Editorial Review

When describing a favorite room in the house, do you find yourself using terms such as "expansive," "formal," and "spacious"--a marble foyer or a formal dining room perhaps? Or do the words "cozy," "intimate," and "warm" come to mind--a cheery little breakfast nook or a window seat complete with plenty of pillows and a breathtaking view? More than likely, you--like thousands of other homeowners--are drawn to the more personal spaces in your home, where comfort, beauty, and efficiency meet. In Read more

Reviews (121)

Quality over quantity
This book is a great resource for anyone wanting a home that places quality over size. There are numerous tips on how to make smaller spaces work smarter and for adding quality touches in simple yet elegant ways as well as hundreds of inspiring photos. In our effort to design a reasonably-sized log home that truly reflects and enhances our lifestyle, this book has given us many ideas for making small spaces work. In the age of 3000+ sq. ft. homes, it is refreshing to see a return to the principles of the Arts & Crafts movement. In fact, you will notice many of the houses pictured have many Arts & Crafts influences. That made the book all the more relevant to us as we plan to incorporate some of those elements in our design.
this book is about HUGE, non-urban custom houses in the rural midWest -book is irrelevant to small urban homeowners
I am puzzled by the title and the contents.
The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live
Fascinating book, I am reading it from cover to cover. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture, Domestic    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    3. Design & Construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. House Plans    8. Interior Design - General    9. Interior architecture    10. Psychological aspects    11. Repair    12. Space (Architecture)    13. Home furnishing & decoration    14. House & Home / General    15. House maintenance    16. Housing & property for the individual   

Reviews (1)

A little disappointing--3.5 stars
I eagerly awaited the release of this book for several months and purchased a copy as soon as it was available.Maybe my expectations were out of whack, but I was a little disappointed.
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Subjects:  1. 1790-1862    2. 1841-1845    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Political    9. Politics and government    10. Presidents    11. Presidents & Heads of State    12. Tyler, John,    13. United States    14. United States - 19th Century    15. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    16. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents    17. Biography: historical    18. Political leaders & leadership    19. Tippecanoe and Tyler Too; William Henry Harrison; Vice President of the United States; President of the United States; states' rights; manifest destiny; Confederate States of America; governor of Virginia; "traitor President"; Civil War; southern secession; His Accidency; John Tyler; Log Cabin campaign; tenth president; national destiny; expansion of slavery; annexation of Texas; Tyler Doctrine; opening to China; Sherwood Forest; Tyler precedents; Princeton explosion; Julia Gardiner Tyler; Republicanism; Webster-Ashburton Treaty    20. USA   

Reviews (4)

A marvelous look at western luxury homes
There's nothing "rustic" about these luxury ranch homes, and the word "cabin" is definitely a euphemism.The houses are as big and gorgeous as the settings they reside in, and the author's photographs capture both.If you want the vicarious thrill of seeing how the rich spend their summers in Montana, then book is for you.

Misleading
Look inside this book at a bookstore before you buy it. It is NOT about cabins but about huge lodges-log mansions, if you will.

Architect designed "cabins"
This is a beautiful, expensive book with many photographs.It's title is very misleading as it implies a study of rustic cabins; it is actually of "great halls of lodges." Mr. Kylloe feels their basis is the Arts and Crafts movement's influence on their architects; however, the true rustic cabin began with early settlers' struggles to survive and build rude shelters from the ubiquitous forest crowding around them.The photographs are especially of items like "luxury top-of-the-line kitchen appliances" or "a highly ornate, 17th Century gold-gilded corner cupboard (which) rests in the dining room."I feel cheated by the title and description of "mountain men whose small log cabins -etc." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decoration    3. Domestic    4. General    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Interior Design - General    7. Log cabins    8. Ranches    9. United States    10. Architecture / Methods & Materials    11. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    12. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design   

Reviews (2)

I love this book!
What a wonderful and beautiful treatment of the subject! I will never think of log houses in the same way again. The writing is engaging as well as educational. I love design as well as travel and this book took me around the globe. Bravo!

