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Not So Big Remodeling: A Better House for the Way You Really Live (Susanka)
More Big Ideas from Sarah Susanka including hundreds of Not So Big ideas that can beautifully and affordably transform any home. Sometimes small changes can have a big impact. But many homeowners looking for more living space still insist on building expensive additions or completely rebuilding their home. In the latest groundbreaking step in the Not So Big revolution, Sar...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
February 1st 2009
by Taunton
(first published February 17th 2008)
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I read Susanka's original book, The Not So Big House, a long time ago and really enjoyed it, but haven't read anything else she's written. However, the idea of a Not So Big House has stuck with me all this time, and I have mentioned it to more than a few people.
Then several months ago, I was checking items out to a patron at the library when I saw this book in the stack. I discretely put it on hold for myself after he left (something I do more often than not - how do you think I find...more
Then several months ago, I was checking items out to a patron at the library when I saw this book in the stack. I discretely put it on hold for myself after he left (something I do more often than not - how do you think I find...more
I agree with Castiron. The homes pictured are gorgeous, but there was very little I could use for planning my own remodel.
I am not sure how 2400 sf for two people is Not So Big, even if they work at home. The small urban homes house singles. The family homes are all on huge suburban lots in the midwest and south. There is nothing for families trying to carve out a little more space within a compact urban lot.
Bumping out is not possible on a tight urban lot. The small...more
I am not sure how 2400 sf for two people is Not So Big, even if they work at home. The small urban homes house singles. The family homes are all on huge suburban lots in the midwest and south. There is nothing for families trying to carve out a little more space within a compact urban lot.
Bumping out is not possible on a tight urban lot. The small...more
Candy
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone remodeling or dreaming of it
Recommended to Candy by:
like the author
Yes, 5 stars.
>Our neighborhood is going on 20 years old, so people are remodeling, getting a new roof etc. We just redid a bathroom which turned our really well because we had a good contractor. He had lots of ideas and so did we.
>So I have no real interest in remodeling anything now, but I like reading Sarah Susanka's books in my easy chair with my coffee in the morning, so got this one from the library. It was amazing.
>Sarah takes you from the minimum amount of chan...more
>Our neighborhood is going on 20 years old, so people are remodeling, getting a new roof etc. We just redid a bathroom which turned our really well because we had a good contractor. He had lots of ideas and so did we.
>So I have no real interest in remodeling anything now, but I like reading Sarah Susanka's books in my easy chair with my coffee in the morning, so got this one from the library. It was amazing.
>Sarah takes you from the minimum amount of chan...more
Recommended by my sister, and though I don't have anything to remodel or a desire to do so, there are some cool ideas in here about simplifying and living in less space.
p. 77 "The Kitchen Work Triangle - "This imaginary triangle links the centers of the sink, cooktop, and refrigerator and should not exceed 26 ft. in total perimeter...no major traffic pattern should intersect the triangle."
p. 232 "There's a space that's missing from most houses and ap...more
p. 77 "The Kitchen Work Triangle - "This imaginary triangle links the centers of the sink, cooktop, and refrigerator and should not exceed 26 ft. in total perimeter...no major traffic pattern should intersect the triangle."
p. 232 "There's a space that's missing from most houses and ap...more
I enjoyed browsing this book, and some of the ideas were worth storing away. Lots of interesting design, attractively photographed. I may yet buy this book just so I can enjoy the photos whenever I want.
My main issue with this book and with Susanka's Not So Big series as a whole, though, is that Susanka's idea of "Not So Big house" seems to be my my "Quite Big house, certainly much bigger than where I currently live!" This is a great book if you're trying to ma...more
My main issue with this book and with Susanka's Not So Big series as a whole, though, is that Susanka's idea of "Not So Big house" seems to be my my "Quite Big house, certainly much bigger than where I currently live!" This is a great book if you're trying to ma...more
The two main things I took from this book are:
#1--hire an architect
#2--hire a designer or interior decorator
The author doesn't push those points, but I realized that I don't possess the knowledge to, for example, renovate my kitchen without some professional help. I love that she includes a lot of lists of questions to ask yourself so you can understand how you use a room, and whether a big remodel or just a small fix-up is in order. She really emphasizes that you shou...more
#1--hire an architect
#2--hire a designer or interior decorator
The author doesn't push those points, but I realized that I don't possess the knowledge to, for example, renovate my kitchen without some professional help. I love that she includes a lot of lists of questions to ask yourself so you can understand how you use a room, and whether a big remodel or just a small fix-up is in order. She really emphasizes that you shou...more
The pictures show gorgeous results, hence a bit daunting for an apartment dweller. But there are great ideas and concepts! I recommend it if you're thinking about interior design and/or remodeling. I look at this type of book for concepts and ideas but tend to pick a bit here & a bit there & don't follow any set theory.
