More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home

Purchased this book because her first book, The Not So Big House was so interesting and informative. Author has so many tips and tricks we utilized for our home. Loved reading how to use things we already owned versus ideas that would cost money to implement.

When we added on the room for our new kitchen, we left a windowed space for a breakfast nook. I have never been able to find the exact information I needed to make it comfortable. It is the small details like how much table overhang, how thick the cushions need to be, how much to slant the back that isn't too much, stuff like that. It is all here and a lot more. The section on the breakfast nook had measurements, and loads of other information about what would make it not just usable, but comfortable too. There is a lot more info here we will be using when we finish out our attic space. It has been the solution for us.

This book is fantastic for anyone looking to spruce up their home - chock full of ideas and best of all, each idea has a set of 3 pictures/drawings showing what it looks like, "this is crappy", then "this one is better", then "this one is best". The inclusion of these crappy/better/best comparison visuals make all the difference in the world.So much better than other books which have just 1 picture saying "here is nice entryway".Definitely one of the best remodeling/interior design books I have come across, and definitely one I will consult frequently.

This Sarah Susanka book provides many practical examples of her "not so big" concepts. Especially helpful are the before and after pictures with descriptions.

This 2010 offering from Susanka is exactly the same book as 2009's  Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live . I bought them both. I loved "Remodeling," and studied it closely. After finishing it, I picked up this book and began to read. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that this is the same book with a new cover and title. Well, maybe there are a few differences in the text - I wasn't going to waste time reading every word to find those few that were changed. "Remodeling" had more photographs, making it a better book, in my opinion. This one has drawings by the author, but in flipping through I did not see any I did not recognize from having read "Remodeling." I suspect some of them are drawings that copy photos from the other book. She had a co-author on "Remodeling," and his name has been dropped from this book - I cannot imagine under what rationale. If it were possible to give a book zero stars, I would have, because that is the value you will get out of this book if you have already read Susanka's other publications.I am revising my review to respond to a comment that was left, which appears below. I did not at all base my review of this book solely on its cover. In fact, most if not all of the text is word-for-word the same as in the earlier-published book, "Remodeling." This book is not "more" not-so-big solutions, as it claims -- it is simply a rehash, in an inferior format, of the same solutions that were in "Not So Big Remodeling." I might add that another of Susanka's books on Amazon received the same criticism from another reviewer, as the one I have articulated here -- although that reviewer placed the blame primarily on Taunton Press. I only wish I had seen that review before I bought the books -- then I would have been forewarned to purchase only one of them. Don't get me wrong, I think Susanka has done some great work, in "Not So Big Remodeling," and as a thought leader. I would happily purchase another Susanka book, the next time she writes up some new ideas, or at least illustrates the "not so big" set of ideas by applying them to a new set of houses. This present book is more like she took her early drafts of "Remodeling" and bound them into a book. I regret having wasted my money on it. Others can "look inside the book" here on Amazon, read the Table of Contents, and judge for themselves.

We are downsizing and I was concerned about how to make everything work in a (much) smaller space. Susanka's approach is inspiring and invigorating. Downsizing can and should mean an easier more comfortable lifestyle that is in keeping with environmental issues, too. Her designs are beautiful and sensible. I am so happy to be giving up my picture perfect livingroom that never got used - and to be replacing it with a combination living/dining space that is comfortable, flexible, smaller and easier to maintain - plus hooray for lower taxes on a smaller house! Susank's books - and those of her colleagues - should be required reading for all builders, architects and home buyers who would otherwise be building 5000+ sq ft mcmansions that reek of excess and conspicuous consumption.

My wife and I are in the beginning stages of planning for a new home - and only have some general ideas of what we are looking for. I found one of Sarah Susanka's books in a local bookstore and came to Amazon to purchase this one (and others). While there is much I can say about this (and her other books), all I can offer here is that this woman is absolutely AMAZING. Her insights, style, and experience are superior to any other book like this I have found on the market. We now have 6 of her books and I'm devouring every word. If you are building a house, you must buy THIS BOOK (her others are very good too).

fabulous book to think about the space we live in and what we can do about maximizing its usefulness. Moving is not always the only answer.Thank you for including a specific chapter on what a real laundry room can be and why it is so important. If I had $1 for every new home or townhouse we have toured that has the laundry jammed in the narrow dirty hallway coming in from the garage -- well you get my drift! I would be rich....

Ich liebe die Bücher von Sarah Susanka. Hier finden sich unglaublich viele Tips und Tricks, wie man sein Haus zu einem zu Hause macht. Anschaulich wird erklärt, warum größer nicht immer besser sein muss und wie man seine 4 Wände gemütlich machen kann. Dabei geht es weniger um Gestaltungstips (wie beispielsweise "stelle die Vase in die Ecke und den Dekoteller auf diesen Tisch"), sondern um Tips zur Raumaufteilung, Beziehungen der Räume zueinander und Wirkung von Raumelementen.Das Buch ist komplett in englischer Sprache, durch die Vielzahl der Bilder und Illustrationen ist dies aber auch für einen Nicht-Englisch-Muttersprachler gut zu verstehen.