An impressive account of log cabins...
This book is a wonderful representation of log cabins and anyone who is interested in log cabins, like me.It is impressive the details and descriptions of the log cabin, the history, and principles of building a log cabin and not to mention the stunning photos.I especially enjoyed the comparisons of the European and American log cabins; it certainly brings out the scope of what I thought was a simple building method.I had no idea, all the nuances that constitute a log cabin...Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture (Specific Aspects)    3. Domestic    4. Europe    5. Log cabins    6. Methods & Materials    7. Sustainable/Environmental    8. United States    9. Architecture / General    10. Houses, apartments, flats, etc   

Reviews (7)

A great place to start dreaming
This was the first log home book my wife and I purchased after making the decision to not settle for any old house on the market and to build our dream home. It was a great way to get the ideas flowing. I appreciate the layout of the book: lots of exterior and interior photos, floor plans to put the photos into perspective, text descriptions of the houses, and great side bars on everything from windows to roofs to heating. The photos and descriptions are inspiring while the floor plans and side bars are practical. Buy this book early in the process and continue to refer to it as your design comes together.

A MUST HAVE FOR LOG HOME BUILDERS!!
My husband and I are in the preliminary stages of planning our dream log home.There are many pricey books out there to peruse, but none were as helpful as this one.It helped us to understand construction and budgetary compliance.By planning with this book, we curbed our budget, without compromising quality and beauty.The information was easy to digest and the photos were excellent and instrumental in the implementation of design and decorating.This book is definitely a MUST HAVE for anyone who is planning to build a log home.

I found a plan
I bought this early on in the planning stage of our log cabin as a resouce. After looking through dozens of books and magazines I actually used one of the plans in the book after modifying it slightly. This has many plans that give you some great ideas and has enough difference between them to be a nice starting point in the design process. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture, Domestic    2. Designs and plans    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Do-It-Yourself - General    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. House Plans    8. Log cabins    9. Wood Construction    10. House & Home / Design & Construction    11. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    12. Housing & property for the individual   

Reviews (31)

"A Most Helpful Tree House Guide"
David Stiles seems to know exactly what aspects of building give us would-be owners of tree houses our cold feet.He has organized this book so that our every little fright is answered before it occurs.Every potential problem has, if not a clear answer, at least a path for readers to "whomp up" an answer themselves.I was wonderfully impressed!Come fall, one or two trees in my backyard may be wearing houses themselves!

Tree Houses You Can Actually Build
There's a lot of info in this book that would have been hard to scramble up on my own.And, is presented in such a way that even a beginning carpenter can put together one of these or just use the info to design one's own. I especially liked the info on the "extras" such as rope ladders and other tree house accessories. It's a real "how-to" book and I can't wait to get started!

Critical resource for the first-time builder
I used this book to build a great tree house. I found the line drawings to be much more useful than the photographs in the other 3 tree house books I bought. The drawings offer advice for beginners (including don't saw the branch you are sitting on) that seem frivolous till you start working in the tree. The book gives a few plans, and though none would quite work in my tree, I was able to combine ideas from all of them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Construction - Carpentry    3. Design and construction    4. Hobbies/Crafts    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    8. Tree houses    9. Woodwork - General    10. Building construction & materials    11. Crafts & Hobbies / Woodwork    12. Woodworking   

Editorial Review

Sarah Susanka has a not-so-insignificant idea in Read more

Reviews (48)

Inspiring book with one big flaw
As I read this book, I found some ideas that will be very useful in designing my small handcrafted log home. The idea of ensuring long diagonal views, for example, was a good one. And the pictures and floorplans illustrated the concepts very well.
Beautiful Portfolio
A wonderful portfolio of Not So Big Houses across the country.This book holds a collection of already construction homes and home renovations that embody the Not So Big principles of design.Lots of color pictures and floor plans - some for sale.Certainly not a "How-to" for your own home.

Homes with souls and personalities instead of huge, impersonal boxes.
Instead of spending a lot of money on square footage and being unsatisfyed with the end result, Susanka asks for people to look at how they actually USE their houses, and to design them for the lives they live- which increases the cost per square foot, but gives you some stunningly beautiful homes, that LOOK like places you want to live.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Design & Construction    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. House Plans    9. Repair    10. Space (Architecture)    11. United States    12. Building skills    13. Home furnishing & decoration    14. House & Home / General    15. House maintenance    16. Housing & property for the individual    17. HOUSE & HOME / Design & Construction   

Reviews (1)

the cabin book is just super!
I just received this book in the mail from Amazon.It is wonderful, it is art. It is everything and much, much more.If you want to get design ideas for a crafted cabin of quality, THIS IS THE BOOK! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. General    3. History - Specific Styles    4. Log cabins    5. Pictorial works    6. United States    7. Architecture / General    8. Architecture / Interior Design    9. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    10. Interior design    11. USA   

Reviews (4)

Soon
Certainly one of the better books I have read on this subject.Very descriptive and scientific.One downfall to the book and to the whole idea of tissue culture is the massive costs of lab equipment and growing media.Very well written book though, and a good starter book.

