Small Houses for the Next Century

by Duo Dickinson

The American home is getting squeezed from all sides. Tight zoning restrictions, lack of available land, and cost constraints are just some of the forces driving this inevitable trend to downsizing. The forward-looking architect, planner, developer, contractor, or housing consumer needs to know everything there is to know about the unique challenges of small house design in the 21st century ... beginning now!
This innovative book provides you with the comprehensive, practical, and thoroughly detailed guide you need to understand and master those challenges. Following in the success of The Small House, this strikingly illustrated sequel is packed with ideas - ideas that will appeal both to the house-buying public and to the professionals in architecture and real estate who serve it. In Small Houses for the Next Century you will find in-depth analysis of award-winning as well as never-before-published projects ... including project histories, client requirements, site selections, budgeting concerns, construction approaches, and technical innovations; statistical analysis of residential space allocation - living space, circulation, bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens; future trends in prefabrication, environmentally sensitive design, and the response to changing demographics; and sometimes surprising perspectives from architects and owners as to why projects succeed ... or fail - with a wealth of specific case examples.
Professionals in the field should know that all plans included in this book are drawn to the same scale. Beautiful illustrations abound, and are used to reinforce specific concepts and to provide a comprehensive analysis of the changing features of small house design. Author Duo Dickinson's formulaic and numeric technique recognizes the perceptual impact of designed space - space that is felt and experienced rather than calculated two-dimensionally. This idea of perceived space is enhanced by the concept of a house's fit - that quality that makes living in it effortless.
One-, two-, three-, and four or more bedroom single-family residences are explored in every imaginable context, including urban infill sites, rural developments, poorly sited lots, standard subdivisions, coastal sites, second homes, home offices, subsidized housing, luxury housing, owner-built housing, and design/build housing.

Genres: Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book looked me dead in the eyes and tried to convince me that a 5000 square foot estate with a pool and 4+ bedrooms is a small house. Might as well be titled What Rich People Think Are Small Houses for the Next Century

Sorry to Duo Dickinson if you're reading this, but maybe try to be a little more like Lester Walker

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so I actually skimmed this book rather than reading every word, but I'm still counting it.

I love houses, and I love the idea of using space efficiently. Recently there's been a backlash to the megahouse trend, as evidenced by the very popular The Not So Big House, and other books like this one.

Unfortunately, I didn't like any of the houses represented here. They were too avant-garde for me, and didn't seem very practical. I don't mind modern architecture; I like the open feel of lofts and the industrial feel of reclaimed buildings, for example. But these are just ugly and out of proportion with too many funky angles. But I do like this quote from the Forward:

"Appropriateness ought to be the measure of any dwelling, but appropriateness to what? The answer can only be...: (1) Physical and spatial needs of a family (2) Physical needs of the place (3) Spiritual needs of the individual. These categories are not hierarchical but must be considered simultaneously.

"Just as a garment fits the physical and spatial needs of sheltering the body, so must a house do the same for the institution of family. In order to clothe that institution, one must first understand and measure its anatomy and organize a plan that fits around it. The smaller the garment the more care is needed in sizing it, so that it doesn't pinch here or feel too tight there. When designing a big house (like baggy clothes), inches don't count. In small houses they do."

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this out of the library to get an idea of what small houses were like. Each house profiled has about 6-8 pages with text and pictures, describing the building details. There are also some drawings of facades and floor plans. I scanned the building details and mostly just looked at the pictures and floor plans for ideas of what I might want in a house.