The Yule Blog

I’ve been trying to encapsulate my design style, philosophy, etc. in a paragraph or two then give it a title of some type. The best I’ve come up with thus far is “comprehensive design”. I really want to stress a “whole” house design approach that addresses clients needs while educating them on what I think a house should be. I’ve chosen the word “warm”, Susanka uses the the term “shelter”. And though there is a commonality that may run through different styles, applying a base set of principles, it can take on different flavors for each owner.

I’ve distilled the result of a comprehensive design to “value”. My definition of value, with regard to house design, has three components: efficiency, durability, and quality. Efficiency includes considerations for the site, building layout, spaces and connections, use of materials and resources, cost and labor. Two major aspects of durability, at least as far as materials, are longevity and sustainability, but durability may also refer to timeless style or flexible floor plans. Finally, quality (being the most ambiguous component) could easily be misconstrued to mean the best - most expensive - of everything. It ’s more about proper usage or making the most of whatever the scenario is. It is relevant to not only the materials, but to the created space itself, the way the building works with the site, the indoor air and the systems that are part of the construction and operation of the home.

The big buzz word now is “green” and many are just installing new systems or using different materials to meet some guidelines for energy and materials usage. I hesitate to limit efficiency to merely how much energy is used to heat or cool a home. What good is it to build a “green” home that is just plain ugly and will be torn down in 30 years when styles change? That’s where durability comes in. That’s why a comprehensive solution is needed - something well-thought out that has value beyond the energy it does or does not use.