It's okay but fell short of my expectations
The book was okay but fell short of my expectations.The author attempted to proceed by taking the reader from no background on microbiology, botany, or tissue culture to explaining to what cloning is all about.It fell short in several areas.The author needed to expand the discussion on plant hormones and the issue of thermal stability during sterilization procedures.The author didn't discuss at all modern methods of cold-filter sterilization methods.The author discusses the topic about making stock solutions but didn't discuss issues of shelf life of hydrated hormones.

The Best curently available
This book contains everything that you need to know to start cloneing plants.Some of the material is geared more towards comericial operations but there is a lot for the hobbiest too.I thought that it could have beenorganized a little better.The authors talk about equipment and mediabefore they go through the cloning process.Parts of it will be boringunless you are planing to actually culture plants.For example there areseveral step by step lists on how to preform transfers etc. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Laboratory manuals    5. Life Sciences - Botany    6. Plant micropropagation    7. Plant tissue culture    8. Reference    9. Gardening / Trees    10. House plants    11. Plant reproduction & propagation   

Reviews (13)

how to done right
Very informative. and in depth material. Is strictly about how to prep and build w/ logs. very technical w/ good pic/drawings.

Great book
To R.J. Gehring,
An Excellent Primer
Most people considering building a log home or log cabin will explore many different options.Whether they intend to DIY or order a kit or contract with a manufacturer or builder.This book provides the "how to" and will broaden your knowledge of the entire log building experience.I highly recommend this book (and others) if you are considering building the ultimate American home...I think so highly of this book that I own it myself, and I recommend it for sale from my Log Cabin Website, http://www.logcabindirectory.com/ ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Design & Construction    3. Design and construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. House & Home    6. Log cabins    7. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Reviews (8)

Like being in the garden.
The beautiful photographs in this book will take you away.This book is all about the pictures.The text is limited.I liked that.The book is a nice size.Easy to pick up and look through.Recommend it.

Amazing Mexican Book
I love this book a LOT! It contains lots of Colored Photographs. I am planning on fixing our house which has been left unfinished for the past 13 years and will get Ideas from this book.

Perfect Book For My Choice
I actually ordered this for a friend of mine who needed some ideas on decorating her house. So when I recieved it in the mail, I fipped through it and was really, really happy with my choice. The pictures are colorful, and there are so many pictures to give ideas to anyone wanting to decorate their home mexican style.My friend loved the book as well, she kept thanking me for the next two weeks. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Domestic    3. Garden Design    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardens    6. General    7. Interior Design - General    8. Mexico    9. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    10. Outdoor living spaces    11. Patios    12. Pictorial works    13. Subjects & Themes - General    14. Gardening / Garden Design    15. Landscape art & architecture   

Reviews (7)

Excellent coffee table book
This book has some excellent pictures of treehouses. I love it! It is one of my favorite treehouse books. It is not for someone looking to build a treehouse; for that, i recommend "Home Tree Home", by Peter Nelson. Back in 1999, I built my own treehouse, primarily using ideas from "Home Tree Home" and prior treehouse building experience. I lived in it for 5 years.

a question for "A reader from NY"
I've looked for this "original" the treehouse book by david stiles, and can't find it.... WHO SAYS TREEHOUSES ARE JUST FOR CHILDREN!
What a delightful book filled with mystical wonder and beautiful photography.We generally associate treehouses with children and the exuberance of youth, but....I want one!My own space, a private place to recapture lost youth, a place to dream, recollect thoughts, be at one with the stars and the universe - how magical life could be.There is no question my talented husband could build one; though not a professional, he truly is talented at that sort of thing as a hobby.But, there is a chance I would appear in the backyard on a bright summer's morn, only to hear him exclaim, "Treehouse?You wanted a treehouse? I thought you said "birdhouse," and then I do have a problem because how would I ever fit through that that tiny little round hole in the centre? Even if he did get the plans right, there is also the off-chance my family would insist on building a safety net around the treehouse, just in case dear old granny fell OUT of her tree!Possibly, they would insist the resident counsellor also have her own "branches checked out," just in case she was missing a few twigs off the upper branch.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architectural Design    2. Construction - General    3. Domestic    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    8. Tree houses    9. Trees    10. Wood Construction    11. Woodwork - General    12. Architectural structure & design    13. Architecture / General   

