirit and inspires you? Vacation houses? Vacation houses are the ones which you love to spend time in because they are so invigorating and different from your four-corners, super efficient, kitchen-forum-approved, dull houses! This plan isn't perfect. But it has inspiration and excitement and not-your-ordinary-efficient-and-predictable tract house dullness to it. Will it fit everyone's life for 50 years? Maybe not. But, let's be frank: it's a lot more exciting and appealing than a great majority of tract homes. Really. If it fits...go for it! If it doesn't fit...well too bad. But don't accept mediocrity if you don't have to.
...See More
bpath
8 years ago
There is a small neighborhood of Susanka homes near me (also near Chicago) and I was able to tour a model, it really does seem to live big. Without needing to crouch down lol--well, except in a little "crow's nest", my friend and I agreed it was charming, okay to be in, but impossible to climb in and out of with the ladder.
mrspete
8 years ago
I have the whole series of Not So Big books, and I agree with your assessment. My rather random thoughts:

- The concepts -- don't over-build, make things do double-duty, analyze your needs rather than build what everyone else is building -- are not anything earth-shattering, but she elaborates on them well. I like the examples she gives; for example, a reading nook near a dining room ... and by moving the chairs out of the way, the dining room table can expand into the nook, allowing space for a larger table ... only when you need it. And she explains how ceilings can be used to differentiate rooms -- love it. However, these concepts become repetitive over the course of the series; that is, the books really aren't different from one another.

- Essentially all her houses are larger than I want to build, and few of them have a "master down" design ... so I can't buy one of her plans. Even if I could, they're very, very expensive! I think the answer is to read the books and use the ideas in your own design.

- As you said, she leans towards Craft and Prairie styles, which are not favorites of mine, probably because they're just not "done" in this area.

- The example houses have some items that're absolutely brilliant; for example, I 'm thinking of one that includes a pass-through between the kitchen and the living room -- nothing big, but it seems like such a wonderful little detail. And another that has a pass-through between the mudroom and the pantry -- what a functional choice. And her concept of "pods" to divide rooms is wonderful.

- She is absolutely brilliant in her use of sight lines, something that's a hallmark of good design.
arialvetica
8 years ago
At the time I first discovered her books, I lived not-so-far from her first not-so-big house (the renovated Saint Paul home with the charming little attic space).

I also am not a fan or Prairie style, FLW's work, or his life story. A friend of mine lived in a FLW home for awhile and we popped in often for playdates. As a guest, I never quite loved the feel, and they ultimately decided to rent it out and live in a home more suited to their lifestyle (a young family).
cpartist
8 years ago
While I like many of the concepts verbalized I don't really find the book terribly enjoyable. I'm sure a big part of my issue is that there is a preponderance of Arts and Craft and Prairie style homes, and tons of references to Frank Lloyd Wright. Styles that depress me and an architect whom I don't revere.

If you take the concepts and try and look past the style she favors. Now saying that I know it's hard to do. For me, I'm a huge fan of prairie and craftsman. They're my two favorite styles.

While FLW's work looks wonderful (if you like that style), they really are not livable in a lot of ways. For example, the ceilings are normally too low. And yes, Sarah uses ceiling heights I think are too low also. She favors 8' ceilings and having lived in older homes for most of my life, I find I dislike ceilings lower than 9'.

I think mrspete verbalized the positives to Sarah's books. Other than The Not So Big House, the one of Sarah's I like the most is Home by Design

Patterns of Home is an excellent book also!
Kathy Beebe
8 years ago
Try these books:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/get-your-house-right-marianne-cusato/1100078727

https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Pattern_Language.html?id=hwAHmktpk5IC

A Pattern Language is a really cool book that taught me what gives a house character.
Amy79
8 years ago
I'm a fan of Susanka mostly for her quality over quantity and making space work harder mentality. I have no need for a formal dining room AND a breakfast nook. My in-laws have that and the formal dining room gets used twice a year for Thanksgiving and Christmas- they've been in the house 14 years and spent over $11K on the dining set alone (say nothing of the chandelier and the wood inlays), so that's coming out to almost $400 per use. Too rich for my blood.

I think you have to look at the concepts (which I think are sound) and they can be applied to almost any style of architecture.

I will second the Patterns of Home (which is a smaller version of the Pattern Language book- I think that one is the original and has something like over 100 patterns) book. We borrowed it from the library (twice, actually) and took notes and made scribbles and copied some of the patterns so we could reference later.

The not so big house, love the concept, the book, meh.

Virgil Carter Fine Art

Comments (9)

DLM2000-GW

Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author

Related Discussions

bpath

mrspete

arialvetica

cpartist

Kathy Beebe

Amy79

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

The not so big house, love the concept, the book, meh.

Comments (9)

Annette Holbrook(z7a)Original Author

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Annette Holbrook(z7a)
Original Author