The letter that officially presented our floor plans and self-build concept to prospective housemates. (Although Jacob and I were calling the house “Blackwood”, we wanted the final choice of name to be a consensus decision, hence the request for suggestions here.) Welcome to… …well, let’s just start by saying this place needs a name. Put…
View A Call to Comrades »Blackwood
A Plethora of Plans
We wanted feedback—we got it! There was a Version 4.1, with a radically different layout, then Versions 5 through 7 were back to the original concept. Then there was a Type II, again with a very different L-shaped footprint. To open a window on the thought process, here are the notes accompanying Version 5: fireplaces:…
View A Plethora of Plans »Reality Sets In
After months of wrangling different plans, it was slowly sinking in just how difficult consensus decisions were. I posted the following missive almost exactly one year after sending out the initial introductory letter: Just when you thought it was safe to check your mailbox… …OK, I know I’m the one who said it was time…
View Reality Sets In »What Might Have Been
Besides the morass of degenerating house plans, many of us were now facing actual graduation from college. Being so rudely thrust into full-fledged adult life was pretty much the final nail in the coffin of the Blackwood commune. I’d like to finish this reminiscence with a look at what life in the commune might have…
View What Might Have Been »