Reviews (3)

A good source for inspiration
In line with their other books, this book provides tons of inspiring photos and helpful text to assist you in refining your log home dreams. It showcases several homes in five different categories from "eastern traditional", "the west", "contemporary", "craftsman", and "post and beam". To our pleasant surprise, contemporary and craftsman don't mean what they do in most architectural books. Contemporary refers to modern interpretations on traditional cabin design. Their definition of craftsman is similar to the traditional definition in that it focuses on handcrafted homes with a lot of unique detailing such as eagles carved into log posts and burl wood and bentwood worked into the designs. The book ends with a brief (19 page), but enlightening, overview of log home maintenance and structural considerations and a resource directory. In many of the featured homes, I wished for a floor plan to help put the photos in perspective.

log homes ill. - the big version
this book is NOT a reference book by ANY means. If you want technical info skip it, there are only 18 of 216 pages w/ any tech. or instructional info. IF..on the other hand, you want a really beautiful book from which to pull ideas or inspiration, then it TRULY fits the bill. As a how to manual its a 1 star, as a idea/inspiration book its a 4 star.

A stunning capture ofthe country's most beautiful log homes.
Cindy and Art Thiede have captured a fantastic portrait of the finest,most creative and unusual log homes across the nation in this compilationof beautiful photographs and informative, stimulating text.This greatreference book conforms with all types of decorating styles whilemaintaining code regulations, written in a style that is easily understoodby the professional or non-professional.It is an invaluable aid to thoseplanning a new log home or remodeling an older one.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. History - Specific Styles    5. House & Home    6. Log cabins    7. United States    8. Architecture / Decoration & Ornament    9. Log cabins and houses    10. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Design and construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Do-It-Yourself - Carpentry    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    8. Tree houses    9. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas   

Reviews (7)

Post & Beam is excellent
This book is by far the best I have read on the subject of post and beam construction.Lots of nice drawings and understandable instructions. Good advice for average person. Explains wood joinery very well

Not for the non-builder...
If you are not building your own home, I don't recommend this book

Terrific
This book is excellent.It gave me all the information I wanted/needed plus more. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Construction - General    3. Design and construction    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. General    6. House Plans    7. Log cabins    8. Log cabins and houses    9. Residential Construction    10. Technology    11. Wood Construction    12. Wooden-frame houses   

Reviews (4)

A good tool
I started using art projection when I was a psychologist for a child adolescent unit in a state hospital.A good way to engage angry or depressed children without threat is to ask them to draw something, unless they have poor perceptual motor skills. But getting them to draw will tell you something about that right away. It is important to know what to expect in average drawing skills and this book helps with that. It also gives a place to start with children who have difficulty with verbal expression.This is not the Be All- End All text but it is worthy of being a companion to other art evaluation tools.It is for the subjective anecdotal information to supplement the more objective tools.

It works for me in Special Education: quick emotional test
This is not the original I was trained to use but it works as well or better than Goodall's.I use it twice a year and have found the student responses are more in depth for interpretation than their psychoeducational or psychological reports.You can find more quickly where the "hope" level is and put energy into those who are reachable and refer those who aren't.I have collected hundreds of these samples over the years and find most are right on the mark. Of course, it mustn't be used as a diagnostic tool but it works well as a verifier of info.

An unproven laundry list for interpretation
For those who want easy answers to deciphering drawings, then this book is a *must read.* But reader beware-- this research is not particularly sound and the original text was written in the early 70's, approximately 30 years ago-- and this book was not significantly updated since then. Hello! Our family values and ideas about family have changed since then, but that is not addressed in this volume.An art therapist worth their salt does not use this type of unreliable assessment to work with clients. I apologize for disagreeing with the last reviewer, but I believe this volume is more of a *must avoid* rather than any type of a classic in the field of art therapy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Family    3. House-Tree-Person Technique    4. Kinetic-House-Tree-Person Tech    5. Mental Health    6. Mental Illness    7. Personality Assessment And Testing    8. Projective Technics    9. Psychodiagnostics    10. Psychology    11. Psychotherapy - Child & Adolescent    12. Creative therapy (eg art, music, drama)    13. Psychiatry    14. Psychology & Psychiatry / Psychotherapy   

Reviews (7)

Boring, boring
I love cottage style and have a nice collection of books.Based on consumer reviews I bought it and boy was I disappointed.It was, to say the least, a snooze as far as the photos go.Since I cannot afford to buy a home presently, I love to get lost in the photos of a wonderfully photographed book.This is NOT one of them.

