Book Review: A Carpenter's Life: As Told by Houses by Larry Haun

I just finished a book written by a highly skilled builder (who sadly is no longer with us) named Larry Haun. It’s called, simply, A Carpenter’s Life as Told By Houses. From the perspective of a builder, seasoned or new to the craft, there’s plenty to be gleaned from his commentary on method and various structure. For gardeners, those that love the planet and worry about our use of its resources and small house/sustainable living fans, there’s also much to keep the reader engaged.

Larry Haun was born in 1931 and grew up in rural western Nebraska. He offers many interesting reflections on growing up in an uninsulated wood framed house out on the plains (think COLD and WINDY!) and takes the reader on a journey through recent era architecture that is quite illuminating. While a lot of us are familiar with at least a few building techniques, including styles as far apart as straw bale and regular light frame construction, few of us have hands on experience with “soddy” buildings, pit houses, quonset huts, or genuine adobe. Getting a look into what these building styles offer and how they are created is one great reason to read this book. Larry’s gentle style and rambling story telling fashion will probably keep you hooked. The erudition in this volume is experiential and shared in frank fashion. I enjoyed it and was surprised by how non-dry it was.

I was also impressed by the range of Mr. Haun’s experience. How many people do you know who can claim experience building a pit house with friends of the family on the Nebraska plains, quonset huts on Greenland during the Korean War, adobe houses with friends in New Mexico, and was also a part of the huge transition during the Southern California building boom that commenced in the middle of the 20th century. Larry speaks with precision about all the little changes that were involved in the move from customized building that took a crew about a year to accomplish (the kind of building I’ve had some experience with) and the streamlined, subcontractor-centric version that has come to be the norm. Larry details little time saving tool developments in layout, marking and structure that people of a certain age (like me and many others) wouldn’t even think about, having never known the “old way.” A single case in point was his mention of the folding rule. I’ve come to know the folding rule because Shawn uses one at times, especially in areas where he needs to get measurements in between spaces where a tape might not offer enough precision. Imagine my surprise when Mr. Haun mentioned, casually, that the amount of time saved by a builder using the newly introduced retractable tapes vs. the old folding rules added up not just to a minute or two of saved time, but hours over the course of a job. I’d never thought of it in those terms. And there are other interesting insights made by this person of much experience, one more surprise being his emphasis of how much better even basic buildings are today than they were when he grew up on the Plains. His love of insulation, air sealing and concurrent use of least toxic materials in buildings evidences his understanding of houses as a whole, rather than bits and pieces, and reminds the reader that a house is meant to be built for humans and not just for profit.

Along the way, there are numerous rambles and diversions that I suppose might drive you nuts if you were expecting a cut and dry treatise on particular building methods. But this book is as much a ramble as an introduction to styles; while Haun has written much more precisely about technique and method in other books and DVD’s this book is ruminative, sometimes a little sad, always thoughtfully engaged and evidently grateful in perspective. You get a great feel for the author and I ended the book feeling like if I’d lived in the same town as he, we might have been friends. At least, I like to think so! I also had the sense of a younger person listening to an older person speak and garnering the gifts of perspective that come with that. The book is full of casual insights that are of great interest to the reader but were just a part of growing up for Mr. Haun. For example, he shares an incredible story of his mother standing up to the “local chapter” of the KKK in his tiny town in Nebraska (the family was Catholic and hence incurred the wrath of this backwards group). But the other aspect of interest in this related story was the firmness with which Haun could at once note the horrible aspects of the group’s behavior while also noting that their town was so small that it was easy to tell the klansmen by their shoes, though they saw fit to hide their faces. I suppose he learned this skill of a firm opinion bolstered by wide perspective from his mother, who arrived next day at the local cafe where the perpetrators were dining and hit them with a newspaper and issue a stern warning not to mess with her family again. Thankfully, not many people have this experience nowadays, but it’s worth noting how an this impressed itself upon the author as a child and led him to grow up into a proper human, knowing right from wrong.

