"I started building almost 50 years ago, and have lived in a
self-built home ever since. If I'd been able to buy a wonderful old
good-feeling house, I might have never started building. But it was
always cheaper to build than to buy, and by building myself, I
could design what I wanted and use materials I wanted to live
with.
I set off to learn the art of building in 1960. I liked the whole
process immensely. Hammering nails. Framing - delineating space.
Nailing down the sub-floor, the roof decking. It's a thrill when
you first step on the floor you've just created.
Ideally I'd have worked with a master carpenter long enough to
learn the basics, but there was never time. I learned from friends
and books and by blundering my way into a process that required a
certain amount of competence. My perspective was that of a novice,
a homeowner - rather than a pro. As I learned, I felt that I could
tell others how to build, or at least get them started on the path
to creating their own homes.
Through the years I've personally gone from post and beam to
geodesic domes to stud frame construction. It's been a constant
learning process, and this has led me into investigating many
methods of construction - I'm interested in them all. For five
years, the late '60s to early '70s, I built geodesic domes. I got
into being a publisher by producing Domebook One in 1970 and
Domebook 2 in 1971. I then gave up on domes (as homes) and
published our namesake Shelter in 1973. We've published books on a
variety of subjects over the years, and returned to our roots with
Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter in 2004, Builders of the Pacific
Coast, and The Barefoot Architect in 2008.
Building is my favorite subject. Even in this day and age, building
a house with your own hands can save you a ton of money (I've never
had a mortgage) and - if you follow it through - you can get what
you want in a home." -Lloyd Kahn
"
our friend Lloyd Kahn's beautiful book, Tiny Homes."
Mark Frauenfelder, BoingBoing
"Tiny Homes is an amazing collection. ...The homes might be tiny
but your inspiration is huge."
Richard Zanuck, Film Producer
"...a quirky photo-rich book that preaches the benefits of a
'grassroots movement to scale things back.'"
Jeffery Trachtenberg, Wall Street Journal
"...a glorious portfolio of quirky makers and dreamers..."
Penelope Green, New York Times
"Before McMansions, before the counter culture was granite and
marble, there was Lloyd Kahn, champion of the hand-built house . .
. progenitor of the new do-it-yourself movement"
Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times
"The common thread that weaves between the stories is the builders'
immense pride of place, a drive for independence and a vision that,
when little goes to waste, life can have greater meaning."
HomeGrown.Org
" ...a refreshing view into the wonderful world of small
houses."
Watershed Sentinel, BC, Canada
"...splendid photos of home exteriors, interiors and
landscapes..."
Urban Times
"What these structures might lack in square footage they more than
make up for in economy, character and appeal..."
U-T San Diego
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