A Little House of My Own: 47 Grand Designs for 47 Tiny Houses [Hardcover]

Lester Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2000

The charming and innovative architecture of these tiny cottages, studios, fishing huts, homes and more--so small and cute that you can't help but fall for them--will inspire and delight home and architecture lovers and dreamers, too. Each chapter captures the utter eccentricity of these ingeniously designed shelters with irresistible color photographs of the structure and interiors alongside detailed isometric drawings, floor plans, and multiple elevations. A Little House of My Own offers humble dreams of solitude, romance, oasis for meditation and whimsy--all under 325 square feet--as well as technical details of the structure from the building materials and woodworking techniques to estimated cost of construction. In the accompanying text, award-winning architect Lester Walker relates the story of each building, the community or setting where it is located, and the personalities that shaped it. Notably quaint homes from history, including Jefferson's Honeymoon Cottage, Henry Thoreau's Cabin, and George Bernard Shaw's Writing Hut, and features on wacky specialty houses are sure to inspire and delight.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

It seems to me that one of the great thrills in life is to inhabit a building that one has built oneself. -LESTER WALKER, from the Introduction

A little house of my own is an invitation to dream, and, perhaps, to build any one of 47 charming, tiny houses. Both playful tribute and handy how-to, it's a wonderfully illustrated collection that offers an insider's look at this unique art-form through color photographs, scale drawings and careful discussion. Whether you're a student of philosophy aspiring to build a replica of Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond, and ice fisherman in need of four walls to fend off the winter winds, or just a dreamer with visions of a humble cottage on a quiet seashore, a little house of my own is a precious resource for ideas, instruction and inspiration.

The little house has long been a symbol of ingenuity and economy in America, where some of the first houses were tiny ones. This charming volume features historic homes dating back to the first settlers, along

With the abodes of famous figures like Thomas Jefferson's honeymoon cottage, shanties built for refugees from the San Francisco Earthquake, and more recent constructions with solar power and all the modern (though miniscule) amenities. There are simple cabins for wilderness living; tiny homes to be pushed, pulled or floated; and cozy shelters to inspire your poetic muse. Each of the forty-seven examples comes complete with a three-dimensional design schematic that includes floor plans, furniture layouts, construction sequences and measurement specifications-each instructional is an inexpensive solution is an inexpensive solution to building a small dwelling in just a few weeks (or, in some cases, a few hours). And best of all, these diminutive dwellings are so small (none more than 325-square feet), just about anyone can pick up a hammer and start their home-or home-away-from home-right away.

The houses rang in location from the Catskills to Caribbean, and photographs and illustrations are included along with a discussion of how geography, religion, race, politics and climate have contributed to the design of these sometimes utilitarian, often eccentric homes. A little house of my own transports you to seventeenth-century-New England and back again to explore the origins of these homes, their builders and their occupants as award-winning architect Lester Walker digs deep to provide fascinating and whimsical bits that will enhance your appreciation of each home.

With a thorough bibliography of other resources and material suppliers, and an appendix discussing the nuts and bolts of making each home functional, a little house of my own is the ideal reference for architects and art enthusiasts, for would-be builders and can-do craftsmen, or for anyone who has ever been inspired by the dream of building their own home.

From the Back Cover

SIMPLE SHELTERS, COZY COTTAGS, HUMBLE HIDEAWAYS

Wonderfully illustrated with hundreds of photographs and scale drawings, a little house of my own is an exploration of a unique and eccentric fascination: the tiny home. Featuring Henry David Thoreau's Cabin at Walden, the Fredericksburg Sunday House, George Bernard Shaw's rotating Writing Hut, the Cape Cod Dune Shack and many more, it's a charming collection for anyone who's ever wanted to get away from it all-and still have it all under one roof.

"Part history, part fantasy, part builder's guide, this engaging book reflects our continuing fascination with smallness and miniaturization." -WITOLD RYBCZYNSKI, author of Home

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; Reprint edition (October 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579121519
• ISBN-13: 978-1579121518
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Home Design > House Plans
  • #66 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Small Homes & Cottages

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a delightful little book, May 9, 2005

By 

C. Bell (Yellowstone National Park, WY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Little House of My Own: 47 Grand Designs for 47 Tiny Houses (Hardcover)

I came across this book after reading Michael Pollan's excellent _A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder_, in which it is mentioned that the Lester Walker book _Tiny Tiny Houses_ had helped inspire Pollan to build his own little writing cabin. This book, _A Little House of My Own_, is effectively an update and expansion of _Tiny Tiny Houses_. (At the time of this writing, Amazon has paired the two Lester Walker books for its "buy this book with ..." feature; don't be fooled into buying both books!)

I quite enjoyed _A Little House of My Own_, and am a bit surprised at the number of reviewers here who were disappointed by it. My best guess is that they were expecting something other than what they got, and they didn't see beyond that to what the book does have to offer: it is a fascinating study of simplicity in architectural design, and presents a refreshing counterpoint to the current trend of constructing soulless McMansions. The book's history of very small houses and workspaces, illustrated by forty-seven different examples, is a welcome reminder that people can live well in much less space than so many of us are now accustomed to.

While this book contains drawings and floorplans to accompany its photographs, the material given is not enough on its own to use as a guide for construction. Walker states in his introduction that the beginning builder who wants to try putting up a small cabin like one of the ones presented should "read one or two of the basic housebuilding books listed in the Bibliography and then become very friendly with a local housebuilder." The intention is not to provide templates for construction, but to help get people thinking about the space they occupy, how to use it best, and ideally to inspire them to design and build a place to call their own.

As a city dweller renting my apartment, I'm not going to be doing any construction work anytime soon. But I would like to, one day, and if I do, I will definitely want to have this book on hand as a reference. The combination of history and technical information presented here is unusual and eye-opening.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoreau's vision, December 13, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Little House of My Own: 47 Grand Designs for 47 Tiny Houses (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book - all the detail anyone could want about a very simple house-let, good for a garden or an ice floe or a forest or just a delightful daydream. (Be aware that this author has several books out, but they all contain the same houses and pictures and comments; order one and you've ordered them all.)

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Book to Enjoy; Houses to Think About, November 5, 2001

By 

James Ellsworth (Caldwell, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Little House of My Own: 47 Grand Designs for 47 Tiny Houses (Hardcover)

What was the average home like in Plymouth Colony? What is meant by "living in a bandbox" (Philadelphia town houses in the Federal period)? Do you want to look inside several "gingerbread" cottages at those Methodist Church summer colonies? Can "America's first architect", Thomas Jefferson, bring the same style and elegance to a very small structure that he brought to Monticello? Where can you turn to for a modern timberframe cabin (or two) that combines style with a pre-cut kit? In "A Little House of My Own", Lester Walker gives the answers--in prose descriptions that hit the high points by explaining useful features; in lovely color pictures of exteriors and interiors; in three-dimensional scale drawings that show rooms as they were furnished for use.

The author's selections of experimental small houses take us "inside" the architect's profession to show readers how one uses cutting edge materials or meets special housing needs. Unfortunately, these projects usually only exist as cut-out models and they are not as compelling as the built forms that have stood the test of time in so many of our communities. My conclusion: this is a book I have read and reread with great interest...and I bet you will, too.