The New Small House

On the heels of the recession, there’s been a resurgence of interest in small houses (1500 square feet and less) and even smaller retreats (800 square feet and less). Folks appreciate that living smaller is easier on their pocketbook, their time, and the environment. Plus, small houses and retreats are fun. Shelter magazines and newspapers (like theNew York Times) are featuring these smaller wonders more and more frequently, and architects are displaying more of them on their websites. Now is the time to re-present fundamental small-house design strategies--complete with whole-house case studies--for homeowners eager to simplify smartly.

The opening chapter presents ten clearly defined strategies for creating a great small house (including borrowed view and daylight, multipurpose spaces, pockets for privacy, and using quality materials where it counts), setting the stage for 25 small houses profiled in the second part of the book. The houses are organized by the nature of their location (beach, rural, village, in-town/city) and include new construction and renovations/additions.