From the author, ssusanka@notsobighouse.com
As an architect and owner of a residential architecture
firm of 40 people, I am very much aware that Americans
are searching for that ellusive sense of "home"
in unprecedented numbers. But we have no language for the
qualities of home and so focus only on the quantifiables,
like square footage and height. This book attempts to
give a language to those qualities that can transform a
house into home. My book puts forth a vision for a
different kind of house, one that favors quality over
quantity.
A Not So Big House is:
-- a house that is literally NOT as BIG as the many
cavernous boxes that cover our hillsides today
--a house that is more than square footage
--a house that is an expression of the people who live
there
--a house full of spirit, comfort and soul
--a house where each room is in use every day --a
house with a floorplan inspired by our informal lifestyle
instead of the way our grandparents lived
--a house for the future that embraces a few well-worn
concepts from the past
--a house that is built sustainably and that values
the materials it is made from
--a house that expresses our values and our
personalities, filled with special details and designed
to accommodate the lifestyles of its occupants
It is my hope that through the message of this book,
we can precipitate a change towards smaller, better
designed homes that make better use of our planet's
natural resources, and that truly nurture the lives of
their inhabitants.