I should not give the impression, either, that the book is all about diversions. While there’s social commentary in varying forms (especially concerning our depressingly casual disregard for the planet and all of us living things upon it) throughout, the book really does illuminate the basics of myriad building styles and some of the associated drawbacks and benefits to them. For example, the table of contents includes the soddy, the straw bale, the dugout, quonset, pre-cut and tract house. There are a few others in there as well and builders of even the most basic knowledge level will appreciate the comments about building technique included that indicate a full understanding of the process from foundation work to flooring choices.

Mr. Haun has had first hand experience with all of it. His meditative commentary reveals a truly well experienced person…who grew up in hardscrabble times on the unforgiving Nebraska Plains (pre-electrification and grocery store!), and traveled, in his days, to Mexico, the Philippines, Greenland and Canada (during his war time service) ending up in Southern California before making his way up the coast to Coos Bay, OR where he retired into work for Habitat for Humanity and the pursuit of good gardening with his grandchildren. Does he have interesting insights? You bet!

I loved this book. There’s something, truly, to appeal to everyone. I enjoyed the non pedantic presentation of building facts, history and just general observation of human behavior. I enjoyed feeling a harmony with the author as he talked about why he admired small houses and simplicity rather than the giant mega mansions that we unfortunately see too many of (and at great cost). I enjoyed his memories of family, tales of life on the range (really!) and his first hand accounts of the incredible changes that were already mostly accomplished by the time I was born. There’s a lot to learn about much more than building in this book, and I’m glad the author chose to share.

If you get a chance to read this one, I highly recommend it. It should leave you with a smile. And an appreciation for insulated houses!

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How About that Old Time Architecture?! Thoughts on Ancestral Puebloan Architecture in Mesa Verde, CO

Time’s Tide…The Spectrum of Architecture at Mesa Verde

We are recently returned from a wonderful fall trip that took us to several National Parks in Utah, California and Colorado. A highlight of the trip was a long anticipated visit to Southern Colorado to see Mesa Verde National Park, a site showcasing not only the breathtaking geology of the Colorado Plateau, but the incredible preserved architecture of the Ancestral Puebloans, descendants of whom today still live throughout the Southwest and are represented by Hopi, Zuni, Acoma and others.

Anyone who has been to archaeological sites in the Four Corners region know how breathtaking and humbling it can be to see so much evidence of advanced culture spread out before them. It was my first time, and I came as a visitor with a strong interest in building and architecture and with no especial background in archaeology (except for a well developed sense of curiosity and wonder). I spent quite a bit of time at the sites imagining (and marveling over) the construction and development of the clearly advanced building skills that housed people in a generally harsh climate. I noted changes in technology that allowed for more functional heating (the introduction of a draft chamber to help the fires heat more effectively, for example), for the construction of watering systems (reservoirs and catchment systems) that allowing more controlled agriculture. Even the incorporation of window and door headers allowing for stacked construction could be seen very clearly, as though on a timeline of progress writ large. Seeing architecture go from the invisible history of nomadic life to tangible archaeological history represented by stone ruins proving settled life was simply incredible.

Using Local Materials in Architecture - The Oldest Rule

Mesa Verde is probably best known for the many examples of cliff dwellings that are well preserved there. The buildings are in difficult to reach areas and thanks to that, at least in part, were well preserved over the years as they escaped the eyes of would be vandals and do not appear to have been consistently re-inhabited after the last of the Ancestral Puebloans left (for reasons still not fully understood but at least partly relating to population and climatic changes). The cliff dwellings are absolutely breathtaking to behold (bring binoculars, they will afford you wonderful viewing whether or not you are able to get in on the Ranger led tours which fill quickly and are only available seasonally). There are numerous other examples of earlier architecture in the area, ranging from pit houses to partially above ground dwellings as well as evidence of advanced water collection systems and a well developed society with religious and community dwellings (again, some of the significance and meaning behind these structures remains obscure) evident in abundance. How exciting it was to walk in the early morning quiet among all of this. We traveled during the off season and the cold clear mornings were wonderful for exploring without the push and shove of crowds. A walk through the Far View Sites and other points of interest (the self guided Petroglyph Point interpretive trail is my highest recommendation!) exemplified to us all sorts of architecture from various eras of habitation. Everything from pit houses to multi-storey square towers built into cliff walls with hand and footholds carved in to the rock for access and egress could be witnessed first hand in a relatively small park area. Not only this, guided walking and driving tours made it possible to learn a bit about all the subtle changes in architecture that came in between “covered pits” and three storey buildings with kitchens, storage areas and areas perhaps exclusively meant for communal gatherings.

What all of this evidence pointed to, from a building perspective alone, was the required sensitivity to locally available materials (limited use of wood, lots of stone) and awareness of seasonal changes (south facing structures to pick up heat and light as well as borrow heat from cliffside and earthen thermal mass, cliff overhangs also provided shelter from rainfall). Elevation, even, was obviously and not so obviously taken into consideration. High, hard to access dwellings surely provided safety, but much of the Ancestral Puebloans food was grown directly overhead the cliff dwellings, where rain was more plentiful and temperatures more favorable to dryland agriculture. No grocery stores for a quick fill in, and crop failures would have been catastrophic rather than something to perhaps make our favorite foods more pricey than we’d like. Truly, Mesa Verde National Park is a fascinating, humbling and gratitude inducing place to visit!

Lessons from the Past with Pressing Implications

It seems to me that the lesson I most took away from the visit, in terms of architecture (as opposed to archaeology or cultural history, about which I know just the interesting bits I learned at the park) is that all of us humans build what we need with what we have, at least to start. As those two basic ingredients are met, we add new things…perhaps we add in safety (sounds better than defense), proximity to other members of our family, group, clan, tribe etc. Then might come things that reflect our commitment to things beyond the basics…pursuit of artistic crafts, development of technology, and spirituality become evidenced in the record. First, basic needs are met and then the layering begins as we augment and make our housing more homelike. We do have the option to go bananas (and some might say that we have, with our in house movie theaters, climbing walls, etc.) but it may not be our best choice of material usage.

It’s interesting to note, as well, as you almost instantly will if you visit any site that has clearly been abandoned and not taken over by new folks, that our housing depends on our landscape from start to finish, once to get us off the ground by providing raw material for construction and throughout the life process to keep us in food, beauty, accessibility, and other provisions. It’s not clear what combination of factors forced the abandonment of Mesa Verde by the Ancestral Puebloans, but in our current era of changing climate and the things that may or may not come along with that in terms of agricultural viability, water availability and the safety that comes from just implicitly understanding what to expect in terms of weather, it’s an interesting point of comparison.

What would cause you to leave your home? I gave this a lot of thought at Mesa Verde looking at the beautiful and durable architecture that wasn’t enough to stave off abandonment when more pressing issues came a knocking…I have given this further thought reading of the horrible wildfires that have caused such displacement and destruction in California, especially the most recent Camp Fire still claiming lives and livelihoods in Northern California. In seeing archaeology in person, evidence of our long history on this planet, I found it humbling to be reminded that change can occur (suddenly or otherwise) and our well laid plans, despite forethought, artistry and consummate skill, cannot protect us from every event. It made me wonder what steps I could take to keep sustainability in mind during all of our building processes. I know I can’t foresee every event, but surely the lessons left by ancestral humans from every background have teaching power still. It’s good and proper to be inspired!

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So You Want to Build Your Own House But...

Do You Have What it Takes to Build Your Own House?

At this point in our lives, almost incredibly, Shawn and I have built four houses together, plus a tiny house on wheels and a pretty gucci garage that we lump together and call a “house” worth of work. It had to start somewhere, and people sometimes ask us about our beginnings, since we aren’t contractors but love to build.

