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Friday, December 4. 2009
My Trophy Home Patron
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Tedd,
Thanks for your response. I guess my e-mail was more about excess and waste, and its related short comings in our industry. For myself, I'm now choosing to travel down a simplier path. Maybe that's the place to start for a more sustainable future. I don't know? Thanks again for your insight.
James
Thanks for your response. I guess my e-mail was more about excess and waste, and its related short comings in our industry. For myself, I'm now choosing to travel down a simplier path. Maybe that's the place to start for a more sustainable future. I don't know? Thanks again for your insight.
James
James,
I missed saying I absolutely agree with you. We're going down a simpler path too, with a big resolve to do less big/silly and more small/smart. Our cynical, sarcastic justification for the other has been, "we have a company mission to provide for the second homeless." It's sort of funny, but not really.
So, what's your "simpler path?"
Tedd
I missed saying I absolutely agree with you. We're going down a simpler path too, with a big resolve to do less big/silly and more small/smart. Our cynical, sarcastic justification for the other has been, "we have a company mission to provide for the second homeless." It's sort of funny, but not really.
So, what's your "simpler path?"
Tedd
According to the last census, there are about 70 million detached homes in the US. "Trophy homes" occupy an insignificant percentage of that total. Of greater concern are the 1 in 9 unoccupied homes, and the countless millions of poorly constructed, difficult to retrofit, energy draining dwellings carpeting this country. The next evolution in automobiles seems to be on the horizon, hopefully an evolution in construction technique is not far behind. Thanks for your leadership, Tedd.
Tedd,
"The original owners are only the patrons, so don't get sidetracked by the things that may bother you about their limited use of the building . . .What seems frivolous now might well transform lives later."
With all due respect, that reads as a thinly veiled rationalization. Let's face it, timber framing is still looking to find its place among middle to lower income homeowners. The market is where the money is, plain and simple.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of yours. Your early books are what got me involved with the timber framing revival, but lets be honest. Today's timber frame is not likely to involve a community attended barn raising for the ordinary guy down the road. We've got some work to do before these unquestionably high quality homes are scaled to the needs and incomes of the masses.
"The original owners are only the patrons, so don't get sidetracked by the things that may bother you about their limited use of the building . . .What seems frivolous now might well transform lives later."
With all due respect, that reads as a thinly veiled rationalization. Let's face it, timber framing is still looking to find its place among middle to lower income homeowners. The market is where the money is, plain and simple.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of yours. Your early books are what got me involved with the timber framing revival, but lets be honest. Today's timber frame is not likely to involve a community attended barn raising for the ordinary guy down the road. We've got some work to do before these unquestionably high quality homes are scaled to the needs and incomes of the masses.
Kevin,
I don't think the rationalization is thinly veiled. It's open and blatant.
We keep our company afloat by providing our clients what they want. We lobby for good design and sensible size, but we often build homes that seem overly large or are seldom used vacation homes. How can we justify this? Well, for one, it feeds our many families and subsidizes our craft and R&D toward better building methods. But I also remember that what happens with the original owner is only the beginning of the story. Good quality buildings will serve a multitude of purposes and needs perhaps even for centuries.
I live in a town that's rather depressed economically. It's been this way for at least 80 years or more. Some of the original town fathers dating back to the early 1800's were relatively wealthy, having built up their personal fortunes when our town was a hub for the paper industry. Today, low and middle income families live in those large, ornate homes built by the those original barons. I can only imagine that the carpenters who built their homes wondered why those people needed homes so large and fancy.
Today it makes sense and it's a wonderful thing that those homes were built so well.
But don't get me wrong. We work very, very hard to design and build homes that are "not so big," and have the highest standards of energy efficiency. Still, giving our clients what they want does not always give us what we want.
I don't think the rationalization is thinly veiled. It's open and blatant.
We keep our company afloat by providing our clients what they want. We lobby for good design and sensible size, but we often build homes that seem overly large or are seldom used vacation homes. How can we justify this? Well, for one, it feeds our many families and subsidizes our craft and R&D toward better building methods. But I also remember that what happens with the original owner is only the beginning of the story. Good quality buildings will serve a multitude of purposes and needs perhaps even for centuries.
I live in a town that's rather depressed economically. It's been this way for at least 80 years or more. Some of the original town fathers dating back to the early 1800's were relatively wealthy, having built up their personal fortunes when our town was a hub for the paper industry. Today, low and middle income families live in those large, ornate homes built by the those original barons. I can only imagine that the carpenters who built their homes wondered why those people needed homes so large and fancy.
Today it makes sense and it's a wonderful thing that those homes were built so well.
But don't get me wrong. We work very, very hard to design and build homes that are "not so big," and have the highest standards of energy efficiency. Still, giving our clients what they want does not always give us what we want.
Tedd,
I suppose I’m looking at it from a different perspective. I live in a town (about an hour’s drive north of yours) where the average household income is well below the Vermont median. Over my 50+ years I have watched the surrounding family farms disappear at an alarming rate. As those farmers head for retirement there has been a change in the community that I’m none too pleased with. Today, my neighbor to the north is a resident of Texas. He owns an "investment" business in Houston, occasionally flying to Vermont to visit his 15,000 square feet (perhaps more) of hugely imposing structure perched atop 600 acres of former farmland. My neighbor to the south resides in a Boston suburb. A few times a year he dons his spanking new “country” clothes shipped in from L.L.Bean and drives north to spend a weekend in a home on 115 acres that could easily house three families. Most recently, my neighbor to the west has hinted that he’ll soon be selling the 100+ acre parcel of woodland and pasture on prime ag soil. The price is well beyond the means of anyone who earns their income in this county (or state, perhaps) - most certainly out of reach for anyone interested in farming. Undoubtedly, another non-resident buyer, however, will consider it a bargain and push the old hay barn (timber framed) aside to make room for a statement of his/her wealth atop the hill.
Non of those folks contribute to the community, other than pay a tax bill. As the "No Trespassing" signs go up, the change in the local character that I’ve witnessed over the decades has made me sad and it has made me angry. I wish that I had answers, but all I can say is that I just don’t like what I see.
Your book, “Building the Timber Frame House,” has been on my nightstand for years. It's a favorite. Thank you. Most of what I’ve learned about timber framing has come through careful study of those pages (culminating in a new barn for the ages with another planned for coming years). In the photos of raising bents I can see folks who would easily fit in today among the 1300 who live in my community. In the text you speak of long held values and of the possibilities for homes that efficiently meet the needs of dwellers for centuries to come – ordinary folks, neighbors, community members with kids out playing in the fields down the road, the kind I grew up with.
Skip ahead a few decades and I see a much different picture. Multi-million dollar trophies perched atop ridgelines shouting loudly for all to see. It is not the landscape I want to pass on to my children. As this country works its way out of the current recession, business as usual should not be the goal. I, for one, do not want to see the housing industry continue down that road.
All the best,
Kevin
I suppose I’m looking at it from a different perspective. I live in a town (about an hour’s drive north of yours) where the average household income is well below the Vermont median. Over my 50+ years I have watched the surrounding family farms disappear at an alarming rate. As those farmers head for retirement there has been a change in the community that I’m none too pleased with. Today, my neighbor to the north is a resident of Texas. He owns an "investment" business in Houston, occasionally flying to Vermont to visit his 15,000 square feet (perhaps more) of hugely imposing structure perched atop 600 acres of former farmland. My neighbor to the south resides in a Boston suburb. A few times a year he dons his spanking new “country” clothes shipped in from L.L.Bean and drives north to spend a weekend in a home on 115 acres that could easily house three families. Most recently, my neighbor to the west has hinted that he’ll soon be selling the 100+ acre parcel of woodland and pasture on prime ag soil. The price is well beyond the means of anyone who earns their income in this county (or state, perhaps) - most certainly out of reach for anyone interested in farming. Undoubtedly, another non-resident buyer, however, will consider it a bargain and push the old hay barn (timber framed) aside to make room for a statement of his/her wealth atop the hill.
Non of those folks contribute to the community, other than pay a tax bill. As the "No Trespassing" signs go up, the change in the local character that I’ve witnessed over the decades has made me sad and it has made me angry. I wish that I had answers, but all I can say is that I just don’t like what I see.
Your book, “Building the Timber Frame House,” has been on my nightstand for years. It's a favorite. Thank you. Most of what I’ve learned about timber framing has come through careful study of those pages (culminating in a new barn for the ages with another planned for coming years). In the photos of raising bents I can see folks who would easily fit in today among the 1300 who live in my community. In the text you speak of long held values and of the possibilities for homes that efficiently meet the needs of dwellers for centuries to come – ordinary folks, neighbors, community members with kids out playing in the fields down the road, the kind I grew up with.
