Customer Reviews

Tiny Home to Call Your Own: Living Well in Just Right Houses

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I got this book thinking it would help me design a small dwelling, but was disappointed. It doesn't contain house plans to compare or copy or detailed descriptions of handling essential systems (heating, plumbing, etc.). Instead it's more about psyching the reader up-- encouraging the reader that it is possible to live in a smaller home, how it could be good for them and the world, how there are issues they might need to deal with (e.g. getting rid of stuff).

That's fine I suppose, but the product seems a bit odd, since anyone who picks this book up to read it probably already believes its arguments on some level. And even those arguments are more anecdotal than systematic. This isn't research as much as it is a recounting of the authors' experiences with a certain kind of semi-suburban, semi-rural client, which again is fine, but it lacks scope and perspective.

I imagine that many readers are like myself, and are looking for more practical info about design and systems. For those things I would look to books like Lester Walker's A LITTLE HOUSE OF MY OWN: 47 GRAND DESIGNS FOR 47 TINY HOUSES and (for interiors) Cristina Paredes' SMALL SPACES: GOOD IDEAS. Both those books cover spaces of less than 500 square feet (unlike many books that are supposedly about "small" spaces and start at 1000 sq ft or larger). The Walker book has some great examples of small dwellings in American history. The Paredes book is a more urban, interior-designy book, but it mostly sticks to a level of artistry that is conceivable for many readers.

This book contains practical info about choosing a smaller house. You won't be able to build a house from this book, but it will help you figure out what you want and how to get it. The houses described are small, but not so extreme as to be unlivable. These houses occupy the "just right" niche that makes them affordable and environmentally sound, but still be livable.

BTW- I live alone in a 700sf house. I could be comfortable in half that space if my house were better designed.

I rarely feel as cheated as I do from purchasing this book. 90% of the book is devoted to convincing the reader to build and live in a tiny home - extoling the virtues of a smaller home. I purchased the book. I don't need convincing. 5% of the book is the writers bragging about and marketing their business. The remainder of the book is common sense advice that is repeated many times. I am going to follow the writer's advice and down size this book (into the trash can).

The pictures are black & white and very poor quality - quite fuzzy.

It would have been nice for the author to have provided color pictures, floor plans, construction methods specific to small houses, and most importantly - advice on how to layout a small house. The author has the experience to provide this information but left it out of the book.

The bottom line: Save your money. If you live and breathe, you have more common sense than that provided in this book.

This book provided some very useful information on creating an affordable home for my retirement years. The scale-down version of a home of your own is not only practical but efficient and can be utilized in low income or retirement settings. I would suggest this to anyone looking for an alternative to owning their own home and keeping it affordable and enjoyable.

Really, really disappointing.

Most of the book is given over to convincing the reader that a tiny home is what they want. Why would I have purchased the book if I needed convincing? That was irritating enough, without the authors repeatedly plugging their own business and patting themselves on the back. The pictures are awful. I self-published a book and it looked better than this. No one is going to find much here that isn't common sense already. To add insult to injury, it's boring.

Do yourself a favor and buy one of the books about building cabins like the Stiles book, or Drinkard's "Retreats." While most are certainly not a blueprint, at least they are nice to look at and include useful information.

If you're on a budget and looking for just one book to cover a wide range of issues/concerns/considerations when planning your smaller footprint living quarters, this is the book to buy.