Keeping it simple: small houses
· 2 min read
Daylight is the cheapest and most generous material we have. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. I keep a short list of things to try next; sketching on site is near the top. Materials should age well rather than stay new.
Where it started
I tested the local version first. It did not last. Good buildings are chiefly made of good conversations. The best advice I got was plainly to slow down. The light-filled part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. Little, repeatable steps beat big plans almost every time.
A threshold can change how an entire house feels. It is not glamorous, but it holds up. I keep a short list of things to try next; renovating is near the top.
For a long time I treated retrofit as an afterthought. I like site visits that shows the marks of how it was made. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out. I keep a short list of things to try next; working with light is near the top.
Nothing here requires a site camera, though it does make things easier.
Getting started
Little buildings demand the same care as large ones, sometimes more. I like renovations that shows the marks of how it was made. We draw by hand early on; it keeps decisions loose. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. For a long time I treated courtyards as an afterthought.
The result is not perfect, but it is truthful. For a long time I treated materials as an afterthought. Most of what I know about retrofit came from getting it wrong first. I like courtyards that shows the marks of how it was made.
- Start with staircases and nothing else
- Start with small houses and nothing else
- Note the date and the weather
I wrote most of this on a calm Wednesday morning. Nothing here requires a material samples, though it does make things easier.