Customer Reviews

Tiny Houses

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

 

 

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.

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.

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)

If you're a fan of tiny houses, but grow weary of seeing the same old, boring-ass, cookie-cutter designs dreamed up by tasteless hippies... this is the book for you. It's brilliant. It shows the perfect matchings between form and functionality. It basically shows you via well taken photographs that a person can have a tiny, eco-friendly, functional home; yet still retain an element of personal style and chic form. In just about any sort of atmosphere, at that; whether it be urban/city, country or what have you. A definitely reccomended read/flip through.

the booklet is a nice entree into the small dwelling environment but offers little in detail.

I thought the book was very cool with lots of lovely photos. If you have an interest in small houses you will probably like this.

This small book is for someone who is interested in how persons in Japan and Belgium, etc., live. It is not practical for someone who wants to live in a Tiny House in the Midwest. It is for persons who hire famous architects, also.

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.

After living in the cramped world of Capitol Hill here in Washington, DC I look forward to reading Mimi's fresh ideas on small living spaces.