Resources & Library

Living small is often more sustainable and challenging, especially in the US where we are constantly bombarded with message to consume, buy, and store more.

For now, here's our list of other sites that offer lots of useful information.

BuildingwithAwareness — Though it's not particularly active, the site has aged well and has some great content and good pics for ideas.
greenhomebuilding.com has tons of information on small house building and especially on all kinds of aspects pertaining to sustainable home building. Especially useful if your tastes tend to run to more alternative, artistic architectural expression.
Small Home Oregon - Living off the grid - compact page with lots of nice info.

And of course, there are SHL's old house sister sites ... great inspiration if you have an older home:

Antique Home Style — 1900 to 1963 more or less with examples of the full spectrum of American residential home design.
Bungalow Home Style — with information about bungalows only for purists.
Mid Century Home Style — focuses on homes built between 1940 and 1963.

Books

Books we can recommend with a clear conscience:

Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live by Sara Susanka. We recently reviewed this book on Antique Home Style. We just like her approach to home design. And we happily recommend anything else she writes where houses are concerned.
The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough (American Institute Architects) by Sarah Nettleton. This is a pretty book ... lots of eye candy. If you can get past the pictures, you'll see Nettleton has produced a book on the philosophy of residential architecture. Some reviewers have commented that it looks too upscale ... but we demure ... we think the spaces are beautiful and thoughtful and we KNOW it's possible to do a beautiful room for minimal cost if you work at it ... of course, your time is another story. Also reviewed at Antique Home Style.
The New Cottage Home: A Tour of Unique American Dwellings — Jim Tolpin, 2000 (Taunton)
The Cabin: Inspiration for the Classic American Getaway by Dale Mulfinger and Susan E. Davis, 2003 (Taunton)
Tiny Houses: or How to Get Away From It All by Lester Walker is the Tiny House classic ... published in 1987 by Overlook, this has inspired small house lovers for years.
Little House on a Small Planet, 2nd: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities by Shay Salomon. I have the first book; this is the second edition.