The Small House Book (13 page)

the same used to design a good cathedral. Attention to simplicity, honesty,

proportion, scale, alignment, hierarchy and procession can help to produce

a composition in which we participate as an indispensable component. So

long as the prescriptions for good design are followed, even the tiniest hut

will never seem twee or out of place. A well-composed, little house reflects

the entire universe as no ordinary mansion can.

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Third Street Cottages in Langley, WA

Execution

So far, this chapter has described the sensibility, the principles, and the tools

inherent to successful architecture. This next section explains the actual pro-

cess of subtractive design and relevant considerations. Compared to what

is involved in producing large houses, planning a little home is relatively

challenging. As stated earlier, a smart, little dwelling is just like an oversized

house with the unnecessary parts removed. Editing a structure down to its

essence takes patience, but so long as one has this and abides by these

instructions as well as necessity, the effort will not go unrewarded.

Get the right tools.
There are as many techniques for putting architec-

tural ideas down on paper (or screen) as there are people putting them down

there. The best way I have found is with a .05 mm technical pencil, a Tuff

Stuff retractable eraser, an 8 1/2” x 11” pad of 1/8” grid paper, a transparent

ruler and a simple compass for making arcs. I know there are a lot of people

out there who will swear by computer programs like CAD. My own experi-

ence with such programs is that they are great for tidying up finished designs

but are no match for pencil and paper when it comes to the creative part of

the process. Fluidity is essential, in any case.

Keep the process fluid.
Writer’s block is not exclusive to writers. It can

happen to any artist who forgets to keep an eye on the big picture. Because a

successful composition is only possible when every one of its parts is integral

to the whole, it makes sense that the whole must be more or less established

before any part can be fully developed. The whole informs the shape and

function of its parts. Work from the most general elements of the composition

toward the more specific details within.

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Do not consider anything too precious for revision until a composition has

been established, the house has been proven to work perfectly. Expect to

go through more eraser than graphite. Every mistake is a step forward, as it

further illuminates what is not necessary and, thus, points the way to what

is. Ninety percent of the process will be messy and temporal. Clean lines will

only be introduced once the real work has been done.

Know what is needed.
The process begins with general considerations

and broad forms. Before proceeding, a list of domestic necessities, like the

one provided on pages 89 - 92, should be developed according to the inhab-

itant’s needs and those posed by the local environment.

Determine the shape of the house
. Spherical forms have the least

amount of surface area, so a dome is bound to need a bit less heating and

cooling than something with square corners. On the other hand, domes are

prone to leaks and are far more difficult to compose than rectilinear shapes.

Right-angled forms invariably mesh with other right-angled forms, so books

fit easily onto shelves, shelves into corners, corners into rooms, rooms into

houses, houses into lots and lots into communities.

Buildings with flat roofs have become quite popular over the past century

or so. The trend began in Europe, where elaborate roofs with lots of orna-

ments had become symbolic of the ruling class. Modernism stepped in to

provide homeowners with the exact opposite of the ornate option. Flat roofs

represented the more respectable, utilitarian lifestyle of the proletariat. Once

Modernism hit America, it became the perfect excuse for putting up a lot of

cheap buildings. Aside from adding unnecessary square footage, about the

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easiest way for builders to make more money for less is by sticking a flat roof

on their structures.

Flat roofs may be all well and good when used in the most arid deserts of the

U.S., but when used elsewhere, they tend to spring a lot of leaks or collapse.

In such cases, the complexities of simplification become all too clear. By all

means, that which is unnecessary to a design should be eliminated, but only

after what is necessary has been determined.

Just as bees build with hexagons and cubitermes termites go for domes,

we, as a species, tend to produce a lot of 90-degree angle walls and pitched

roofs. It just seems to make sense for us. Rain and snow are a part of most

of the climates we live in, and a slanted roof sheds these elements like noth-

ing else can. Of course, flat roofs and domes are exactly what are needed in

some situations, and, as always, necessity should be heeded.

Determine the approximate size.
I know people who live in just sev-

enty square feet. I know other folks for whom living in anything less than ten

times that might be difficult. Houses are not a one-size-fits-all product.

Lists detailing the amount of space needed for appliances and elbow room,

as well as wall, floor and ceiling thickness are provided at the end of this

chapter. Reference these as you proceed to determine and organize special

needs.

