On working with light and sketching on site
· 2 min read
A site camera helps, but it is not the point. For a long time I treated brick as an afterthought. The local part is seldom the hard part; consistency is.
What I would do differently
We draw by hand early on; it keeps decisions loose. A threshold can change how an entire house feels. You can get remarkably far with a tracing paper and some patience. The result is not perfect, but it is truthful.
Little buildings demand the same care as large ones, sometimes more. I like staircases that shows the marks of how it was made. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. Good buildings are chiefly made of good conversations.
I shifted my mind about courtyards twice while writing this. I wrote most of this on a calm Sunday morning. Most problems with retrofit turn out to be problems with time.
The process
I tested the local version first. It did not last. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. You can get remarkably far with a scale ruler and some patience. Little, repeatable steps beat big plans almost every time. I tested the modest version first. It did not last.
The best advice I got was plainly to slow down.
The middle part
The best renovation keeps more than it replaces. You can get remarkably far with a site camera and some patience. Thanks for reading, and for the gentle observations that keep arriving. The details matter less than the practice of paying attention.
It is not glamorous, but it holds up. A model-making kit helps, but it is not the point. Most problems with courtyards turn out to be problems with time.
I wrote most of this on a calm Monday morning. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out. Most problems with brick turn out to be problems with time. For a long time I treated little houses as an afterthought. Most of what I know about little houses came from getting it wrong first.
Looking back, the local approach was the right call. Looking back, the modest approach was the right call. I like courtyards that shows the marks of how it was made.