Courtyards in autumn
· 2 min read
Materials should age well rather than stay new. I like materials that shows the marks of how it was made. Daylight is the cheapest and most generous material we have.
The middle part
I tested the light-filled version first. It did not last. I keep a short list of things to try next; sketching on site is near the top. I wrote most of this on a calm Thursday morning. Most of what I know about brick came from getting it wrong first.
The adaptable part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. I keep a short list of things to try next; renovating is near the top. Thanks for reading, and for the gentle observations that keep arriving. The modest part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. A tracing paper helps, but it is not the point.
- Leave room for low-energy mistakes
- Compare against last autumn
- Keep a site camera within reach
- Write down what you change
- Write down what you change
What I kept
The result is not perfect, but it is truthful. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. Most of what I know about retrofit came from getting it wrong first.
A threshold can change how an entire house feels. The best renovation keeps more than it replaces. I tested the adaptable version first. It did not last. Little buildings demand the same care as large ones, sometimes more.
It is not glamorous, but it holds up.
The setup
The best advice I got was plainly to slow down. You can get remarkably far with a scale ruler and some patience. Good buildings are chiefly made of good conversations.
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. The calm part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. Nothing here requires a material samples, though it does make things easier.