This was interesting, but not ultimately all that helpful for me--and I was planning a remodel when I read it! Actually, I should say "browsed" it. I tend not to read every word in books like this, but to look for the ideas I can use and read only those parts. I liked the concepts, but Susanka's idea of a "not-so-big house" doesn't mesh with mine. My house is smaller than the ones she used as examples, and it's not a cottage. If you have a four-bedroom Victorian or new build,...more
Deirdre
is currently reading it
A place to dream big, while actually not building big. Great ideas and illustrations and photographs about converting tight and awkward places into usable, likable spaces.
Loved this book! I really enjoy all the Not-So-Big ideas but, facing my own remodel, this one is especially relevant and just what I was looking for.
Great ideas, beautiful pictures, makes me want to get a house just to remodel it. Very up to date ideas.
City Side scored some photos of an architect's replacement install of salvaged trim details.
More great ideas! LOVE the porch on p. 35!
The Forest Green carpet is scary.
Not bad and again more how to.
Fun to salivate over.
I really like Susanka's approach to home design. This was a thorough look at how you can improve your current home to make it more useful for the way you live. In today's economic climate, with so many people staying put instead of moving up, there's a big audience for this kind of remodeling. We especially liked her chapter on basements (we're hoping to work on ours), and the way she steps you through the process of evaluating a space, confronting potential problems, and then figuring out a des...more
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I am loving this book for the way it helps you think deeply about what you really need in your space. You may not necessarily need many more square feet if you can find ways to make the most of the square footage you have, with extra storage or a tiny-to-modest addition.
I confess I am new to Susanka's fan club, so I am still marveling over concepts like the place of your own (POYO) and wishing I'd been the one to think of it.
Now, the ideas for our own square footage are...more
I confess I am new to Susanka's fan club, so I am still marveling over concepts like the place of your own (POYO) and wishing I'd been the one to think of it.
Now, the ideas for our own square footage are...more
Becky
added it
I want to read all of her books. I totally want a Not So Big House... Lots of great ideas for use of space. Now I need money to do it.
Holly
added it
this is more applicable to what I could actually do do our existing home, since building our "dream home" isn't likely anytime soon. It's also new this year so is very up-to-date with current trends/options out there. She uses her own home as an example to start of which I find very real and refreshing. Not that we're planning a major overhaul of our home anytime soon, but it's "therapy" for me to have an idea in mind of what I'd like to do whenever the money becomes availab...more
The original Not So Big House was so fantastic, this couldn't compare. It seemed like the bits collected off the edit room floor.
I enjoyed the ideas and well formed thought that went into this book. I have read some of the other books, but was unsure how I could adapt these ideas to my current home. I hope this isn't the last of this series.
I just found out that Susanka has another beautiful book out.
I think I'll be "currently reading" for a long time. Great book with wonderful ideas and beautiful photos.
I think I'll be "currently reading" for a long time. Great book with wonderful ideas and beautiful photos.
This book has been at my side as I embark on a modest addition to our house and it's been invaluable!
Mary
marked it as to-read
for people who are remodeling instead of relocating
possible display FEb-March for tax refund check
-Mary
possible display FEb-March for tax refund check
-Mary
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
can't wait to read it!
great concepts
Martha Montague
marked it as to-read
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Sarah Susanka is a bestselling author, architect, and cultural visionary. Her "build better, not bigger" approach to residential architecture has been embraced across the country, and her "Not So Big" philosophy has sparked an international dialogue, evolving beyond our houses and into how we inhabit our lives. In addition to sharing her insights with Oprah Winfrey and Charli...more
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