Inspirational
A sampling of cottages from across the country - backgrounds on the owners of the cottages, beautiful interior and exterior pictures and floor plans.I thoroughly enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures - very inspirational.

Cottage: America's Favorite Home Inside and Out
Excellent book, great ideas for people that have lake homes and are looking for ideas for building and decorating.Highly recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cottages    2. Country homes    3. Decorating - General    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. General    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Interior Design    9. Interior Design - General    10. United States    11. House & Home / General   

Reviews (15)

Tree Huggers Beware.
Great Book, with lots of great pictures. Some technical stuff also. Another book that has a little bit on building tree houses is called "Shelters Shacks and Shanties by D.C. Beard. I love tree's myself but for you tree huggers complaining about a few nails, sheesh, your houses are full of lumber. Look in the walls at the studs, under the floors at the joists, kitchen cabinets, dining room table and chairs, bedroom furniture, etc. etc. so don't worry about a few nails in a tree eh, they love the iron in them anyhow!

Good Promotion for Treehouses
This book is 90% inspiration and 10% technical information.I don't think that there is enough information for someone wanting to build their own treehouse, but if you already have one of those books, then this one is a good companion for inspirational purposes.

Interesting at a high level
I was looking for something practical to help me design and build a tree house for my 5 year old. This is a great book if you want to consider "possibilities". It helped a little, as well in terms of providing conceptual designs. It was not as good in providing detailed plans on how to build a specific tree house. If you are an experienced builder you could probably take what they have here and develop your own blueprints. If you are a novice,and need detailed plans this book will not get you there. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Domestic    4. House & Home    5. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    6. Tree houses    7. Camping & woodcraft    8. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas   

Editorial Review

Michael Pollan's Read more

Reviews (15)

Not a how to book.Think "architectural philosophy".
First, I enjoyed reading this book.I'm a carpenter turned cabinetmaker that aspires to build spec homes per my own designs, from bottom to top.Given my existing interest in the field, I most enjoyed his discussion of the various architectural movements and the philosophies thereof.It provides a broad overview of different theories of design and how they result in pleasing (or not so pleasing) structures.
I Like Michael Pollan, But ...
... this book is much too wordy and self-consciously "word-crafted."A Place of My Own:3 stars.
a classic
this book is elegantly written, erudite and entertaining. I'd recommend it highly both to the carpenter who would like to know more about the ancient roots of construction and to the armchair traveller types. It examines the dynamic between builder, client and architect in a manner reminicient of but definitely different from the classic Tracy Kidder "House". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Construction - General    3. Design & Construction    4. Design and construction    5. Domestic    6. Domestic architecture    7. Huts    8. Popular works    9. Sociology    10. Space and time    11. Technology    12. House & Home / Design & Construction   

Reviews (4)

Great ideas for building an Arts & Crafts-inspired log or timber framed home
This is an incredible book! This book reminded me of my trip to the Canadian Rockies - but not because of the architecture. There, every time I drove around a curve, the scenery was more beautiful than before. The same is true about this book. Every time I turned the page, the photos were more inspiring. And it wasn't just the photos. The book itself captured the spirit of the Arts & Crafts style. The quality of the photos, the layout of the pages, the selection of fonts, even the binding of the book showed craftsman-level attention to detail.
Misleading but beautiful
Being familiar with some of Robbin Obomsawin's other books, I bought this book expecting detailed house plans and handcrafted log architecture. After all, it's called "The Arts and Crafts ***Cabin***," right? And the picture on the front of that beautiful stained-glass door shows logs, doesn't it?
great resource for timberframe and log accent building...
I liked the quality of the photos.The detail design pictures were especially helpful.I also liked the links to the resources.I would recommend this book to others who have an interest in timberframe and arts & crafts design. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Arts and crafts movement    5. Decoration and ornament, Rusti    6. Decoration and ornament, Rustic    7. Design & Construction    8. Do-It-Yourself    9. Domestic    10. House & Home    11. Log cabins    12. United States    13. Architecture / Domestic    14. Home & House Maintenance