Compact Cabins: Simple Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less; 62 Plans for Camps, Cottages, Lake Houses, and Other Getaways

by Gerald Rowan

Book Overview

In the woods, on a mountaintop, or at the water's edge, a small cabin can fulfill big dreams. With attention to efficient living and minimizing energy footprints, Gerald Rowan provides 62 designs for compact and creative buildings that are flexible enough to fit whatever your needs may be. Rowan includes detailed floor plans with plenty of modular elements that make the designs adaptable and easy to recreate with cost-effective, low-maintenance materials...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1603424628
• ISBN13: 9781603424622
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Storey Publishing
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.9" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Compact Cabins by Gerald Rowan

I have this book and I love it. The ideas in this book are limitless.

Best Cabin Design Book I Own (out of 20+)

As the title says, I own over twenty cabin books. This is by far my favorite design/floorplan book. It has 50+ different designs. The review about it simply being a series of identical designs with "expensive bump outs" and "no use of lofts" apparently didn't look at more than a few designs, nor read the actual text of the book. In the second half, the author addresses adding more floor-space cheaply by using lofts for sleeping areas. There are only a few designs with bump-outs, and if you don't like them, turn the page! My favorite thing is the way the book is organized, the cabins are arranged in sq/ft. order as you look through the first half of the book, going from just over a hundred feet to almost 1,000 (but most are 600 sq/ft or fewer). Each design gets a floor plan and an elevation (exterior drawing), covering two pages per cabin. The second half of the book gives excellent overview-level information about green building, energy efficiency, off-the-grid ideas, incorporating garages, RV-concepts, and even a few designs using shipping containers! There is a great chapter on using modular designed 12' x 12' sections to create a mobile living space, whereby you can truck in your cabin, add to it as you can afford to, and even design your own cabin using 20 or so "modules" that the author pre-designed and included in the book (i.e. 4 bedroom modules, 4 kitchen modules, 4 bathroom modules, living rooms, dining areas, etc.). It's a really fun addition to the book. This is not a book to go deep into any one subject, but it is an excellent overview for the new reader who wants a LOT of survey-level information on cabin concepts. And the 50 designs rank among my favorites for their creativity and individuality. How many round, half-round, quonset hut or yurt-style cabins have you seen in cabin books lately? Like I said earlier, best design book I own. Buy this book, you will NOT be disappointed.

Any cabin builder will relish the design specifics and insights

COMPACT CABINS shows readers how to build a getaway dream cabin, offering over sixty designs outlining the cabin and using affordable, energy-efficient styles. Cabins range from 100 to 1,000 feet but are high in low-maintenance building materials, utility choices, and alternative energy. Any cabin builder will relish the design specifics and insights.

Lots of great ideas

This book encompasses a wide variety of floor plans and designs for tiny homes, I especially liked the modular section, because it helps you make up any design you want or need. There is even a small section on shipping container homes. No one book can thoroughly cover every design concept for tiny homes, but this one does a nice job. Adapting the floor plans to your own needs is very simple. This is a very useful book to keep in your library.

The best micro housing book so far

While recently there have been many books on micro housing this is the best. It is a book on the practical applications of the concept and not some architects exercise in the extreme with no real world applications. Many of the solutions in this book are adapted form the RV camper world. Also there are practical applications of alternative energy and gray water technology. While for most this represents a great way to do a weekend retreat it may also be the future of housing through out the world. There have been a few reviews stating that this is not a plan book and that is true. There are no true construction plans. The floor plans are small and much like an RV. As a matter of fact much 12v RV technology is listed here. But the book is not intended as a full time living house book. It is a getaway and weekend house book. Though I still think the plans livable for the micro housing movement. Now some of the shapes are yurt like, Hexes, unusual geometry and the like but still very functional.