“The New Cottage Home”, by Jim Tolpin

Tolpin, Jim. The New Cottage Home. Newtown, CT: Taunton, 1998. Print.

This is a book I would buy as an eBook, since it’s too hefty to make the commitment to for the long term!  However, it’s another wonderful Taunton book I’m happy to know the library has, so I can refer to it over time.  The copy I got had three pages torn out, unfortunately – who even does that?  (I asked my husband to put another copy on hold so I can see what I’m missing.)

The houses range from tiny (600 square feet) to over 3,000 square feet, but all manage to express a “cottage-y” feel.  Not all are on the water, either; he has chapters on cottages in the city and cottages in  fields rather than forests.  Some were built very cheaply, either on a very tight budget or by using salvaged materials.  They didn’t feel the need to look for cottages that were perfect in every way; it wasn’t until I read it the second time that I realized that in some houses, they didn’t show any pictures of the upstairs or the kitchen, for instance.

The introductory chapter on the history and notable architects (the usual Downing and Davis are mentioned, but also Bernard Maybeck) is interesting, and the final chapter on design is incredibly useful.  I’ve got a lot of good ideas for both our old farmhouse and another little project I have in mind.