Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Make No Small Plans


When Helena and I decided to build a house here in the Dry Creek Valley we gave brief consideration to making a building that was comfortable, affordable, and mildly challenging, but something about this recipe just didn’t sit right with me.  I saw our life style, our property, and our practice were notable accomplishments and this recipe seemed too mild, too much like milk and toast.  When I asked Helena what she thought she quoted Chicago architect Daniel Burnham: “Make no small plans”…and so here we are.  Our idea is rather than build something we know we can achieve, we’ll build something out there near the limits of our capabilities.  These capabilities are certainly being tested, but at least we are experiencing the rewards and pains of striving to work up to our potential.  I am not adverse to dealing with challenges and I think Helena knew what she was doing when she married me.

 
The crane in the photos is in the process of setting two large glulam beams, three steel moment frames, and ten log columns.  Some of the logs have little notching, but the two living room logs notch around a number of girts and rafters as shown in this isometric drawing.