Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities

I was skeptical when I first heard of the book since the cover had photos of what I considered some old, boring small homes. Then I looked closer and saw there were some really interesting looking ones like I have seen in Mexico, Greece and along the coasts of France, Italy and Spain and even in Scotland and Ireland. Like that the author challenges the reader to really set aside notions that one had about how things have to be done. And how thinking outside the box, and asking oneself how little does one need to be content and how can that thinking be applied to designing or redoing a small home to make it more livable as well as more calm and enjoyable. And how to use materials that are reclaimed but also energy efficient and appealing to the eyes. And a home that will allow you to live well and below your means. In fact I lay in bed and realized the small cottage I live in that was built in the late 1800's is to big for me. That I want something clean, small and open. And the book may make you go even further as I have done, and sell off a lot of stuff one has that one doesn't need nor often even want. Almost like being told that a really cool sailboat with living quarters below can be yours within two weeks, and you then get really serious and sort out what you really need and then make the move. This book should challenge as well as inspire the reader. Even the one who thought owning a McMansion was the only way to go.

This book really changed how I look at home life. The text is meaty and kept me up two nights in a row. I had been grumping about how cramped my house seemed. With a spouse, two dogs, and a cat our 2000 sf seemed, well, just not big enough. After reading the book, and thinking about it, I saw the real problem, it was never a space issue, it was a stuff issue. For the past two weeks we have thinned, sorted, trashed, donated and otherwise cleared out roughly half of what was in the house. Now the house can breathe and there is space for us. So, even if you live in a regular size space, or can't imagine living in a small one, this is a grand book. It really helps you see the functions of a home and isolate your needs. If you are working at living a simple, green or wabi-sabi life this book is a must.

It is much much more than a set of floorplans. It is a guide to a happy life in your home. Here's a quote "do you want to live in a home or a bank?" - So many people look at their home as an investment first, and dont really look at how happy they really are in their house. This book made a major difference in how I look at my existing house. My fiancee and I are using the insights from the book to happily merge two households into one - without "space wars". It has given me insight which enabled me to feel that "I own my house - my house does not own me". There are lovely photographs and ideas - as well as a great sprinkling of history and insightful thoughts throughout the book. Like the small but elegant domiciles the authors highlight, this book is no assembly-line product... it is obviously a carefully constructed labor of love.

Shay Salomon is not just writing conceptually -- she writes about the intrinsic values of small houses from personal experience, and shares those values in this great, lushly-illustrated book. She's also a builder of small houses, and has dedicated her energies to promoting the idea that with smaller houses, we'll consume less, maintain less, need less money to be happy, and use less energy. This book makes good reading even if a small house isn't in your immediate future -- the stories about how to use space well, and the social benefits of well-designed, smaller houses are full of insights and human interest. A lot of work went into writing and illustrating "Little House..." and the reader benefits from it!

This extraordinary book provides not only case studies from all around North America, [including costs, monthly energy expenses, and profiles of the owners] it goes further by introducing philosophical studies on the zen of living large in a small space, freeing the mind for the pursuit of inner happiness by removing the contemporary stresses of maintaining not only large living spaces but also the 'things' that fill today's mega houses. While i had already decided before i found this book to downsize from the 3300 square feet of my present home to something in the area of 1000 square feet, this book made me realize i could go much further, and now my dream home is under 300 square feet! I am being relentless in the my pursuit, giving away or selling all the dregs that make up my former life.