I have a few thoughts to put down regarding long houses. I seem to have designed many long houses. I am currently working on a simple /not simple square house that is quite fun inside and out but why do I keep reaching for long houses?
I walk into our woods every morning with Abigail the dog. She is 13 and losing strength and balance (and bowel control) and there will be a period of time when I will not be able to leave her alone here at home. I have been in this place before with a beloved dog. I am thankful for the type of work I do that allows me to be a caregiver. On these morning wanderings I try to work on posture, mental clarity and planning my day. A few times per week I follow it up with a strength workout in the barn to combat the effects of osteoporosis which is apparently an unfortunate result of all the chemotherapy I had a few years ago. Sometimes I think in more poetic terms and write thoughts down when I return from the walk and feed Abby her breakfast. I rarely show those to anyone. Usually I try to set a list of tasks to focus on. It works better for me than sitting down in front of a computer and diving in and seems healthier than doomscrolling.
Over the past few months my thoughts turned to what attracts me to long houses. I think the number one idea is that it is easier to zone a small to medium size house if it is stretched out. Private to social with the main bedroom(s) tucked off at one end. I have lived with kids in a small home for almost 19 years. Quiet can be difficult to come by. Currently my 13 year old is teaching himself guitar. In the middle of the night. Which is not so bad. Could have been drums or bagpipes.
I also like the structural simplicity of a narrow section. An 18 foot wide house can be constructed very simply and perhaps lends itself to owner/builder projects without a large crew to rely on. It’s also nice to not work on siding 35’ up on staging.
I am drawn to the simple designs I see -on Pinterest mostly -from out of Northern Europe and Japan and places where houses that overly reference the past with plastic clapboards and divided light windows and lawyer foyers in an overly (I’m going to say fake here until I can think of a better way to say it) manner. The simple material and site based modernism speaks to me. Craftsmanship should not be hidden behind plastic finishes. Quality is job one and the builders I work with regularly live up to that. To create a home that works with the site, environment and function in a quiet peaceful manner is usually my ultimate goal in any design.
Of course there is always the high performance aspect of things. That’s a given.
20x50 Sugar Bush House. Photo by Lindsay Selin
A disadvantage of long houses I suppose would be a higher surface area to floor area ratio. this effects efficiency. Easily balanced out in my opinion.
An advantage is letting natural light reach deeper through the house.
A long house is not right for every site and I’m more inclined to respect context when working on a small lot in an old neighborhood.
Cover of the “Pretty Good House” book
Today it is raining for the first time time in a long time. Hot and dry is a bit scary when you live off on a back road in Vermont. Wells dry up, gardens are not happy, lawns are brown and the risk of forest fire increases greatly. I have a little plastic pool out by the small pond full of rescued tadpoles from when the pond dried up – thanks Sara and Ari for diving into that project. Somewhat literally. A side note; parts of our forest have been decimated by Beech leaf Disease. It is very sad.
In any case, I’m still here. putzing away and doing good work for and with good people. Stay tuned. I’ll try to put together an update on all the projects I am working on. They are all very good and exciting projects if not that long.
Bob