Skip ahead a few decades and I see a much different picture. Multi-million dollar trophies perched atop ridgelines shouting loudly for all to see. It is not the landscape I want to pass on to my children. As this country works its way out of the current recession, business as usual should not be the goal. I, for one, do not want to see the housing industry continue down that road.
All the best,
Kevin
Kevin,
I understand and agree. The problem that makes you angry is much bigger than a homebuilding trend. It's a growing chasm between the financially advantaged and the financially disadvantaged. Those who have money have the slickest, trickiest ways of getting more of it; those who lack money remain pawns to be siphoned, and are losing all the games being played to abuse their vulnerability. Those fabulously large and unused homes you talk about are physical evidence of gross unfairness, but the cancerous cause is the main thing we should be trying to unroot.
Meanwhile, I am very interested in developing ways to make high quality, energy efficient homes affordable for those with limited financial means. To achieve this, we'll need to think in new ways. We'll need to challenge all assumptions, even our own. I can't stop wealth from doing stupid things so I'm hoping to find ways to give those without wealth the opportunity to do smart things.
I understand and agree. The problem that makes you angry is much bigger than a homebuilding trend. It's a growing chasm between the financially advantaged and the financially disadvantaged. Those who have money have the slickest, trickiest ways of getting more of it; those who lack money remain pawns to be siphoned, and are losing all the games being played to abuse their vulnerability. Those fabulously large and unused homes you talk about are physical evidence of gross unfairness, but the cancerous cause is the main thing we should be trying to unroot.
Meanwhile, I am very interested in developing ways to make high quality, energy efficient homes affordable for those with limited financial means. To achieve this, we'll need to think in new ways. We'll need to challenge all assumptions, even our own. I can't stop wealth from doing stupid things so I'm hoping to find ways to give those without wealth the opportunity to do smart things.
Tedd,
I didn't think the comment about a "12,000 sq. ft. cabin in the woods" would spark such a heartfelt response. I think you hit the nail on the head when you wrote about the growing "chasm" between the economically blessed and the not so fortunate. I just don't think that will ever change.
What I do think, as I told my son the other day, is that during these tough economic times we needn't worry about other people's actions and behaviors but work hard changing our own actions and behaviors for a more sustainable and fufilling life. For myself and my family, that has entailed slowing down and getting even more involved with the community. For myself as a businessman, I've been working on a modularized building system that delivers a super insulated dried-in shell that can be assembled in a matter of days. The system will allow for the mechanical systems and finishes to be completed by local tradesmen or by the owner themselves. It's at the point of finishes where the owner could choose to use locally supplied stone, plaster or even a locally harvested timber for the millwork and cabinets. Kevin, maybe that's the key, get these wealthy owners to have there woodlots and fields sustaianbly harvested to provide local people with local resources. It's just a thought.
James
I didn't think the comment about a "12,000 sq. ft. cabin in the woods" would spark such a heartfelt response. I think you hit the nail on the head when you wrote about the growing "chasm" between the economically blessed and the not so fortunate. I just don't think that will ever change.
What I do think, as I told my son the other day, is that during these tough economic times we needn't worry about other people's actions and behaviors but work hard changing our own actions and behaviors for a more sustainable and fufilling life. For myself and my family, that has entailed slowing down and getting even more involved with the community. For myself as a businessman, I've been working on a modularized building system that delivers a super insulated dried-in shell that can be assembled in a matter of days. The system will allow for the mechanical systems and finishes to be completed by local tradesmen or by the owner themselves. It's at the point of finishes where the owner could choose to use locally supplied stone, plaster or even a locally harvested timber for the millwork and cabinets. Kevin, maybe that's the key, get these wealthy owners to have there woodlots and fields sustaianbly harvested to provide local people with local resources. It's just a thought.
James
Gentlemen,
While I certainly agree with your distaste for the residential equivalents of the "Hummer", I have a hard time getting upset by the presence of trophy homes and don't see them as a blight upon the landscape.
A big vacation house will not be adding pesticides and fertilizer to the watershed. I won't have to worry about a new hog farm or trailer park on the property. The neighbors will likely not be raising a pack of hunting dogs or collecting junk cars.
