Plans from The Not So Big House

Plans for eight of the homes featured in Sarah's first book, The Not So Big House, are available for you to purchase and build your very own Not So Big house. Note: Unless listed below, the plan is not available for sale.

Sarah Susanka's House/The Not So Big House
Architect: Sarah Susanka
Pictured on page 2, 13, 19, 35, 41, 42, 44 (top), 48, 52 (bottom), 53, 59, 64-66, 67, 70-72 (bottom), 75 (top), 78 (bottom), 79 (top), 80, 83, 97 (top), 148, 186, 187, 190, 193
Sarah Susanka designed and built her own home as a Not So Big House prototype. The plans for this famous house contain most of the concepts described in the Not So Big books. It can be built either as a two story home without a basement, or as shown in the book, with a lower level.
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Family Tradition
Architect: Dale Mulfinger
Pictured on page 8 (top), 36, 38, 87, 125
With its traditional materials and styling, this house adapts itself well to many different neighborhoods. Unlike many homes that face their "long side" toward the street, this home presents a compact front facade, making it ideal for a narrow lot.
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Gable House
Architect: Ross Chapin
Pictured on page 8 (bottom)
This home, also featured in Creating the Not So Big House as "Affordable Comfort," has many wonderful features, but was constructed on a tight budget, proving that you can build a truly beautiful home even if there isn't a lot of money available.
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The High End/Maple Forest
Architect: Michaela Mahady
Pictured on page 15, 16, 167-171
Arched ceilings, exposed beams, natural woodwork, leaded glass, lots of natural light, and a finely crafted stone fireplace with ample hearth distinguishes this design as a gracious, welcoming family home.
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The Economical House/Prairie Ingenuity
Architect: Sarah Susanka
Pictured on page 47, 138-146
This home illustrates how a few simple design decisions can lower cost without sacrificing space and details.
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A House for a Couple with No Kids/A River Runs Below It
Architect: Sarah Susanka
Pictured on page 52 (top), 102, 108-113
This contemporary Prairie-style house is perfect for a smaller family or for a weekend get away. The gently sloping hipped roof, strong horizontal trim and banded windows evoke Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie-style designs.
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A House for a Family/L'Eaubelle
Architect: Michaela Mahady
Pictured on the cover and page 28, 31, 58 (bottom), 114-123
Designed as a steep roofed cottage of stucco and wood, this house has a simple plan that contains the basic activities of daily life within a single great-room.
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Prairie House
Architect: Sarah Susanka
Pictured on page 164, 172
The Prairie House exhibits many of the hallmarks of Prairie School architecture, one of the most obvious being its horizontal lines. The wide, low-pitched roofs, generous overhangs, horizontal siding, and windows banded together in groups of twos and threes all speak about the house's origins on the wide open prairie.
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