Fine Homebuilding Magazine

America’s trusted resource for residential building, remodeling, and home improvement. Convenient digital delivery includes unique bonus features and enhancements: linkable and searchable content, techniques videos, slide shows, tutorials, new products, digital tools, and more.

FineHomebuilding.com • Visit our website for these digital exclusives and more

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

contributors • THE VOICES OF EXPERIENCE

editor’s note • THE VIEW FROM MY DESK

Think Small

How to Live Well With Less • At 1000 sq. ft. smaller than the average house, this compact home is comfortable, practical, and attainable

Compact and Comfortable • This near-zero-energy home is designed for those looking to live well with minimal impact

Live Tall on a Small Footprint • Two projects smaller than 1500 sq. ft. illustrate how to design a comfortable home with little impact on the site

Downsizing for Comfort • An affordable in-town house uses sustainable materials, water conservation, and solar energy to improve quality of life

Privacy and Light on a Small Lot • With a durable exterior and a surprising daylit interior, this neighborhood home remains private even as its walls fold open onto a neat courtyard

Form FOLLOWS Function • Challenged with a tiny lot and a tight budget, a small house rises to the occasion

Think Different

Carriage-House Comeback • An 800-sq.-ft. backyard cottage exemplifies the benefits of downsizing and reveals a new housing opportunity

The Big Deal About Tiny Houses • Four principles of intentional living from the tiny-house movement

Universal Appeal • A remodel proves that individuality rules, even in accessible design

Think Ahead

Redefining Retirement • Two architects collaborate on a one-of-a-kind project that provides lessons in comfort, craft, and flexible living at all stages of life

5 WAYS TO DESIGN HOUSE AND SITE AS ONE • This house was designed with an approach relevant to anyone looking for a house that works in concert with its landscape and that can accommodate an evolving lifestyle. Five themes at work in this project are worth paying attention to, no matter if you’re designing your first house or your last.

Stress-Free in South Texas • A low-cost, low-maintenance home offers comfortable living for the long haul

Reinventing the Farmhouse • An architect uses the site itself to guide his take on a traditional style

Living Lightly on the Mountain • A small, daylit house deep in the Tennessee woods brings one retirement couple closer to their natural surroundings

A House for All Ages • An energy-efficient farmhouse offers single-floor living wrapped in low-maintenance, charming detail

Designing the Best Last House • Two New Houses challenge common notions about how to build retirement homes for baby boomers

BREAKING THE MOLD of a traditional architect