Introduction
A house is an extension of our body. A home is a house that fits us. If we’re lucky, we get to build or remodel our home and experience living in a new way.
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
— Little Gidding, The Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot
A house is an extension of our body. A home is a house that fits us.
The structural frame is an extension of our skeleton, holding matter aloft to create space. The walls are an extension of our skin, giving us protection and comfort. The plumbing is an extension of our digestive system, washing us and receiving our waste. The ventilation is an extension of our respiratory system, renewing and conditioning the air we breathe. The electrical system is an extension of our nervous system, lighting and animating our spaces.
When all of these systems work — when, like our bodies, they are healthy — they are quiet. It is only when they fail that we notice their presence, and learn how they work.
A house can contain any combination of these systems. A home is a place where that combination feels so naturally like an extension of our bodies that there is a quiet joy in simply being in their embrace.
Occasionally, if we’re so lucky, we get to perform surgery upon this extended body or build a new one from scratch.
We call this surgery “homebuilding” and our surgeons “homebuilders.” When the surgery is successful, we are given the space to become someone new.
No matter where you are in the process, you can use these guides to navigate, avoid pitfalls, and look ahead at future challenges. Start from the beginning, jump in the middle, or hop around and explore whatever piques your interest. Like a house, you’ve walked through the front door and are free to explore.
See something missing that you’d like to have added to the guides? Send me a quick message.