|
Posted by Kris Krieger on February 7, 2008, 11:58 am
> Kris Krieger wrote:
>>
>>> Here're a few links to maybe help get your log rolling:
>>>
>>> http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/03/0314_microhomes/index_01.htm
>>> http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/04/very_small_hous_1.php
>>> http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses.htm
>>
>> Well, I find it impossible to think of under 70 sq ft as a house.
>> That's only about 8' square. It's not *inpossible* to live in, but I
>> think it'd be dang unpleasant - kitchen? bath? toilet? I don't
>> know if you recall when I mentioned having considered livingon a
>> boat, but even a boat has more room than that.
>
> Sure that's a little small, but it might make a nice little
> self-contained makeshift house for when the main house is being
> constructed; and/or a guesthouse or intro/playhouse for the kids when
> they're a little older and/or decide to "leave home".
And it does depend upon a person's lifestyle. If one's main
entertainment and activities occur outside the home, a smaller space can
work out very well. My own main requirement isn't living space, but
*hobby* space. At the same time, differnt peole do have different
perceptions - some people feel cozy in a 9'X9' room, others feel
claustrophobic, regardless of high ceilings. Part of it is habituation,
but part of it is personality.
So, one of my favorite ideas is moveable walls or rolling screens or
somethign like that. I think it'd be nifty to be able to open up or
close off spaces as needed/desired.
>
>>> http://www.landliving.com/articles/0000000581.aspx
>>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0789309742/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-5878034-
>>> 93 77625#reader-link
>>>
>>> Still building big? Why? Why not?
>>>
>>> My initial questions/thoughts:
>>> Do smaller homes provide bigger design challenges? More of a
>>> creative attention to choreography and efficiency, etc.?
>>
>> As a consumer, IMO th ebiggest problem is storage - and I don't just
>> mean closets, which are actually rather awkward.
>
> I know that some people like to collect quite a few things, but that's
> not me-- at least not currently, so a small house might work.
I think that good design would also be ableo to accomidate things like
display cabinets and bookcases. But it'd thake thought and time to
design it well, and more carpentry then the usual cheese-box...
>
>>> When designing for a small home, should we consider hiring/importing
>>> Japanese over North American architect talent?
>>
>> I don't know about "over", but I think a lot could be learned from
>> them.
>
> True.
>
>>> Do small homes necessarily have to be/feel cramped or
>>> claustrophobic? Do you try to suggest a smaller/greener footprint
>>> for your new clients' homes? (Can there be as much money in it?)
>>
>> Again, as a consumer, if I were to build my own place, it'd be
>> smaller than this one, *if* it had efficient storage, but it wouldn't
>> be cheaper and might actually be more expensive.
>
> They say that what is saved on size can be placed on quality... but
> then again...
Well, it's all a matter of who is doing what. Msot small places are just
cheesy little boxes, but that doe not *have* to be the case. OTOH, it
can, i'm sure, be quite a challenge to create a small place that also is
an affordable place for lower-income people.
THe variations and considerations seem to be almost infinite...
>
>> One thing that's almost alwasy overlooked in the quest for size is
>> that mere size all too often replaces both quality, and the sorts of
>> fine finishes that make a smaller place a pleasure. Wasted space
>> isn't really all that much more cheerful (IMO at least) than is
>> smaller, but more efficient, space.
>
> ...I would guess that some take for profit as much as can be had under
> the radar, leaving only a mere illusion of quality for the customer.
Well, the problem (in both small palces and large places) (and in pretty
much *all* areas of economics/produciton) is that greed is far more
common than is pride in what one is doing...
>
> Free Shower Curtain:
> http://www.last.fm/music/Planet+Boelex/_/Shower+Curtain
>
| 
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap