. . .

The irony that the Long House is the Ultimate Family home design, and that the Courtyard House is the Ultimate Multi-Generational home design, and that the Courtyard Block of ‘interior facing condos’, or exterior facing Town Homes, is the ultimate Multi-Family Intergenerational home design, and we have all been trying to develop farm houses, which were not homes but small businesses; and manor houses, which were medium and large sized businesses, and our aesthetic is for farm houses, and for Manors despite the fact that we no longer have farms, or conduct business from our homes – and in particular, do not have six children per woman, and household servants to assist in training, clothing, and feeding them.

I’ve been drawing home designs since I was nine (I satisfied my OCD by 3d construction drawings of our many Victorian Homes, and guessing at the internal wood construction. What is scary, even knowing myself now, is that because I was working for my father as a delivery runner, I knew every house in town from memory, and could do the drawings from memory. And I think I have only lost that facility because I simply don’t use it.)

But it became obvious to me, after living in a courtyard home, that it is the perfect solution to home design. It is not as cheap as two story winter-weather standing homes, but it is infinitely more desirable to live in. Particularly as diversity increases and trust and norms decrease.

1 – Long house (territorial family)

2 – Courtyard TownHomes (non-territorial family)

2 – Courtyard House (intergenerational non-territorial family)

3 – Courtyard Homes (multiple intergenerational non territorial families.)