My new book comes out on March 14. Based on dozens of homeowner and architect interviews during the pandemic, the book provides a revealing look at the deep connections between owners and their homes, an important issue in these times when people are staying longer in their homes. With some foresight, homes can be designed […]
Old Trade Editor Refuses to Part with ‘Priceless’ Tchotchke
Boyce Thompson admits that his house is a mess. Closets, drawers, and bookcases are overflowing with paraphernalia left over from his days as a business press editor. But he refuses to part with any of it, even things of little to no sentimental value. “It’s all I have left from the good old days,” says […]
Springfield Residents Prepare for Ratmageddon
When can we expect the nearby Westbard development to unleash an army of rats on the neighborhood? That’s the question on the minds of many Springfield neighborhood residents these days. Polly Gist, a spokesperson for the development, says Springfield should expect only incremental increases in the rodent population. “It’s not like an army will descend […]
The Robie House: The First Modern Family Home
The best way to experience the Frederick C. Robie House — Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterwork near the campus of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park, Ill. — may be to go back in time. Imagine yourself in evening attire standing outside an ornately detailed Victorian home at the turn of the 20th century. You […]
Grim Lessons from Tornado Alley
I detoured from a business trip this fall to travel through parts of Tornado Alley, which extends from North Texas through South Dakota. Big twisters seem to touch down there with alarming frequency, causing major building damage and heart-wrenching loss of life. I wanted to see how homeowners and builders there have responded; how they […]
How Windows Perform in Hurricanes
The United States gets hit by roughly the same number of hurricanes each year. But they are growing in intensity, thanks to higher level of moisture in the lower atmosphere. In 2017, two Category 4 hurricanes struck U.S. shores. The next year, Michael made landfall along the Gulf of Mexico with Category 5 force with […]
How to Pick the Right Builder
The most important decision you make when building a new home is selecting your builder. Nothing can make or break the home-building experience like the builder you choose. Some people spend years in their new house cursing a builder who cut corners or cost them a fortune by failing to do things right the first […]
Add an Accessory Apartment to Your Home
There are many reasons why it makes sense to plan for an accessory apartment if you building a new home. It provides unrivaled flexibility while your family is living in the house. If you don’t use the apartment for your family — for say, an in-law or boomerang child — you can rent it to […]
Comparing the Average House Today to Those of Yore
The median size of a new home in the U.S. now stands at a record 2,435 square feet, almost 1,000 square feet bigger than in 1973. You could almost fit a second house into 1,000 square feet, though it would have to a small one. The data comes to us from the U.S. Census, which […]
How To Reduce Your Phantom Power Consumption
When your TV, computer, cellphone charger, and other appliances are plugged in, they are quietly using electricity. The federal government estimates that phantom power consumption accounts for 5 to 10 percent of residential energy use, costing the average household $100 per year. Because I test most the products in the exhibit at home, my “useless” […]