Built To Last

camellia house for a king

It is the usual old-man grumble "In my day we built things to last...now things are made like crap so you have to replace them all the time." Yet, isn't it true? Cheap and dirty is such a false economy, but one that is hard not to fall for sometimes. When I walked through this beautiful building called the "camellia house" at Culzean Castle in Scotland, I couldn't help but feel awe that this building is now over a hundred years old, a building for housing and protecting a collection of camellias, built with infinite care, attention to detail, built of stone and metal and glass.

A building like this requires upkeep. The windows must be painted periodically to keep them from rusting, the wood parts must be conditioned, you can't just let it go or like all things on earth nature will reclaim her bits and pieces. These are things you wouldn't bother with if you had a fiberglass or plastic building. When companies claim that their product will last 25 years I read into that that the product might last 25 years but it will look 25 years old within the first couple of years. Hardwood floors age so much better than carpet, they take nicks and scratches and form a lovely aged patina of wear; the color darkens over time and gets warmer. Yet people still lay out their wall to wall because it's cheaper in the short term. Most of them are made of materials that, if you read anything about them, are pretty creepy and are helping to destroy the air in the making.

Ever since we've owned our own home and talked with others about home maintenance, and gone through the process of buying and selling homes a few times so have seen what is out there in our part of the world, I have found myself vastly annoyed by the assumption that what I really want in a house and yard is "low (or no) maintenance". Houses with vinyl siding that you "never" have to replace or repaint, aluminum windows, wall to wall carpeting, and concrete gardens dotted with juniper.

Energy saving is such a concern that everyone is replacing beautiful old windows with vinyl double paned. I understand why, but to me it is destroying something that should be preserved with love and care. Our house in Santa Rosa had so many gorgeous windows in it, all original and single paned, multi lights from floor to ceiling that let in light and framed the gorgeous sycamores outside our windows. All the glazing was shot when we bought the house and the first winter there were lots of leaks.

I learned to replace the glazing on the windows from a master and started repairing them. In the end we got them all fixed at once after the attic fire, but I was proud of the fact that I had learned to do it. I was proud of the fact that I had preserved the craftsmanship that went into the original windows. To keep old windows means you need to help keep energy in the house in other ways like have lovely insulated curtains on large windows. You can make them yourself. You can also fit them with paper or fabric blinds that fit snugly across them to help keep warmth in.

There is going to be lots to do on our current house. We can't afford to do anything right now so some of its issues will deepen a bit before we get to them. However, I am so happy to live in this well built home. There aren't a lot of pretty windows like I had before but they are still mostly original and let in pretty light which makes me happy.

I would like to build a green house out of old multi-light windows. Something that could be reglazed occasionally to preserve its integrity. My friend Sharon built one that is so charming, so sweet, and wonderful to sit in. It looks like a little synagogue. She is the one that showed me the potential to turn old windows into something new, useful, and beautiful.

I think it's time for all of us to return to the habit of making things to last out of materials that don't pollute the earth when they are done with their life of usefulness to us humans. It makes me sick to think of all the acrylic carpeting not disintegrating in the landfills. I think it's time that we save to buy good quality things rather that rush to buy crap. It's time to make more things ourselves as well. When we can.

As I work more and more hours I remember how hard it is to lead a good quality life when both partners in a family are working and no one is home making the good food, cleaning, gardening, building. All of these things add so much to a family's quality of living. How incredible it would be if all the two income family's who are doing well enough decide to stop chasing money and have someone stay home! Even part time is better than no time. So many people don't have a choice and I really feel for them. Sometimes though, we have a choice-we just don't see it. If you are both working so that you can make payments on two cars...why not have one car? If you are both working so you can have a really expensive house- why not find a less expensive house?

Our house isn't expensive as far as houses go. We have only one car. (Though I do have a scooter bought during a more affluent moment in our lives, four years ago now but there are no payments for either our car or the scooter). We don't have cable, or cell phones (!), or a vacation home, nor do we have sporting equipment, and we rarely take vacations. Most of the financial trouble we are in right now is because of two years of unemployment and unexpected difficulties in buying this house that caused us to go into credit card debt. This will not last forever. At some point one of us will be able to spend time at home making and doing all the things a home and family need for a good life.

I look forward to that day.