Not So Big Solutions for Your (Susanka) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "When most people contemplate building a new home, they assume that the first order of business is to choose or design a plan to build..." (more)
Key Phrases: drawing facing page, upper cabinets, screen porch (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Do more with less space" is the key concept of this down-to-earth design guide for both new home builders and remodelers. Not So Big Solutions for Your Home provides simplified design principles in jargon-free language for the nonprofessional contemplating a residential building project. Architect and author Sarah Susanka, well-known for 1998's The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live, offers advice on how to redefine space to create happier living areas that function more efficiently. For example, analyzing the family's television habits and planning set placement in advance may avert future squabbles and smooth out daily living. Thinking of each exterior door as the location of a sequence of common events (such as hauling in the groceries or taking off muddy boots) will help the planner create a neater entryway adapted to the family's specific needs. Throughout, plentiful drawings and photos illustrate simple solutions to such common problems as unused living rooms, dark bedrooms, and crowded kitchens. Readers seeking to remodel on a budget will be heartened by Susanka's contention that it is often best to stay within existing walls and avoid building out. All in all, the book provides a lot of theoretical food for thought for lay people preparing to begin the daunting task of either building a new home or remodeling an old one. --Judy Fireman

From Library Journal

Dubbed "America's Favorite Home Architect" by Fine Homebuilding magazine, where her "Drawing Board" column appears, Susanka here presents a small compilation of 31 essays from the column that offer a number of solutions to household design problems both big and small. Throughout, she stresses the importance of practical designs that increase a home's aesthetic appeal and allow homeowners to use their houses in the most efficient way. Susanka offers an eclectic mix: tips on site selection, mud room design, planning to fit specific furniture, creating a family room that works, personalizing with tile, and planning window seats, pantries, TV placement, and floor plan changes. Most of the projects are major undertakings, but several could be done inexpensively. Certainly, most homeowners could find something in this title to increase their enjoyment of their home. Susanka's previous two books have sold over half a million copies, so there's sure to be reader interest in this title. Recommended for most public libraries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561586137
• ISBN-13: 978-1561586134
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Depends on what you are looking for..., December 28, 2002

By	P. Heaphy (West Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed Sarah Susanka's other books for their beautiful pictures, hopeful text, and "its so easy, it just takes thinking out of the box" attitude. I was hopeful that this book was aimed more for people like me - a simple homeowner looking for some tips (as opposed to an architect or person designing their own home). While there are some "not so big" solutions for everyday living, such as thinking about your recycling area and making use of space under the stairs, there really isn't anything new or awe-inspiring in this book. Much of the book still has to do with initial design of the space, and other big money expenditures. I still rated this book 4 stars as it is a beautiful, eye-catching read, but the information can also be found on HGTV.

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Susanka's writing is as good or better than her architecture, September 9, 2002

By	Christopher M Vaughan (Federal Way, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Once again, Sarah Susanka has taken some pretty basic conceptual problems in home design and explained various solutions to them that are eye-opening to say the least. While this book is a compendium of her "Drawing Board" articles out of Fine Homebuilding Magaine, it gives the reader a real sense of what they can do either through new construction or remodeling to improve their lifestyles as well as their homes.
Bravo, keep on writing Sarah.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful Information from a Pioneering Voice, November 20, 2003

By	Roger C. Parker (Dover, NH) - See all my reviews

Within a very short time, Sarah Susanka has had a profound impact on the way families approach the design of their home.

Eschewing the "bigger is better" model that drives the profits of developers and mass production builders, Sarah Susanka has introduced a new vocablary of user-centered design that focuses on the details that make for a pleaant living experience.

Her "smaller is better" philosophy is based on often overlooked details like window size, providing built-in spaces for daily activities, creating "comfort zones" by varying ceiling heights and room lighting, and a myriad of other simple-in-themselves, but major-in-their-impact details.

Not So Big Solutions for Your Home should be considered required reading for you if you're remodeling or building a house you want to be comfortable in.