( Click here to read about those principles, illustrated, here on Yahoo Homes' Spaces blog.)īut today, in the post-recession economy, with a new awareness of what it costs to heat, cool, and clean a lot of rarely used square footage, many people are seeking a house that’s closer to the size of a bungalow from the turn of the last century. But although I’ve had the opportunity to design many homes for families and couples wanting to build based on the principles I write about, most of these homes have still tended to be over 2,000 square feet. You see, as an architect and the author of 'The Not So Big House' book series, I’ve been promoting the benefits of smaller but better-designed homes for many years. 'This is the house I've wanted to offer today's home buyers for years.

It deftly updates the classic bungalow idea for modern living - with unique features like built-in desks and window seats to make a small house live larger than its 1,600 square feet. NOTE: This plan was designed to be built with energy-efficient, structural insulated panel kits (SIPs) available through Extreme Panel. Here is Sarah's own description of the design, which originally appeared on Yahoo Homes:

She is showing a new generation of homeowners, builders, and developers how to 'build better not bigger.Houseplans is excited to announce the launch of Sarah Susanka's innovative new plan - the Not So Big Bungalow. She has lectured widely and appeared on numerous television and radio programs including Oprah, Charlie Rose, and Diane Rehm. Sarah Susanka's influential books include The Not So Big House (Taunton, 1999), Home By Design (Taunton, 2004), The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters (Random House, 2007), and Not So Big Remodeling (Taunton, 2009). Hailed as an innovator by Fast Company, Newsweek, and US News and World Report, she received the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award from the Lindbergh Foundation for outstanding individual achievement, and Builder Magazine honored Sarah as one of their 30 Top Innovators who have changed the face of residential construction.

A member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, Sarah was born in Kent, England and lives in North Carolina. She has brought her practical, less-can-be-more brand of magic to the world of architectural home plans. It's a message that's being embraced now more than ever, and it's wonderful to see so many people come to the realization that a house doesn't have to be bigger to be better.” Award-winning architect and best selling author Sarah Susanka is the J K Rowling of home design. “'Not So Big®' puts the emphasis on quality rather than quantity and is designed to fit the way we really live today.

Sarah susanka homes