Microshelters: 59 Creative Cabins, Tiny Houses, Tree Houses, and Other Small Structures

This is a cute book about cute little houses. It's well-done, beautifully photographed, and is a good tool for informing your daydreams and/or your actual plans of building a very small structure to live, work, or spend a lot of time in. There are 59 little house tours in this book, with great color photography. These are all pretty upscale, but when you think about it, an upscale tiny house might be a lot more affordable than a down-trodden house-house, depending on the land situation where you are, and in the long run, like with shoes, coats, and friendships, it makes sense to invest as much as you can afford into the physical building where you live or spend your time. The way I see it, tiny houses are to regular houses what cargo bicycles are to cars. They're as practical and comfortable and affordable as your circumstances and ingenuity can make them. And I love looking at these places and dreaming of living in them, conveniently forgetting that I'd also need to keep them clean and uncluttered to feel that mellow every day. But speaking of which, this book does offer tips on tiny home living habits that keep you from being overwhelmed by your stuff and your tiny housemate. It's also got info on building, including sourcing materials and recycled and salvaged wood.