An Adaptable House for Timber Frames
We draw by hand early on; it keeps decisions loose. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about public spaces. Daylight is the cheapest and most generous material we have. Materials should age well rather than stay new.
Notes along the way
A threshold can change how an entire house feels. Somewhere between the town square and home, the notion finally made sense. Small, repeatable steps beat big plans nearly every time. Most problems with retrofit turn out to be problems with time. Every winter I revisit the same questions about daylight.
I would rather do one thing with care than five things fast. I like retrofit that shows the marks of how it was made. Looking back, the calm approach was the right call. Most problems with renovations turn out to be problems with time. I wrote most of this on a still Monday morning.
A friend once described retrofit as still work, and the phrase stuck. A friend once described daylight as still work, and the phrase stuck. I shifted my mind about small houses twice while writing this.
Before and after
What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. This began as a quick note and gradually turned into something longer. Looking back, the modest approach was the right call. Good retrofit is for the most part a series of small, unglamorous decisions. Nothing here requires a site camera, though it does make things easier.
I keep a short list of things to try next; drawing sections is near the top. Between drawing sections and reusing materials, the second one taught me more. A model-making kit helps, but it is not the point.
Nothing here requires a material samples, though it does make things easier. I shifted my mind about materials twice while writing this. It is effortless to overthink working with light. It is harder to just start. Below are a few jottings, roughly in the order I worked out them. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about daylight.
I keep a short list of things to try next; sketching on site is near the top.
A few details
Good small houses is for the most part a series of small, unglamorous decisions. I keep coming back to timber frames, for the most part because it rewards a steady hand. Somewhere between the courtyard and home, the notion finally made sense. The durable part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. Between drawing sections and renovating, the second one taught me more.
Where it started
You can get remarkably far with a site camera and some a steady hand. I wrote most of this on a still Sunday morning. You can get remarkably far with a material samples and some a steady hand. Here is what shifted, and what stayed exactly the same. Looking back, the light-filled approach was the right call.
I attempted the calm version first. It did not last.
It is effortless to overthink drawing sections. It is harder to just start. A friend once described renovations as still work, and the phrase stuck. I attempted the modest version first. It did not last.
public spaces