American attitudes toward wealth generation, income redistribution, and taxation encourage the inequities you describe and are unlikely to change anytime soon. If a few of these symbols of excess need to be built to support ideas like Brighbuilt or Unity, I can live with them!
While I certainly agree with your distaste for the residential equivalents of the "Hummer", I have a hard time getting upset by the presence of trophy homes and don't see them as a blight upon the landscape.
A big vacation house will not be adding pesticides and fertilizer to the watershed. I won't have to worry about a new hog farm or trailer park on the property. The neighbors will likely not be raising a pack of hunting dogs or collecting junk cars.
American attitudes toward wealth generation, income redistribution, and taxation encourage the inequities you describe and are unlikely to change anytime soon. If a few of these symbols of excess need to be built to support ideas like Brighbuilt or Unity, I can live with them!
I like the points you guys are making and the questions you’re asking, they’ve been bouncing around in my head ever since I fell in love with timber framing a couple years ago. (Ahh..the smell of fresh cut white pine still takes me right back.) I built the garden tool-shed out of Jack Sobon and Roger Schroeder’s one book, and when I stepped back after we tacked the pine bough on the top, I thought “this is the most amazing way of building a shelter that there is.” It’s got everything; strength, function, flexibility, beauty, integrity, and hundreds of years of history guaranteeing all these truths. So then when I get into timber-framing more, which was now an addiction, I learn about the myriad advantages of foam core panels, and now I ask; “Why doesn’t everyone build a timber frame?” Next, there was only one logical thing to do, so I started a TF business and seriously wanted the motto to be; “…that no home should go un-timber-framed.” (It’s not my motto but I still like it)
So that takes me to my third and most upsetting observation that I realize, when out doing some marketing at home shows and historic shows; which is; PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT TIMBER-FRAMING EVEN EXISTS! Let’s face it, although there’s been this revival, the only people that know about it are the ones that care and appreciate how a home or building is built, which is, I’d say, about 17.8% of the American population, if that. The other 82.2% don’t care, rationalizing, “I live in my house, I don’t care if it lasts hundreds of years, I don’t care if it doesn’t inspire me, and I don’t care if it looks like every other one in this development, it keeps me dry and relatively warm, so I’m happy.”
Nobody knows that there’s something better. When I demonstrate a frame somewhere, I get three common comments; 1.“My grandpa had a barn just like this, with the wooden pegs and everything.” 2. “Wow, now that’s a nice log cabin!” (HATE THAT ONE), and lastly and finally getting me to my point, they say wide eyed, 3). “Wow, what is this? What’s it for? Can you build a house this way? And to that I scream, “YES! You can build the most amazing house in your neighborhood this way!
The only thing that that majority of people out there know about building a home is that it takes lots of 2x6’s, OSB sheets, cement blocks, drywall, and vinyl siding. They are bound and restricted to that aesthetic, and they don’t even know it. Maybe some of them do know about “log cabins” and say “that’s too rustic”, and there are some more discerning that know about timber-framing, and immediately, of course, they reply “I can’t afford that.” And honestly, most of them that want 3000-3,500 sq.ft. can’t, but could they if they go for timber-framed 2,000 sq.ft. and sacrifice size with a conventional for character and efficiency with a TF?
This is getting long and I apologize, but stay with me for we’re coming full circle here. What I’m getting at is this; If there were more timber-frame companies out there, and timber-framing was being tossed around with the same frequency and in the same conversations that conventional was, an increased amount of smarter and better quality homes would be being built.
Now you may be thinking, "Did he say more TF companies? wait, that's competition, and I don't want that. (not meaning you Ted, but any TF-er) But I ask, what if the mainstream housing market is now considering timber framing right alongside conventional building? I believe that you'll soon be ordering some more mortisers.
Maybe my thinking is off, but I believe that a SIMPLE, cost effective common rafter/mid-span plate home, or even your principle rafter frame, is so much more beautiful than the most complex 2x6 built house out there. I think the answer to...
“…developing ways to make high quality, energy efficient homes affordable for those with limited financial means. ~T.B.” is the *price difference*, that there is in cost from gaudy, complex, inefficient, oversized conventional building; compared to practical, simple, efficient, beautiful TF construction.
