A durable house for thresholds
· 2 min read
Most problems with staircases turn out to be problems with time. We draw by hand early on; it keeps decisions loose. Looking back, the low-energy approach was the right call. There is no single right way to approach drawing sections, but some ways are kinder than others.
What did not work
The best renovation keeps more than it replaces. The low-energy part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. It is effortless to overthink drawing sections. It is harder to just start. The first three weeks were chiefly about unlearning. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed.
Good buildings are chiefly made of good conversations. It is effortless to overthink sketching on site. It is harder to just start. We start every project by spending time on the site at different hours. This is less a guide and more a record of what worked for me.
Closing thoughts
Thanks for reading, and for the generous observations that keep arriving. Modest buildings demand the same care as large ones, sometimes more. The difference showed up bit by bit, then all at once. I would rather do one thing deliberately than five things fast.
Daylight is the cheapest and most generous material we have. The specifics matter less than the practice of paying attention. Here is what changed, and what stayed exactly the same. It took me seven attempts to see the pattern.
There is no single right way to approach working with light, but some ways are kinder than others. Most problems with retrofit turn out to be problems with time. Most problems with courtyards turn out to be problems with time.
small housesrenovations