Product Description

The charming and innovative architecture of these tiny cottages, studios, fishing huts, homes and more--so small and cute that you can't help but fall for them--will inspire and delight home and architecture lovers and dreamers, too. Each chapter captures the utter eccentricity of these ingeniously designed shelters with irresistible color photographs of the structure and interiors alongside detailed isometric drawings, floor plans, and multiple elevations. A Little House of My Own offers humble dreams of solitude, romance, oasis for meditation and whimsy--all under 325 square feet--as well as technical details of the structure from the building materials and woodworking techniques to estimated cost of construction. In the accompanying text, award-winning architect Lester Walker relates the story of each building, the community or setting where it is located, and the personalities that shaped it. Notably quaint homes from history, including Jefferson's Honeymoon Cottage, Henry Thoreau's Cabin, and George Bernard Shaw's Writing Hut, and features on wacky specialty houses are sure to inspire and delight.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #407598 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-03
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .2 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

From the Inside Flap
It seems to me that one of the great thrills in life is to inhabit a building that one has built oneself. -LESTER WALKER, from the Introduction A little house of my own is an invitation to dream, and, perhaps, to build any one of 47 charming, tiny houses. Both playful tribute and handy how-to, it's a wonderfully illustrated collection that offers an insider's look at this unique art-form through color photographs, scale drawings and careful discussion. Whether you're a student of philosophy aspiring to build a replica of Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond, and ice fisherman in need of four walls to fend off the winter winds, or just a dreamer with visions of a humble cottage on a quiet seashore, a little house of my own is a precious resource for ideas, instruction and inspiration. The little house has long been a symbol of ingenuity and economy in America, where some of the first houses were tiny ones. This charming volume features historic homes dating back to the first settlers, along With the abodes of famous figures like Thomas Jefferson's honeymoon cottage, shanties built for refugees from the San Francisco Earthquake, and more recent constructions with solar power and all the modern (though miniscule) amenities. There are simple cabins for wilderness living; tiny homes to be pushed, pulled or floated; and cozy shelters to inspire your poetic muse. Each of the forty-seven examples comes complete with a three-dimensional design schematic that includes floor plans, furniture layouts, construction sequences and measurement specifications-each instructional is an inexpensive solution is an inexpensive solution to building a small dwelling in just a few weeks (or, in some cases, a few hours). And best of all, these diminutive dwellings are so small (none more than 325-square feet), just about anyone can pick up a hammer and start their home-or home-away-from home-right away. The houses rang in location from the Catskills to Caribbean, and photographs and illustrations are included along with a discussion of how geography, religion, race, politics and climate have contributed to the design of these sometimes utilitarian, often eccentric homes. A little house of my own transports you to seventeenth-century-New England and back again to explore the origins of these homes, their builders and their occupants as award-winning architect Lester Walker digs deep to provide fascinating and whimsical bits that will enhance your appreciation of each home. With a thorough bibliography of other resources and material suppliers, and an appendix discussing the nuts and bolts of making each home functional, a little house of my own is the ideal reference for architects and art enthusiasts, for would-be builders and can-do craftsmen, or for anyone who has ever been inspired by the dream of building their own home.

From the Back Cover
SIMPLE SHELTERS, COZY COTTAGS, HUMBLE HIDEAWAYS Wonderfully illustrated with hundreds of photographs and scale drawings, a little house of my own is an exploration of a unique and eccentric fascination: the tiny home. Featuring Henry David Thoreau's Cabin at Walden, the Fredericksburg Sunday House, George Bernard Shaw's rotating Writing Hut, the Cape Cod Dune Shack and many more, it's a charming collection for anyone who's ever wanted to get away from it all-and still have it all under one roof. "Part history, part fantasy, part builder's guide, this engaging book reflects our continuing fascination with smallness and miniaturization." -WITOLD RYBCZYNSKI, author of Home

About the Author
Lester Walker is an award-winning architect and author of numerous books related to houses and architecture, including Little House of My Own, Housebuilding for Children and Block Building for Children. He has been a professor of architecture at City College of New York and has lectured and presented seminars at Harvard, MIT, UCLA, and the Rhode Island School of Design. His work has appeared in such magazines as House Beautiful, Time, House and Garden, Life, and Progressive Architecture. He lives in Woodstock, New York, where his architectural firm is based.