Tiny Houses [Hardcover]

Mimi Zeiger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2009

With “McMansions” increasingly giving way to “tiny” houses, the desire to downsize and be more ecologically and economically prudent is a concept many are beginning to embrace. Focusing on dwelling spaces all under 1,000 square feet, TINY HOUSES (Rizzoli, April 2009) by Mimi Zeiger aims to challenge readers to take a look at their own homes and consider how much space they actively use.
Ranging from tree houses to floating houses, TINY HOUSES features an international collection of over thirty modular and prefab homes, each one embodying “microgreen living”, defined as the creation of tiny homes where people challenge themselves to live “greener” lives. By using a thoughtful application of green living principles, renewable resources for construction, and clever ingenuity, these homes exemplify sustainable living at its best.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Tiny Houses measures less than 7 inches square but looks like it will be the new big thing in the carbon footprint conversation." ~Architect Magazine

"Downsizing can be a good thing..." ~Metropolitan Home

"The houses on display in this handsome volume, all beautifully and vividly photographed, point to more sustainable, less expensive ways to live." ~Preservation Magazine

"In her adorably scaled-down coffee-table book, Tiny Houses, Mimi Zeiger argues that living small isn't just ecologically sound but aesthetically pleasing." ~Time Out New York

"...an entertaining exploration into the whimsical designs of small dwellings from around the globe." ~Archinect.com

“With large-scale living now passé, journalist Mimi Zeiger examines the new “micro-green” housing trend in this collection of prefab and modular homes.” ~Time

About the Author

Mimi Zeiger is the author of Tiny Houses. She founded loud paper, an architecture zine and now blog, in 1997. A Brooklyn-based freelancer, Zeiger writes on art, architecture, and design for a variety of publications including The New York Times, Dwell, Azure, and Architect, where she is a contributing editor. She holds a Masters of Architecture degree from Southern California Institute (SCI-Arc) and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University and has taught at California College of the Arts and at SCI- Arc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847832031
• ISBN-13: 978-0847832033
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 1 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars tiny houses, tiny book, March 27, 2009

By 

D. Osborne - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tiny Houses (Hardcover)

For some reason I assumed the trim size of this book would be bigger, like a coffee table book. It's so small that most of the photographs in the book are smaller than they would be if they were printed in a magazine. It struck me as ill-conceived, and it's a shame because the content is interesting and many of the tiny houses depicted are very inspirational, from what I can make out from the tiny pictures.

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting material but the floor plan drawings are too small, May 29, 2009

By 

Carol Stee (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tiny Houses (Hardcover)

This book features thirty-three small houses from 75 to 1,147 square feet (7 to 107 square meters) from all over the world, an outdoor storage space for camping, and two portable interiors. The houses range from architect designed to prefabricated to mobile homes to trailers; and they have different levels of comfort, some have both a kitchen and a bath, some have one or the other, and some have neither.

It's interesting to see thirty-three different ways people tackle the challenge of living in a small space, and in that way this book is enjoyable, but trying to make sense of the floor plan drawings is difficult. They are tiny and sometimes indecipherable; often I need a magnifying glass to see clearly and even then I can't tell where the windows, doors, stairs, bath, and kitchen are supposed to be. Sometimes the drawings don't show every floor so it's hard to get an overall picture of the design. Also, few dimensions are given other than the square feet/meters.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great book- ranks right along with a few of my other favorites...., June 2, 2010

By 

Rockguy30 "music reviewer/guitarist" (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tiny Houses (Hardcover)

Great book, even though, size-wise (7 by 7 inches) its a little on the small side, but its LOADED with great/vivid photos!

Ranks right up there with my other short list of Favorites....

-Sheds/Rustic Retreats- David and Jeanie Stiles
-Lloyd Kahn's- "Homework"
-The Handmade House- Shapiro(?)
-Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages- by Derek Diedricksen
-Radical Simplicity by Dan Price
-The Whole Earth Catalog(s)