Rating: 
Summary: Better than The first book
Review: It's rare that a sequel is better than the original. This was one of them. Where The Not So Big House was pretty and pretty much content-free, this book provided real floorplans, and real houses, which I feel helped to communicate Susanka's ideas more clearly. I also found this book far less irritating than the first, and therefore more useful, in no small part because some of her hard -- and alienating -- positions have been considerably softened. No longer does she claim that dining rooms are obsolete because "nobody uses them" (I do). She seems much more willing to accept that there are lots of different lifestyles out there, and a house should be built to work with the lifestyle of its owners. If you are in the planning phases for a new house, or are just looking for ideas on how to make your current house more liveable, this is an excellent resource. In fact, I would suggest that you skip the first book altogether.
Rating: 
Summary: Shows that smaller can be very interesting and fashionable!
Review: My hat is off to you Ms. Susanka! You have taken the ages old saying of Bigger is Better and stuffed it into a hat box. . . And it actually looks good! = ) With this, her second book on the subject of compacted quarters, Sarah Susanka provides a greater foundation for her earlier claims that a house can be more functional and even more attractive with less space. In addition, she spends muuuuuuch less time stuffing her personal ideas of how your house should be laid out down your throat. . . This book has dozens of DIFFERENT ideas to work with including lots of schematics. In her previous book she was, well, confused as to how many of us still have family dinner in an actual dining room and a few other misconceptions. These mistakes has been corrected and the end product is a book that combines form with fashion to produce some really interesting living space inside an area that most would consider cramped. Now if she could just explain how to get my wife (beautiful and intelligent as she is) to keep her stinkin' shoes off the floor in our own small space I'd give her the other star. I like the floor plans included as well as the explanations used for using different materials and lighting. I'm not a refugee from the fashion decorating police, but I did learn a few things in this section! Much better than it's original version! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Substance & beauty to reframe your thinking.
Review: My husband and I are about to buy land near a historic covered bridge, church and cemetary from the Revolutionary War. The McMansion look does not fit in and it does not fit for the two of us. We've been pouring through home design books and feel like it's more of the same in each book. I bought Susanka's first book, "The Not So Big House," and immediately spent several hours reading every word and analyzing the pictures, translating her ideas into what works for us. At 3 a.m. in the morning I felt such peace that we were on the right road. As a woman I enjoyed Susanka's content focused on how we live. My husband appreciated the specific building info such as SIPS (insulated panel system). Susanka has very strong opinions, but as in every book, we are responsible to pull precisely what we need and there was plenty to use from this book. Can't wait to receive "Creating the Not So Big House." Both books will be required reading for our space designer and builder so that we all communicate clearly and easily throughout the design & building process.
Rating:
Summary: Great ideas, inspiring
Review: Okay, i'm a sucker for this type of book. I mean she suggests that we buy more quality and less quantity. Better houses are built not by making them bigger but by designing them better. Not a novel idea, but one that we constantly forget in the land of bigness. We will probably be building a new house next year and will be using her books for inspiration. If you are building or thinking of building and are interested in doing the earth justice as well as getting a more liveable house, i would strongly recommend her books as well as "A Pattern Language". Great photos, great concepts (e.g the "away room"), great designs, though her designs are somewhat expensive.
Rating:
Summary: Great ideas, inspiring
Review: Okay, i'm a sucker for this type of book. I mean she suggests that we buy more quality and less quantity. Better houses are built not by making them bigger but by designing them better. Not a novel idea, but one that we constantly forget in the land of bigness. We will probably be building a new house next year and will be using her books for inspiration. If you are building or thinking of building and are interested in doing the earth justice as well as getting a more liveable house, i would strongly recommend her books as well as "A Pattern Language". Great photos, great concepts (e.g the "away room"), great designs, though her designs are somewhat expensive.
Rating:
Summary: Smaller is better, how to is good!
Review: Sarah Susanka continues the excellent job she started in The Not So Big House in this book, expanding on the explanations of how and why not so big houses can feel so luxurious and, well, sizable. A wealth of additional case studies, beautifully photographed and illustrataed, clearly described and explained, make this book a valuable addition to your architectural library.
Rating:
Summary: Smaller is beautiful
Review: Sarah Susanka's The Not So Big House certainly hit home with me. We downsized our not all-that-big house by moving temporarily to a flat (while on an assignment.) This absolutely sold me on "less is more" But I have no idea how I'd build a smaller house to suit my tastes. That's where this book comes in handy. While many of the houses are over 1,000 square feet (which is large by European standards, by the way), the analysis of WHAT you need in a house is very valuable. By evaluating what is important to you to feel at home and to do at home, you can come up with ideas to create the ideal and cosy home. For example, we hang out in the office/computer room/den at home and only use the living room for music. So a large living room would be probably not as useful as a well-designed computer center. There are pictures here of 20 new houses and 5 remodeled houses; plenty of food for thought and ideas. A very useful book.
Rating:
Summary: exactly what I wanted; exactly what I believe
Review: Susan captured, in words, the design philosophy I've embraced my entire career. Disgusted with the "big box" neighborhoods indicative of suburban architecture today, it's nice to see another design professional embrace the concept of "creating environments". Prospective homeowners deserve to know that you don't have to settle for your neighbor's house blanketed in your favorite color. Susan designed a great book, fantastic photos and a well articulated narrative.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for students of American house design.
Review: The author's first book proposed a blueprint for a smaller American house design which promoted quality over quantity: Creating the Not So Big House continues in the same vein, revealing the blueprint in action with a focus on key design strategies which achieve objectives in line with her 'not so big' principles. Packed with design ideas and color photos of finished projects.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: The photos in this book are really gorgeous! The creative use of wood, stone, color and decorative touches make small spaces both functional and visually appealing. There are numerous unexpected storage spaces which help keep small areas tidy-looking. There are also examples of renovations which help make small spaces look bigger. Small doesn't have to mean dark, drab and crowded. This would be a great gift for a pack rat or anyone who lives in a small home.
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