Customer Reviews

Mini House

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Indeed, this is no lifestyle book, but an architectural piece, one that gives some real inspiration and wonderful examples of living large in small spaces.
Inconsistently though, some houses are only shown in exterior photos and one longs to see what's inside, such as the gorgeously crafted NSW Tree House. A number of the house interiors are empty or nearly so, and any house looks spacious when it's completely unfurnished! The fortress-like Ithaca House in New York State gets 8 pages of coverage: the somber exterior is shot from every conceivable angle, but only the only interior room shown is the kitchen. The starkly simple but deceptively ingenious House In Zachary stars on the cover and gets 10 pages inside. 12 photos are devoted to its exterior, but only two to the interior, and those are more or less just vignettes.
Bottom line, people need to LIVE in these small houses and we need to see what the interiors look like. A small house is only successful if the interior works as a home. This book left me impressed but feeling very unsatisfied. Larger, better-labeled floor plans would have been welcome as well.

If I could have looked inside this book before I ordered it, I probably wouldn't have bought it. While many of the houses are interesting, the style of most of them is 'European modern' or even experimental (that's not meant as a criticism in itself). In the author's introduction the sub-heading is "...producing small architectural objects..." -- that's a good description, the houses are more architectural objects than anything else. So, if you're interested in modern trends in residential architecture, this is a great book; if you interested in modest, economical homes of a more traditional nature, this definitely isn't the book for you.

I bought this book to help give me some better ideas on how to build a small as house as possible, while still keeping it livable. This book does show some good examples for small houses. It also adds in houses that are up to 1,291 sq/ft, which for most people is not a mini house, in fact it would be classed as a normal size house. As I said it did give a few examples that I could imagine living in, but lots of the homes pictured, look cold and lifeless.

Also, there are not enough photos of each house to give you an idea what it would feel like to be in. And lots of the photos show the interiors as completely barren looking, as if no one actually lived in them!

Get it from your library first before you decide to buy. I won't be adding this book to my listmania list.

Here is a showcase of more than 24 small living spaces designed by famous internationally-known architects. The structures featured range from 344 to 1300 square feet. Like the construction of a ship, these houses demonstrate countless solutions for maximum use in a minimum of space: folding tables, hanging beds, efficient storage areas, ingenious bathrooms. Filled with nearly 500 color photos and 60 detailed plans, this book is an essential tool for homeowners looking for solutions for use of very limited space.

A great book that flys in the face of the American "bigger-is-better" model. This is a fascinating book on the creative use of small space - where often less is more. For those of us who yearn for more intimate and affordable spaces this will give you lots of good ideas and inspiration for using any small plot of land or city building lot. I read this book after reading "Prefab" - both books go together well.

when decided to look for my first residence i had in mind something small, modern and affordable. this book gave me the ideas and inspiration to get what i needed. excelent photography, understandable drawing plans.

I'm very interested in space-efficient housing, but this book just doesn't interest me. It seems to be mostly high end houses, often in beautiful remote settings, perhaps they are vacation houses; not relevant for most of us. The floor plans are difficult to read and just don't convey much information. I was very disappointed.

Oh, and the houses are not particularly "mini." Perhaps by today's standards they are small-ish, but that is only because the average new American house is obese.

Not at all what i was expecting. Mini means smaller then small and not what i would consider regular sized homes on the smallish side. Some good ideas but not worth the money. Too superficial to be anything but an idea book. I wouldn't buy it.

I wouldn't describe this book as the "IT" book regarding Mini House. However, presentation-wise, it is a tad superior than the one offered by Azby Brown. Anyhow, whilst Azby Brown's book concentrated solely in Japan, this Mini House book concentrates mainly in Europe. Whereas Azby Brown's book is leaning more towards the techno-edge offerings, Mini House has a propensity for magnificent natural setting with emphasis on natural materials to complement or to blend in with the environment. Talking about reading two books on the same subject and yet, seeing from very different perspective. At times, it's difficult for author to locate ALL fabulous mini houses and truth to be told, he's got quite a balanced selections here in this instance. Afterall, there are many other great mini houses that are under radar screen where owners opt to maintain their privacy and confidentiality of their house plans. Still, this book does bring forward one point, that is if we put our heart and mind into it, we can erect house that is devoid of wasted space and a house that is enjoyable to live in. One of the reviewers said it appropriately that those house might be more suitable for the non-attached individuals who don't have much wordly belongings or that they don't have many family members or that they are strictly used for holidaying or contemplation purposes. Once again, an idealistic and novel notion of building and living in a mini houses indefinitely but still, a notion that pushes the architectural language forward. Commendable reading.

I am in the planning phase of my new home building project. This book has served as an excellent tool for me during the phase of my project. I loved the sheer creativity of the architects and amazing photography. I highly recommend this book for folks who are looking for small home design options.