Aesthetic considerations on the appearance of low-income family houses in a specific Brazilian setting, Campinas, Sao Paulo, are discussed in this work. Houses built by owner families in private subdivisions are analyzed. Formal aspects of architecture are shown to have limited application in relation to this self-building process. Specific house facades are preferred by the population studied. The sample showed diversity of construction and comfort quality. Low building quality and slow construction evolution in the self-building process of houses suggest the need for some technical aid. The complexity of the meaning of aesthetics and the environment of economic constraint call for restricted professional intervention. Technical aid should concern neighborhood design, siting of individual dwellings, house plan configurations, and construction detailing guided by knowledge on aesthetic preferences. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.223299312