Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities by Shay Salomon Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities
Book Review: For crunchy people with resources.
Summary: 2 Stars
It didn't tell me anything I didn't already know and it made a lot of blanket assumptions about people who want to live in something bigger than a garden shed. Maybe it's just that I'm an introvert, but asking me to live in a pile of people in a house with minimal privacy and elbow room is a recipe for mass murder.
The house shapes and building materials are diverse, but the people featured in them, in many ways, are not. There is really only one working-class family. Most of them are people with at least some degree of financial or occupational flexibility (freelancers, telecommuters, self-employed, people who could afford to have a spouse either stay home or work reduced hours; people whose jobs provided sufficient income at a part-time level); a surprising number had family or friends who could make them low-interest loans. Most of the houses are in suburban, small-town/bedroom community, semi-rural, or rural areas where housing prices are often a bit lower but where there are fewer jobs. Several of the small older houses featured cost twice as much as my parents' large house (which, yes, they had to buy to get us into a good school district and safe neighborhood. Such is life in a major metropolitan area). I was hoping this would be more city-oriented since, if we all move to the country, it will no longer be the country. The author decries the bulldozing of greenspace for cheap subdivisions, but the small-house-on-large-lot option is financially out of reach for many people and also contributes to sprawl (small planet, remember?). We can't all live on Walden Pond.
I was a bit surprised that she was so quick to advocate converting the garage to house space, even after you've decluttered. Unless you can get rid of your car, how about putting the car back into the garage? Garaged cars last longer, which reduces pollution since fewer cars go to scrap.
This book is not very useful unless you have the time, money, and support network to allow you a fair amount of lifestyle flexibility. If you live in a city, have a job that requires fixed hours and requires you to be on-site, and are single and comparatively low-income, and don't have an extensive and strong family/friends support network, only the more superficial suggestions apply (like getting a more energy-efficient refrigerator. Duh). It's not that I'm a McMansion fan or anything; I'm not, but this isn't a realistic solution for many of us.
Book Review: Diverse and intelligent case studies
Summary: 4 Stars
A compilation of case studies collected over an extended period of time investigating the why's and how's of North Americans choosing to live small, live green and/or launch communal living situations. Personal and creative, some ideas are more applicable to the average person than others. Packed with floor plans, diagrams and interviews, it was denser and took longer to read than I expected, but I learned a lot. Definitely recommend it if you're looking for something new and detailed on the subject.Book Review: Great designs, sometimes overenthusiastic
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a beautiful book! I enjoy reading it in my off hours, just leafing through and reading about other people's ideas. Don't be intimidated by the word "small" in relationship to houses -- some of these small houses are at least 1000sq ft. Some are indeed small. Most of them are not occupied by more than 1-3 people. My favorites are the houses with children, since it seems more of a challenge to fit more people into a smaller space.
This book also talks a lot about a low ecological footprint philosophy, but I wouldn't buy it for that. Many sweeping statements are indeed footnoted, but many others aren't. Some of the broad comments about the sociological benefits of living "small" don't quite sit with me, especially if it's touted as scientific research but not given a citation. Even with a citation I'm not fond of people saying that everyone should follow their way of life because some scientist said it was better.
That said, this book is full of wonderful ideas about how to build a comfortable, happy house that matches your own personality. I like how they emphasize that you should watch yourself and see what you like about certain houses, where you like to go, what you like to look at, what makes you comfortable. Then if you're lucky enough to get the chance to design your own house, you can build something that reflects you, not the Joneses. Something that makes you comfortable and happy. It's full of great design ideas. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in houses.
Book Review: Essential reading for anyone thinking about buying or building a house
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this book, it delves into everything from how the home is constructed, to why it is constructed to begin with. It gives permission for you to spend less money on a smaller house.
For me it helped to make the decision to have a smaller house, but be able to go on more vacations and really enjoy the people around me. Rather than paying a big mortgage and big utility bills. I have better, more fun things to do with my money. I don't write book reviews often, but Little House, Small Planet educated and impressed me. Bravo to the authors.
Book Review: Great book for the small home movement
Summary: 5 Stars
I am currently an armchair home builder, like many others I enjoy the simpler things in life and look to live in harmony with my souroundings, this book has great ideas and information for anyone trying to get back to the land, nature, and wants to work with the environment rather than be at odds with it. Not many picture ideas, but a wealth of written ideas and things to think about.