Customer Reviews

Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home (Susanka)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

(4.5 Stars) I can see from the other reviews that there exist a wide range of opinions about this book. I fall on the high side, I suppose. I enjoyed the large number of photos and ideas for landscaping small areas - spots even - in the yard around a smaller home.

One, rather unreal aspect was that, most of the homes pictured are modern homes with interesting custom architecture. Some of us live in simple ranch-styles (boxes).

Julie's training and interest in architecture does come through, but I did not find it distracting. In fact, I found the emphasis on the relationship between the interior design of the home and landscape as seen from inside very useful. Most landscaping books present only the view TOWARD the house, not FROM it.

I got several good ideas from this book and learned a bit about design.

The collaboration of gardening expert and award-winning writer Julie Moir Messervy and residential architecture expert Sarah Susanka, Outside The Not So Big House: Creating The Landscape Of Home is an in-depth guide to creating harmony in one's house and garden. Detailed diagrams and full-color photography illustrate this highly accessible introduction to design concepts; chapters cover how to play off the habitat of the home, how to instill elements of smooth flow and pleasing aesthetics, working elements of nature into personal design, and much more. Outside The Not So Big House is not written as a handyman's how-to book, and does not delve extensively into the mechanics of how to construct and install garden furnishings, or how to plant, grow, water, and protect vegetation; it focuses on learning and applying elements of style to home and garden landscapes, with a wealth of examples for vivid illustration. An excellent inspirational source for gardeners and landscapers seeking to broaden their grasp of appealing designs, Outside The Not So Big House is very strongly recommended reading.

I find the title of this book incredibly misleading. For her, "not so big" means "integrated with nature" as opposed to, well, "not so big"! Almost all of the houses in here are enormous (without counting I'd say maybe 38 of the 40 she talks about), so it's not very helpful for someone like me with a smaller house. Granted, she says her "starter home" was a large Victorian in Boston with a wrap-around porch and stained glass windows, so her perspective is bound to be different from the average American's! But unfortunately I had a hard time applying her concepts to my smaller home (on a 1/4 acre lot), and found myself heartily annoyed because the title had promised something that perhaps might be more useful to someone like me.

I think the previous reviewer missed the point of this book. The authors are not trying to show "how to place landscaping for the greatest impact" but how to connect the house to its surrounding landscape, and how to use the concepts outlined in the other Not So Big books to shape the garden and landscape. The examples used ARE beautiful, as they should be - they inspire me to do something equally beautiful and extraordinary with my own space, with or without spending a large chunk of cash.

If you understand that it's not about the content, but the underlying principles that are being used to shape the space, you can appreciate the beauty, form, and creativity of the spaces shown.

I agree with many of the poor reviews by fellow "Not So Big House" thinkers. I was very, very disappointed by the lack of practical information and very few useful principles for "creating the landscape of home".
While I agree with and have used so many of the principles in her other books, this one left me with nothing I can use to landscape my property.
While some of the examples are quite interesting, most are also quite unusual and there is not much to take away for those of us with average-sized, rectangular-shaped lots living in subdivisions filled with tract homes.

Having stumbled upon this book at the library and being familiar with the "Not So Big" approach I thought this book would be interesting. Not so. Lots of beautiful images at extraordinary locations but a surprising lack of concrete principles which one could apply to their own landscape. OK, I get "places and paths" and a few other concepts sprinkled throughout the book ("frames"comes to mind). But "defusing the energy of the corner" and many other abstract explanations for design decisions leaves the reader to guess as to what the designer was thinking.

And the self-congratulatory remarks between authors are over the top...

The Not-So-Big franchise has run out of gas. I thought the first three books were helpful. This is no better than your average article on landscaping from a home magazine. It is a collection of projects that were done for not-so-poor clients. I would recommend that you purchase the book "Pattern Language" (Alexander, editor) where most of her good ideas came from in the first place.

This book was really quite disappointing. The idea presented is quite simple (how to place landscaping for the greatest impact), but the illustrations and landscapes presented are very unusual. Do you live in a desert? They have a desert landscape in there, just in case you do. Mountain views? Probably not! Mountain stream running through? Most of the yards in this book are extraordinary before someone even begins to put in bushes and flowers. This is not a book for the average person with an average-to-smallish yard and a budget.

Rip off. "Outside the Not So Big House" is just a copy of the second half of the "Inside and Outside the Not So Big House". I'm not just talking about a picture here or there. I'm talking about exact content, page by page (Pages 192 - 371 of "Inside and Outside..." is what comprises "Outside the Not...". If you are going to put out a new book, MAKE NEW IDEAS! The product description should have been clear that this book is just the "Outside" portion of the "Inside and Outside the Not So Big House" (interestingly both are copyright 2006). The product description calls this book "groundbreaking". News flash, this ground was already broken. Wanna make some money on a book? Write a NEW one! With NEW content! Or at least, be very clear in your product description that this is the same material that can be found in another book.

I am a huge Taunton fan. I have a large collection of Taunton books and subscribe to many of their fine magazines. I am very disappointed that this publication be marketed as a new book when it really is a reprint or subset of material from another book. Shame on you, Taunton!

It is a beautiful book that is well written and illustrated. So I'll give it 3 stars. But I don't believe it belongs in the Not So Big series. It feels like false advertising or misrepresentation. I appreciate the concept of connecting the outside and inside, but I expected to see ideas for small gardens/yards in small lots, not small planting areas within large lots and acreage attached to large houses.