Downsize: Living Large in a Small House

A visually stunning book (& I’ve viewed a LOT of house&home books!), as well as being super-informative about the ELEMENTS that need to b build into a small house to make it desirable, livable, energy efficient and age-in-place worthy. I’m getting one for myself & then several (as holiday gifts) for a few of my friends looking to downsize their abodes. Cannot best the price value either. Awesome book.

What she really meant to say in this book is that downsizing was actually reserved for only those of above moderate incomes. The interiors were ultra flashy as well as the materials used. This book proves that only the rich can live comfortably and sustainable. My favorite part is the loose descriptor of "sustainable" what does this actually mean for her? She used sustainable in a way that allowed the rich to spend less on energy while paying for extremely expensive alternatives to their energy issues that many lower-income families could ever hope to afford. Granted reducing energy consumption does meet the requirements for sustainability, and so does reducing land consumption, but only loosely. No where does she address the locality of the building materials used, nowehere does she address affordable downsizing for scalability, and she just happens to no address pricing and costs for building these houses. Most of these houses were on-site built. Most people cannot afford that. Where were the sustainable practices and materials you so eagerly ramped up in the introduction? I have yet to see them.

This book could be summed up by one sentiment: "Life is happier for us in a smaller space rid of all that excess baggage and responsibility that comes with a large house." Some of our clients at David Heide Design also feel this way. You can see this in our featured project in the book, Montrose Place Bungalow. We see this book as a wonderful tool for the future of architecture, as well as renovating and restoring homes to fit and accommodate the new "downsizing" craze. Beautiful photography and writing showcasing a variety of homes across North America.

Pretty book and I like that it gives drawings of the layouts. What is disappointing is the size of some of these houses are large. 2000 sq.’ Is not downsizing to me. I wanted more houses in the 800-1200 range. It does give some good ideas in a variety of locations. From a size perspective it was a disappointment. Rather expensive book for a kindle download.

Had some good ideas, some lovely and interesting designs. Square footage for most of the homes exceed 500/600 sq ft.

Such an amazing book. In an era of major environment changes it gives you a perspective of what small can do. Either you're a professional, a future retiree, or just looking for knowledge,the book will enlight you.

Sheri Koones has done it again ... her focus on residential housing , current trends , green build practices is as on target as always. Great selection of builds , easily read , visually pleasing and educational ! As a residential designer , serial renovator and builder , I highly recommend this one !

Working with a homebuilder/architect can be a challenge -- particularly as first-timers. This book simultaneously inspired our vision as well as opened our eyes to the latest in sustainable, energy-efficient, future-proof materials. We were able to finalize our design less than a week after this book arrived in the mail. Highly, highly recommend!