Less Materials, More Timber Frames
We draw by hand early on; it keeps decisions loose. Below are a few jottings, roughly in the order I worked out them. Daylight is the cheapest and most generous material we have.
Before and after
Nothing here requires a model-making kit, though it does make things easier. I keep coming back to retrofit, for the most part because it rewards a steady hand. I attempted the durable version first. It did not last. The first seven weeks were for the most part about unlearning. Materials should age well rather than stay new.
It is effortless to overthink sketching on site. It is harder to just start. A threshold can change how an entire house feels. I shifted my mind about public spaces twice while writing this. The first three weeks were for the most part about unlearning.
- Stop before you are tired
- Give reusing materials a full spring
- Write down what you change
- Leave room for low-energy mistakes
The middle part
Good renovations is for the most part a series of small, unglamorous decisions. It is effortless to overthink reusing materials. It is harder to just start. Somewhere between the courtyard and home, the notion finally made sense. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out.
I keep coming back to public spaces, for the most part because it rewards a steady hand. It is effortless to overthink renovating. It is harder to just start. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. Most problems with renovations turn out to be problems with time.
There is no single right way to approach sketching on site, but some ways are kinder than others. I would rather do one thing with care than five things fast. I keep a short list of things to try next; working with light is near the top. Nothing here requires a material samples, though it does make things easier.
small houses