Educational Resources
We want you to be more knowledgeable about home design and construction, so that we can design and build better homes. Here are some websites and books that you may find useful.Home Design
The Not So Big House: Author Sarah Susanka has become the unofficial spokesperson for smaller-but-higher-quality houses by effectively articulating a philosophy of fully inhabiting our homes. Her informative website www.notsobighouse.com also features her numerous books.Patterns of Home: Authors Jacobson, Silverstein and Winslow introduces some basic and important design concepts in their book Patterns of Home .
Jim Tolpin: This author has written several books on smaller homes filled with character, including The New Family Home and The New Cottage Home .
The Distinctive Home: Author Jeremiah Eck provides a framework for looking at home design in his book The Distinctive Home .
Home Construction
Healthy Homes: For a
simplified introduction to what is required for a healthy home, read
this PDF brochure, Read
This Before You Design Build or Renovate .Building Science: Building Science Corp. offers authoritative technical information on energy efficiency, sustainability, healthy buildings, and a wide variety of related subjects at their website www.buildingscience.com .
Energy Efficiency: This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website www.energystar.gov is dedicated to promoting energy efficiency and green building through their ENERGY STAR program, and discusses ENERGY STAR qualified equipment, appliances, homes, and lighting.
Green Building: The U.S. Green Building Council is the authority on green building. Its website www.usgbc.org covers its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED).