rfuller

Hi Bob! Thanks for doing this AMA.

I grew up watching This Old House with my grandpa in the 80’s. You sparked my passion for houses, which lead to my degree in Architecture and my career as a homebuilder. I actually cited this on my Architecture application.

By and large, houses have become commodities and ceased to be homes built by craftsmen. Tract builders view them as a way to sell land. Financial institutions view them as the collateral basis for mortgage backed securities. Everything is distilled down to the cheapest, most efficient method, which rarely requires skilled labor.

In my own practice, I only use skilled labor, proper materials (e.g. stucco instead of EIFS), and I build the homes to last more than a lifetime. I design the plans specifically for the client and the lot. I treat each house as the client’s home, dreams, and primary financial investment. I do this with all houses, starter homes up to mansions. But I’m in the minority. A tiny, tiny minority.

That being said, how can we bring back the craftsman?

Unfortunately I am not. BUT I know there are some great builders down there who do what I do. We are a rare and quickly dying breed, but I'm hoping this idea grows legs like the local/organic food movement has in the past 10 years.

Texas.

THIS. Exactly this. I serve on the VoTech board for a local school district for this exact reason.

I rant about this all the time. Some of the older framers in our area actually had degrees in physics. Those guys helped me through statics when I was in college. By the time I got out, paid my dues, and started building on my own, those guys were gone. Just like u/gibsonblues said, they literally just hand an illegal a hammer.

I see this thing happening the same way the organic/local movement arose in the wake of factory farming. I often joke about building local, organic, artisanal houses. Sure, it sounds like a joke off of Portlandia, but that's really what I'm trying to achieve.

I also feel like HGTV had the potential to do this, but it has been squandered on DIY projects, unreasonable time/budget makeover shows, and the litany of real estate shows. Food Network pulled it off with the way Americans cook. 15 years ago most people had never heard of brining a turkey. Now I'm building houses with places for their Sous Vide basins.

Not only could I rant on this for days, I actually give a damn. These are people's homes. This is where they live there life. Where they come home. Where children's memories are made. This is their sanctuary. I understand the tract builders knocking out starter homes at bottom dollar. That serves a purpose. I get that. And I don't chide them for that. Where I take issue is when they start putting up 3,500sf house and then you've got this race to the bottom for price per square foot. Then the craftsmen are the first things to go. The craftsmen are out of work (or out of money from undercutting one another) and the homes have become these shells of mass production that look just like every other house on the block, but with different brick, different carpet, and different paint colors.

And don't get me started on what the spec market did to residential architecture. I could write volumes on the ills of picking a floor plan from a book.

EDIT: Always re-read before posting a passionate rant.