It's Time for Timeless Designs

 

 

Are you planning to build a new home soon? Times of change like this seem to make design decisions more difficult. But, the trick is to try to build something that's timeless.

In 1956, my parents hired a wrecking crew to knock down an old Victorian home. They built a Ranch style house in its place. Today, people seek out Victorian homes to restore, but back then they were just way out of fashion. They were the old haunted houses in spooky movies. My folks built a house that looked new, in the latest style and with the latest technology. At the flick of a switch, our garage doors rolled down to protect the new Bel Aire, tail fins and all.

Forty six years later, when my folks sold their dream home, the new owners knocked it down to build a McMansion.

It seems like such a waste for a home to last just a generation or two. Good homes should last for centuries. That Victorian could have been restored back then. The Ranch was solid. My parents built it well. The problem was simply that both houses went out of style. Because they were the height of fashion in their day, they looked old and out of date when their day passed. They were bloomers and poodle shirts - fashions just waiting to go out of fashion.

Now, Mini Mansions are out of style too. Yes, quite a few are still under construction, and a few stragglers will still be started. But, the watch is on to see who will build the very last one. It's inevitable. McMansions are the physical embodiment of the irrational way that we built over the last dozen or so years. They are too big; they are too high; they have too many rooms; they have too many gables. Whatever style becomes popular next will be very different. Homes will be smaller, more sensible, simpler, more efficient and less stylish.

How do I know? Well, I don't of course. But, history tells us that eras of excess in house building are usually followed by periods of building simpler homes. And, the great thing is that more classic, less trendy homes are the ones that hold their appeal and value over time. The same neighborhood that my family lived in is filled with farmhouses and colonials built before that old Victorian. Colonial revival designs and Cape Cod cottages, built before our Ranch, dot the same block. Those homes still look great and serve their owners well. They'll be there for a long, long time.

Are you planning to build a new home soon? Times of change like this seem to make design decisions more difficult. But, the trick is to try to build something that's timeless. Just remember that what comes next is usually very much like what came before. You've heard of "comfort food." The next popular house style will be a "comfort home." You won't be far off if you try to build something that fits with your neighborhood's architectural or vernacular tradition. To find it, just drive around and take note of the oldest homes that appeal to you and seem right for their setting. Look for materials and details that hold up to your weather. Look for homes that seem as if they've always been there. Now, find or design a home plan like that. Not as exciting as your neighbor's Faux Chateau? That's all right. You'll get to miss out on the excitement of a wrecking crew too.

Don Berg

The Backroad Home