We started our “building career” by building a tiny chicken house in our backyard. BTW, that chicken house failed “inspection” by the young girl we were buying our chickens from. She took a look at it and with the worldly wisdom of an eight year old with lots of chicken raising experience pronounced it too small for comfortable chicken habitation. It’s the only building inspection we’ve ever flunked! We re-built it. True story. We also built a couple of small and mid sized outbuildings before thinking that we could absolutely build a house. A carpenter gave us a tutorial on one of the outbuildings and we’d learned plenty about remodeling, framing and basic structure while bringing our first house up to standards.

If anyone were to ask what I think made us succeed in our building endeavors, I’d list the following. We are self motivated and autodidactic, not afraid to ask lots of questions, largely humble, fairly patient, will go back and fix our mistakes even when it’s irritating to do so, and are willing to read plenty from the library or online to increase our knowledge. This particular cocktail of traits, I think, have been valuable assets in becoming successful at building. Add into that the mix our love of hard work, being outside and being self directed and it’s a good recipe.

A small collection of decent tools will also help whether purchased, borrowed or rented. It’s easy to get caught up in the marketing, but attention to detail makes you a good builder, not owning every tool under the sun. Our first two and a half homes were hand spiked…we didn’t get a pneumatic nailer till the Island House build. That isn’t to suggest that some tools won’t make your life easier, only to say, don’t feel you need a house sized budget for tool purchases in order to build.

What Does “I’m Building My Own House” Mean to You?

What else should you consider before undertaking a build? Well, consider how you define the process to start. To elucidate…after we built for the first time, we met lots of people who had done the same, to varying degrees. By this I mean that we met some people for whom “building their own home” meant hiring a GC and paying all the bills…no more and no less. This approach doesn’t eliminate the stresses or thrills of the build, so if that’s your definition, don’t be shy about it. Hiring a construction firm, a GC or even undertaking to be your own GC are all viable approaches to building and might be your best bet, especially if you aren’t technical, confident or flush with time. This approach also works well if you’ve got more money than time. A crew will work efficiently and effectively and will sometimes also make allowances for people who want, for example, a home framed and closed in for them and to take over the finishing work. There’s a rainbow of options out there. So if you are a skilled tile worker or want to do your own painting, flooring, or what have you…you can opt to just take on this part of the job and will still have put some sweat and hard work into building your own home.

I think this is fairly obvious, but I mention it because sometimes people approach home building as though only skilled tradespeople or absolute DIYers can build homes. It was an astonishing insight to me when, halfway through our first ever build, it occurred to me that Shawn and I were just doing the thing that humans have been doing since the beginning of our times…providing ourselves shelter against the elements. A cave or a sod home, a pitched tent or a 5,000 square foot palace…these are all iterations of our need to have shelter from the storms, built with varying degrees of skill. The reason this little thought was so empowering to me, though, is that it enabled me to see that the desire to build, the ability to build, is something all humans have. We can hone our works by learning specialized skills or following the requirements for our areas, but the ability and need to provide ourselves with shelter is already there..

Which leads me to wind up this casually thoughtful blog post…what you need most to build your own house, however hands on about it you choose to be, is the impetus and motivation. It takes some money, but not necessarily a colossal budget. You can (and really should) allow your budget of money, time, materials and skill to help shape your project. Allowing this to happen will go a ways toward ensuring a build without crazy stress on your shoulders (because building also has this aspect to it). If you can conceive of the project from start to finish from there you can get a bead on costs and projected time to completion.

The Answer is Always Yes

There’s no one size fits all answer to whether or not you can build your own house. The answer is always yes in the sense that there’s a way for any project to be done. At one end of the spectrum, money will suffice to do the whole thing without lifting a finger. At the other end of the spectrum, if you can find a place to build, you can take as long as you need with some consideration and do all the work yourself for the least amount of money. It’s a choose your own adventure sort of thing and if the bug stays with you long enough, you’ll probably chart your home building path sooner or later!

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New house plan released: Plan No. 64 - The Loft House

Plan No. 64 - The Loft House

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