Rating: 
Summary: No where NEAR the quality of the first book.
Review: I found nothing in this book that was not in the first. Also, every single house photographed in this book is done in contemporary style, and I am not a fan of contemporary. The first book had a much wider variety of looks and styles.
In a nut shell, don't waste your money. Go to your local book store, thumb through it, and put it back on the shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Just didn't apply to my situation at all.
Review: I have been looking through "idea" books for solutions to some of my redecorating problems and came across Ms Susanka's book Creating the Not so Big House in my search on [Amazon.com]. I was hopeful that the book would provide me with some ideas for my living room and kitchen spaces and for my bathroom, but I was somewhat disappointed. Essentially I found nothing new in the book that I had not seen in others or had not already considered myself on my own. Seeing some of my design ideas actually used did give me a more concrete concept of what they would actually look like were I to put them in place, however, which was very useful in itself. I had thought of opening the pass through window between my kitchen and dinning area to increase the sense of spaciousness and had considered columns to support the overlying structure. The illustration and description of just such an arrangement on p. 173 is a case in point. It helped me realize that this plan might well be a good one. Most of the rest of the book just didn't apply to my situation at all.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books you'll find on the subject.
Review: I have bought many interior and home design books over the last 20 years and can honestly say that this is the only one I have read from cover to cover, earmarked the pages for future reference and recommended to professionals and interested amateurs alike. Ms Susanka has found a simple but effective formula; varied cost-conscious projects by architects from all over the USA, clear floor plans, excellent photography and lucid explainations of the principals of good design. While other 'experts' have produced expensive, glossy coffee table books about domestic architecture, Ms Susanka has created a benchmark against which future home design books will be tested.
Rating:
Summary: Sarah Susanka - The Martha Stewart of Home Design
Review: I have read this book, as well as Ms. Susanka's previous book, The Not So Big House, and I have found this latest edition particularly clarifying for me in the concepts of the NSBH. It has concrete example after example of the design principles that Ms. Susanka discusses in her first book, then reviews these principles at the beginning of Creating the NSBH so that if the reader hasn't read the first book, they can still follow along very intelligently and get some great ideas for their own NSBH. As a residential builder/developer, Ms. Susanka has put forth a new paradigm in residential architecture, on the cutting edge much in the same way as does Martha Stewart promote in her various media outlets, and her passion for hearth and home is as strong or stronger than Martha's is. Whether or not you like Martha, she is the expert in homemaking in America today, just as Ms. Susanka is the expert in residential architecture that feeds the soul and creates a balance of quality vs. quantity, and cost vs. being cheap. I highly recommend this book as well as her previous book. I also agree with the previous reviewer's comment that A Pattern Language was written for design professionals and is generally too technical for the average lay person. Our company is employing the design principles Ms. Susanka promotes in her books, and to date, we have had good success with them.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and useful ideas
Review: I keep buying copies of this book because its a book friends and new acquaintances pick up and fall in love with and I end up saying "Oh take it...let it be my gift"... The fact that it is so popular with all my friend who come from all walks of life tells me that its a book that just about anyone will like and a book that the reader will find something of interest and use in. Beth
Rating:
Summary: Fun and useful ideas
Review: I keep buying copies of this book because its a book friends and new acquaintances pick up and fall in love with and I end up saying "Oh take it...let it be my gift"... The fact that it is so popular with all my friend who come from all walks of life tells me that its a book that just about anyone will like and a book that the reader will find something of interest and use in. Beth
Rating:
Summary: Nice pictures, but the attitude is always the focus
Review: I liked the way this book looks. It has beautiful photos in it, with a wide variation of house styles, sizes and cool solutions tailored to each homeowner/family. That being said, what intrigued me the most was *why* Susanka chose the houses, and what she saw in them that worked with her "Not So Big" philosophy. I have not read her original book, so none of the information was rehashed in my reading. Perhaps if I had, I wouldn't have enjoyed this book so much. However, I suspect that "Creating the Not So Big House" offers more in the way of practical application of the theory and is therefore valuable on its own. I also figure that since it shows personal interpretations of Susanka's original thoughts on homebuilding, it offers a different "flavor" of the same basic idea. This book also made me want to buy the original, so I can get more of the pure "mindset" part of Susanka's message. Perhaps that was part of the point. :)
Rating:
Summary: Is this a children's book?
Review: I liked these books when I first read them, about a year ago, but, having read much since, now find them lightweight. These same problems have been encountered and solved in ingenious ways throughout history. Still, it's always nice to read an architect's opinion, although in this case the writing is too cheerful--like something out of a catalog.
Rating: 
Summary: Returning to an old idea
Review: I really really liked this book. I think it is a good reminder that square footage does not give a house character, it's what you do with the space. I was amused to see that this book seems to be a hit in Minnesota. Being a native, I loved the homes in and around the Minneapolis lakes especially the ones with the "craftsman" woodwork. Now that I am in California it is my dream to purchase an original craftsman bungalow and restore it. For now, I will use this book as guide to add character to my overpriced 1300 sq. foot suburban ranch home.
Rating:
Summary: More depth than her first book
Review: I'm a big fan of the Not So Big House and had great expectations for more from Sarah Susanka. Creating the Not So Big House really lived up to my expectations. I agree with the reviewer who said many of the ideas came from A Pattern Language. But as good as that book is, it's ideas are mostly hidden from homeowners (non architects like myself) because of its density and eccentric character. And A Pattern Language also doesn't speak to me in language I can understand, with examples I can relate to. Creating the Not So Big House translates these timeless ideas into real houses that were built for real people. It helps me see how a good house works.
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