An Aging Design/Builder’s Musings

It just may be that the making of houses will never be the same again. Which is perfectly fine; even exciting.  But it puts the advanced designed builder in a bind because it takes a long time to make houses.  they are complicated in themselves but also exist within a cultural tradition.  Step outside that tradition and all you have is a thing.  Push the envelope of that tradition and you may get architecture, Push it a little further and you could even get art (but that's a whole other thing).

Of course, the whole tradition changes and evolves... with the culture.  And ours has a specialist bias throughout.  It’s assumed that making houses is best accomplished a constellation of licensed professionals.  Indeed, that certainly is one way to go at it. Masters with apprentices is another. On any given building project, they must all learn how to get along which is to say they need to speak each others language to a certain extent.

NOW, say the culture goes a little into the weeds and simply stops valuing houses.  Not without exception, of course, but what if the finely crafted house becomes as rare as a Durer engraving or a finely woven piece of lace?  Let’s face it, today we have photocopiers and computerized looms not master printmakers and weavers. That's what our cultural traditions support currently but surely thing will change…as they always do.

But if it takes a whole lifetime to acquire the art of making fine houses (homes!) then what is the right path if that entire occupation ceases to exist?  There's not enough time to relearn, and there's certainly not enough audience to continue as you were.

But if one still has twenty years to play, there will need to be another metric for one's work, beyond being built or making money.  So what's the criteria for creative work in the last quarter of your final playoffs?

NOTE to VISITOR: This is simply a placeholder writing sample while we set up this blog and learn how to use it. Stay tuned for gargantuan improvements….!

Vermont Ski House designed and built in the mid-1980s by the Yestermorrow Building Group (2morrow Studio Inc.)