Book Log 2007 #5: The Perfect $100,000 House by Karrie Jacobs

The title object of this book seems impossible, at least to anyone whose bought a house recently. The idea of "perfect" and "$100,000 house" going together doesn't quite jibe. But the author goes on a cross-country trek to find such a beast, and does so in more than one location.

As you can imagine, a $100,000 house does have some limitations. By popular standards, it's generally small, though not always at or below the author's target of 1000 square feet. It's sometimes designed and/or built by architecture students, or by architects whose ideas may not mesh with neighbors who enjoy a street of Colonials. And the price doesn't include land (among other things), just the house.

All that being said, the book does make a good argument against the current trend in cookie-cutter houses and for a smarter design/build approach that can still utilize the methods that make current home construction affordable.

My biggest problem with the book was the lack of photos. A book about design and architecture with no photos! Each chapter had a drawing, and while the drawings were nice, photos would have been a huge help for a reader who isn't attuned to thinking visually.