Rating: 
Summary: GREAT FOR BUDGET and IDEALISTIC MINDED! yes, both.
Review: Building a home: GET ALL YOUR DETAILS IN THE CONTRACT PRIOR TO STARTING, (INCLUDING PRICING OUT YOUR ALLOWANCES TO ENSURE THE BUILDER HAS PUT ENOUGH ALLOWANCE IN CONTRACT), MAKE A BUDGET-Detailed, and get these books: These books have been the cornerstone of our building project. True, she has advice that is for both large and small budgets (some of the details are pricey) BUT..the point of the book is spend same money on smaller scale and you will be happier. If you are building a 5,000+ sqft house, you will find these books amusing. But if you want to build a more reasonable size home, these books are great. We built a 4,000 sqft home (includes basement and above garage) and used several tips (lighting, mail area, etc.).
My advice:
1. Use a builder with design services (our architects were living too large for our budget and they build homes that are not pratical (waste material in sizing).
2. GET EVERY LITTLE DETAIL UP FRONT IN CONTRACT. This was painful for the builder--he did not want to do it. But we are only 1% over budget and only overbudget b/c we could not nail him down on kitchen allowance and he underestimated our taste.
3. Make lists/clip pictures/and dream everyday.
4. Build for expansion...maybe you cannot afford to get it all now. Set it up for easy adding later.
Good Luck!
Rating: 
Summary: Using this book if you're on a budget
Review: I agree that this book isn't as useful as I'd like for those of us who are on a budget when building a house -- we're limited to off-the-rack home designs, and can't afford to have a builder put in all the options available to those who can afford to hire an architect. However, since my spouse and I are pretty handy when it comes to woodworking etc., we will be putting some of the book's principles to use when it comes to building our next house. We've also put some of its ideas into action in our present house, putting in built-ins and other storage spaces that allow us to use the space we have more efficiently. Builders are often happy to make small changes, like moving a wall to enlarge a pantry, at little or no cost. Knowing to look for those sorts of solutions and ask for them have really made our home more user friendly.The houses on either side of ours are the stereotypical "McMansions" that the book is aimed at counteracting, and I see more of them going into developments every day. I never see my neighbors in their three-story great rooms (which have so many windows it's practically a goldfish bowl). The neighbors love our house, which we chose specifically because it had a big kitchen which looks directly onto the living room -- the space is warm, inviting, and definitely used. If more people read and absorbed Sarah Susanka's ideas, they could make informed choices when shopping for a new home, and maybe we'd see fewer of these huge, unfriendly mini-mansions being built.
Rating:
Summary: Great Ideas
Review: I bought these books after borrowing them from my library multiple times. We are building a house, & have found Susanka's ideas to be inspiring & informative. The homes featured in the books seem to be primarily contemporary in style (which is not where my tastes lie), although there are some more classic homes, as well. The books are filled with beautiful color photos, as well as diagrams & illustrations to supplement the text. Information is well-organized & just fascinating for those who are interested in architecture/home decorating and a lifestyle that challenges the "starter castle" idea of the '80s.
Rating: 
Summary: Small houses for rich people
Review: I thought this book was supposed to help you construct a very useful and pretty small house on a budget. I was wrong. Instead, it is about not too big houses where you spend tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, on all kinds of architectural extravagances. Perhaps this book could have a subtitle: How to spend a million dollars on a 1,500 square foot house. If you are looking to build a house efficiently and cheaply, this is the wrong book.
Rating:
Summary: Small houses for rich people
Review: I thought this book was supposed to help you construct a very useful and pretty small house on a budget. I was wrong. Instead, it is about not too big houses where you spend tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, on all kinds of architectural extravagances. Perhaps this book could have a subtitle: How to spend a million dollars on a 1,500 square foot house. If you are looking to build a house efficiently and cheaply, this is the wrong book.
Rating:
Summary: THE book to read for building/remodeling
Review: These are BY FAR,the best books I have seen on this topic. I can't even begin to count the number of hours I have poured over these books since I purchased them over a year ago. Susanka is a genious, and like any good genious, she is merely stating the obvious. I live in an area of new home developments. These houses continue to out-do eachother in terms of their gaudy nature and imposing facades. Susanka shows how to design a home that reflects your lifestyle and personal tastes that would be a joy to come home to for years to come. I dream of someday building a not-so-big house of my own...
Rating:
Summary: THE book to read for building/remodeling
Review: These are BY FAR,the best books I have seen on this topic. I can't even begin to count the number of hours I have poured over these books since I purchased them over a year ago. Susanka is a genious, and like any good genious, she is merely stating the obvious. I live in an area of new home developments. These houses continue to out-do eachother in terms of their gaudy nature and imposing facades. Susanka shows how to design a home that reflects your lifestyle and personal tastes that would be a joy to come home to for years to come. I dream of someday building a not-so-big house of my own...
Rating:
Summary: Great Books
Review: These books will change the way you live. Until we build a not so big house,we are using our present space more efectively. We are multi-tasking all rooms of our present home.
Rating:
Summary: Grewat idea, even better pictures
Review: This book has given us many ideas for our own home, and although I don't agree with the author's espousal of the wonders of a 'great room' (which I find an expensive trend that really only counts when you live in a one room cottage) I like her ideas about sightlines, storage spaces and the fact that people don't really need as much space as they think they do. The pictures give concrete examples of Susanka's principles, and the book is organized with nice flow.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Ideas - if you can afford them
Review: This book has great ideas for creating a home worth living in (pardon the dangling participle). It takes common features/spaces and makes them special. It also pounds home the idea that although houses are getting bigger, they aren't necessarily getting better - just more generic. This book is the cure. My biggest problem with some of the ideas is that they may not lend themselves well to "planned communities," existing houses, or limited budgets. With most of the ideas, a dedicated home improver can execute the plans with minimal contractor help. Even if all the book does is present ideas, it is definitely worth a reading - because this book can and will inspire ideas of your own.
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