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PROJECT GROWING UP - RETHINKING THE BASICS

Rethinking the Basics

The figures are already beginning to look threatening. It is now about 25% above our initial budget and we have not even factored in the Architect's professional fees, soft furnishings and my dream kitchen...

Time to ditch my initial wish list and start all over again. 

Part of the joy of being involved in yet another project is that it gives me a whole new purpose and focus, lifting me out of the predictability of everyday mundaneness. Books have begun flying off the shelves from the libraries - I can borrow up to 20 books at one go  ( for those who are interested in the math - it's 4 x 2 for me, as a Passion Card member, plus 4 x every other member of the Sim household )

One of the gems I happened to stumble upon is this book - compulsory reading for every potential home rebuilder, also known as " What Architects do not normally tell you."

Here are some excerpts which should translate into dollars saved.

Hallmarks of the Simple House

"Regardless of style and setting, the simple home can simplify its owners' lives by offering the right amount of space in a functional arrangement. The following qualities are found in most simple homes:
- The floor plan and form are straightforward
- Its style, be it modern or traditional, is timeless.
- Interiors are functional, human-scaled, uncomplicated,light filled, and open.
- Rooms serve more than one function
- The design expresses a beauty in practicality
- Siting and room layouts offer excellent natural light and ventilation
- Details and finishes tend to be simple and unadorned
- Storage is well located and often built in to minimize free standing furniture."

That, effectively, puts most of what I was trying to communicate with the Architect, but not in the most coherent of terms. Or, was it what Mr Y was subtly hinting at....

In another excerpt from this illuminating book, it quotes philosopher Gaston Bachelard from his book " The Poetics of Space"...
" The home is a place that shelters dreaming." " He meant that the homes that nurture us are not fortresses of exclusion, but rather clearings in a busy world that help us to dream new ideas and to be creative in our own way. That's the greatest gift of the simple home. It's not the style or "design" , but how we end up living and growing there that matters. A home is simply beautiful not so much for how it first appears, but for what the people who live there can become."

I can now recall Mr Y saying that a house is "organic", and is meant to evolve over time. So this is what he was trying to convey to me in "architect speak" earlier, with the minimalist style applied to words. 

On this journey, I am beginning to evolve as well, by discarding old mindsets, and discovering a new way of "seeing", of "envisioning", of reduction of non-essentials to the fundamentals. 

From the start, when we moved into this house, fresh air and sunshine were certainly not freely available. This is the bane of a short intermediate terrace surrounded by taller neighbours. Our bedroom windows were perpetually shut out with blinds to preserve privacy, and the dark interior was  supplemented with all forms of artificial lighting.

Yes, there is nothing we want more now, starting from a clean slate, than fresh air from good cross ventilation, natural light, and to be able to look out of our windows for a decent view.


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