75 unique designs for attractive, efficient, environmentally friendly homes. Now available in paperback, this collection of 75 plans for small homes offers more than 500 usable blueprints and other illustrations for a variety of living spaces suitable for every environment and style, from a New England farmhouse to a sophisticated townhouse in the city to a Santa Fe ranch. The designs include site drawings, floor plans, elevation drawings, section drawings, perspective drawings, and exploded views. A brief introduction to each home describes its setting, the philosophy behind the design and its intended use, materials used, recommended landscaping, and more. Many of the homes come with money-saving and environmentally sound features such as solar panels and water heaters, wood stoves, ceiling fans, airlock entries, wind power alternatives, and natural gas heaters.
I just love this-Tons of photos-great information written for real people and not just the design community-We can all take something from this book and apply it to our lives to make them more comfortable. I am really loving it-it is refreshing-Better than Susankas Small House books-which are mostly photos.
Loved it!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This book what just what I was looking for. My husband and I do not need a large home since we are "empty nesters" but did not want to build the usual small house or go the condo route. This book has so many unique designs and there is something for everyone's taste. Worth every penny!
Just what I was looking for
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This book is a great source for small house designs. Has great plans and elevations of what the house looks like from the outside. It has a nice variety of styles and ideas that you could actually use. They also use a variety of materials used on the houses..Giving you the option to use other things like metals and woods in unconventional ways.
Very refreshing, original plans!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
This book is definitely a cut above all the "cookie cutter" house plan books that are out there. It doesn't go into detail about the houses, and -- most disappointingly -- doesn't provide much information about the designers, their other work, etc. I don't know if it would help someone who's actually planning to build a home. But for a $10 picture book, this one was very much worth it. Every plan is interesting. Many use new ideas I haven't seen before, and believe me, I've looked at a LOT of house plan books. I had to look through this one about four times before I felt like I'd absorbed all the information. And the homes really are small, when a lot of books seem to have very different definitions of "small" and "afforable" than I do. If you're used to picking up Dream Home Magazine at the check-out stand, you'll find this book a very refreshing change.
A wealth of environmentally aware plans
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
The Big Book Of Small House Designs assembles over 500 black-and-white drawings displaying all aspects of 75 small homes of a wide variety of styles. Drawn from several competitions held among architects and designers to create the best, most liveable and affordable home possible within a limited amount of space, The Big Book Of Small House Designs expands its idea into a wealth of environmentally aware plans that involve such tactics as vaulted ceilings, vertical space, single-story or split-level format, and much more. Designs ranging from traditional to avant-garde make The Big Book Of Small House Designs a superb catalogue of ideas for anyone considering building an economically sized dwelling whether for personal use or as part of a continuing desire to improve one's skills and awareness in the architectural professions.
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