If this is to be a place for yourself, you will have to figure out how much physi-

cal space is required for all of your things, for yourself, for other occupants

and their stuff, and for guests. Remember that, with all of the money that will

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be saved by building a smaller dwelling, outsourcing hotel ball rooms for big

parties will now be a viable way to extend your home beyond the limitations

of the house itself. Your little abode should not be thought of as an autono-

mous structure, but more as the most private realm within a much broader

system.

Calculating how much space is needed for your stuff is a pretty straight-

forward task. First, get rid of anything you do not need. Then, round up all

your possessions and a measuring tape. Consider how many of the things

will require closet space, how many will go on book shelves, in the kitchen,

near the kitchen sink, and so on. Then proceed to determine how much open

space you need for your own comfort. You will probably want one relatively-

large, main room. To determine its size, find a smallish enclosure that is

fairly uncluttered. Does it feel like a comfortable amount of space? How tall

does it need to be? Consider what kind of activities you will be doing in

your main room. If you anticipate some yoga, determine how large an area

that requires. Office cubicles, bathroom stalls and walk-in closets are some

places you might consider evaluating. Never mind the puzzled looks you will

undoubtedly receive from others

Sketch your rooms.
Once you have an idea of how much open area you

require, draw a bird’s-eye view of the main room on a piece of grid paper.

Be sure to add some square footage around the edges for furnishings and

storage. To keep its center unobstructed, most of the furniture will need to be

kept on the periphery, along with some empty space for accessing windows

and doors.

Detailed calculations should be saved for later. For now, just continue to cat-

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categorize your things into areas and make to-scale drawings of any other

rooms you plan to include. Keep the center of these spaces open too.

Cut the drawing of each room out and place all of them together as you ima-

gine them fitting together in a house. If they do not add up to a simple, Euclid-

ian shape, like a square, circle, rectangle or triangle, you may want to adjust

their proportions until they do. Generally, the more corners there are on the

outside of a house, the more surface area there will be to lose heat and A.C.,

the more materials and labor will be required, and the more complex and po-

tentially leaky the roof will be. Four or five exterior corners are usually plenty.

Anything with more than ten or so may become problematic. Alignment is

particularly important for the outside of the house. Four, unbroken walls are

generally better than a bunch of divided ones.

Consider portals.
Decide how the rooms will be connected by doors

and how the house will be connected to the outside world by windows and

door(s). Think about how the placement of doors and windows will make the

home’s exterior read in terms of alignment and proportion. Unless your plan

is intended for a very warm climate, try to locate most of the windows on the

south side and few, if any, on the north. South-facing windows allow for solar

gain. North-facing windows allow for winter heat loss.

Along these same lines, be sure to provide seasonal shade for south-facing

and west-facing windows. Deciduous trees work to this end, as their leaves

provide summer shade and drop to reveal the winter sun. Awnings and porch

roofs achieve the same effect by protecting windows from the relatively verti-

cal rays of the summer sun while allowing the more horizontal rays inside.

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Sliding doors, curtains and pocket doors can often save space as, they do

not require an area in which to swing.

Minimize throughways.
Hallways and oversized stairwells unnecessar-

ily consume valuable space. If a stairway is required, consider making it a

ladder. Paddle steps can also save space.

Make use of vertical space.
Shelves can usually go all the way to

the ceiling; drawers can be put beneath the bed, cabinets can often be posi-

tioned over the table, and a sleeping loft may fit below a high ceiling.

Consider using built-in furniture and storage in your design.

Freestanding furniture tends to leave awkward and unusable margins on

both sides of where it is positioned. Built-ins generally stretch from wall-to-

wall, and often floor-to-ceiling, to make use of every inch.

Built-ins are not only integral to a house in terms of function and structure,

but in visual terms as well. Freestanding armoires, chests, and bookcases

will fill up a small room quickly and tend to make any space feel more crow-

ded. A wall of built-in cabinets can contain more possessions than all of these

combined and comes off as far less visually intrusive. Built-in seating, cabin-

ets, bookcases, work surfaces, and dining nooks can all be used to save and

order space in this way.

Consider including some shallow shelves. Putting all of your glasses, vita-

mins and herbs on one deep shelf is going to demand that you dig for stuff

that sits at the back. Less depth will put everything where you can get to it.

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Carve out places near the door for the things that enter and leave your home:

coat hooks, shoe cubbies, recycling bins, and the like.

Keep it simple.
It is particularly important that a place for one be kept simple. For a single resident, all of the little extras can quickly add up to one big

headache. The housing market currently offers very few properties designed