Enduring beauty
Three years in the design phase . . . The logical question is, what were we doing all this time?
Two things have made this process long: Living Building challenges, and our care in designing every nook and cranny as well as we possibly can.
Designing a building to function regeneratively, with net zero water, net zero waste, net zero energy, and without toxic materials, is not easy. We’ve assembled quite a team of experts to help with each aspect. They have worked hard throughout these three years – and we could not do this without their knowledge and skills.
This is the fourth house we’ve designed and built, and we’ve completed extensive remodeling on our current house. Our approach each time has been to consider carefully the setting as well as our use of every part of the living space, trying to achieve comfort and homey-ness, while making visible the actual structure of the building. We’ve seen too many homes sized to impress others rather than nurture life, and built with materials chosen to save money or sometimes, to impress.
An LBC requirement is to build for longevity. With that in mind, we’ve chosen a look and feel for this house that reflects that of hundreds-of-years-old ones which many still find beautiful: an Old World leaning-toward-Tuscan look. Our goal is not to replicate an ancient Mediterranean house, but rather to take enduring components and principles and apply them to new construction.
We’re building with the expectation that this home will be wonderfully livable for the next 100-200 years, and maybe more. That means we’ve designed with other family groups and states of life than only what we currently need. Accessibility, families with children of various ages, and even space for a live-in caretaker are all provided for.
And finally, now, over the next months, we’ll see our design come to life, and discover how well spent these last three years have been.
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