A House for Michael: The Extraordinary Story of How One Man's Dream for Self-Sufficiency on a Remote Ranch Became a Reality [Paperback]

John S. M. Hamilton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Architect Hamilton's custom home involved fulfilling his dream to have a sustainable ranch despite his recovery from a construction accident. The focus here is not so much on Hamilton's recovery process as it is on his passion to build a special dream house in a barely accessible, remote area. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 171 pages
• Publisher: Project Studio Pr (February 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964171333
• ISBN-13: 978-0964171336
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.4 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,760,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful!, March 16, 2010

By 

L. Vaughn (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A House for Michael: The Extraordinary Story of How One Man's Dream for Self-Sufficiency on a Remote Ranch Became a Reality (Paperback)

My brother became a paraplegic in his mid-40s, and my mother was thinking about how to best restructure their home to make it work for him. I ordered a few books for my parents to peruse, and this is the one my mother mentions repeatedly. I have not read it, but she said it was very helpful in how to think of space and how to increase independence, not just accessibility (for instance, it's not just can he get into the kitchen and reach things, but can he cook and clean up from an entire meal without assistance).

The writer of the book is apparently an architect who became a quadriplegic during midlife and wanted to retain as much independence as possible (including living on a fairly secluded ranch with limited help). The book apparently is not a story of his personal struggle to recover or accept or anything, it is, according to my mom, primarily a "how I designed my home and why" book. And because he is an architect, he can give fairly detailed accounts and reasoning for why he designed what he designed.

My mom wished there were more pictures (I don't know how many there were) to show what his home actually looked like, but she gained a lot of insight from whatever there were and from his detailed discussions.

Made a great gift, and would make a great gift, for anyone who is newly facing the issue of creating not just an accessible home but an independence-centered home.