I could easily go on and further support these points,getting into how a hopefully soon,turned around economy will foster this movement, but this comment has already become a dissertation. Thanks to anyone who suffered through it. I’m sure my thoughts have their flaws and may be naïve or idealistic, but I feel I’m on to something.
There needs to be a TF-er at every home show in America educating people and letting them know that there’s something way better out there, and that it isn’t unattainable, if you just wake up and smell the fresh cut pine.
Respectfully,
Jordan
So that takes me to my third and most upsetting observation that I realize, when out doing some marketing at home shows and historic shows; which is; PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT TIMBER-FRAMING EVEN EXISTS! Let’s face it, although there’s been this revival, the only people that know about it are the ones that care and appreciate how a home or building is built, which is, I’d say, about 17.8% of the American population, if that. The other 82.2% don’t care, rationalizing, “I live in my house, I don’t care if it lasts hundreds of years, I don’t care if it doesn’t inspire me, and I don’t care if it looks like every other one in this development, it keeps me dry and relatively warm, so I’m happy.”
Nobody knows that there’s something better. When I demonstrate a frame somewhere, I get three common comments; 1.“My grandpa had a barn just like this, with the wooden pegs and everything.” 2. “Wow, now that’s a nice log cabin!” (HATE THAT ONE), and lastly and finally getting me to my point, they say wide eyed, 3). “Wow, what is this? What’s it for? Can you build a house this way? And to that I scream, “YES! You can build the most amazing house in your neighborhood this way!
The only thing that that majority of people out there know about building a home is that it takes lots of 2x6’s, OSB sheets, cement blocks, drywall, and vinyl siding. They are bound and restricted to that aesthetic, and they don’t even know it. Maybe some of them do know about “log cabins” and say “that’s too rustic”, and there are some more discerning that know about timber-framing, and immediately, of course, they reply “I can’t afford that.” And honestly, most of them that want 3000-3,500 sq.ft. can’t, but could they if they go for timber-framed 2,000 sq.ft. and sacrifice size with a conventional for character and efficiency with a TF?
This is getting long and I apologize, but stay with me for we’re coming full circle here. What I’m getting at is this; If there were more timber-frame companies out there, and timber-framing was being tossed around with the same frequency and in the same conversations that conventional was, an increased amount of smarter and better quality homes would be being built.
Now you may be thinking, "Did he say more TF companies? wait, that's competition, and I don't want that. (not meaning you Ted, but any TF-er) But I ask, what if the mainstream housing market is now considering timber framing right alongside conventional building? I believe that you'll soon be ordering some more mortisers.
Maybe my thinking is off, but I believe that a SIMPLE, cost effective common rafter/mid-span plate home, or even your principle rafter frame, is so much more beautiful than the most complex 2x6 built house out there. I think the answer to...
“…developing ways to make high quality, energy efficient homes affordable for those with limited financial means. ~T.B.” is the *price difference*, that there is in cost from gaudy, complex, inefficient, oversized conventional building; compared to practical, simple, efficient, beautiful TF construction.
I could easily go on and further support these points,getting into how a hopefully soon,turned around economy will foster this movement, but this comment has already become a dissertation. Thanks to anyone who suffered through it. I’m sure my thoughts have their flaws and may be naïve or idealistic, but I feel I’m on to something.
There needs to be a TF-er at every home show in America educating people and letting them know that there’s something way better out there, and that it isn’t unattainable, if you just wake up and smell the fresh cut pine.
Respectfully,
Jordan
Jordan,
Awesome, I'm not as fanatical as you but I certainly enjoy the methodology and idea behind the timber frame. Building the Timber Frame House is one of my favorite reference books. In Colorado I've seen only one locally manufactured house. That certainly doesn't mean there aren't more out there. My modularized system relies heavly on a timber frame for structural loads and on sips for lateral loads but it also uses methods of balloon framing. Hopefully, these ideas will garner support as people evaluate the impact there decisions are having on the future and enviroment.
James
Awesome, I'm not as fanatical as you but I certainly enjoy the methodology and idea behind the timber frame. Building the Timber Frame House is one of my favorite reference books. In Colorado I've seen only one locally manufactured house. That certainly doesn't mean there aren't more out there. My modularized system relies heavly on a timber frame for structural loads and on sips for lateral loads but it also uses methods of balloon framing. Hopefully, these ideas will garner support as people evaluate the impact there decisions are having on the future and enviroment.
James
