Having just heard Steve Mouzon speak in Philly yesterday, I'm newly energized to keep up on this blog. I still have a lot to talk about, some of it more interesting than the usual dire economic commentary. After all, its still a great time to be alive. The world of home design seems to be on the cusp of some mighty changes as it adapts endlessly to the needs and knowledge that shape it. We are lucky to be allowed to participate.
Some topics that got me het up last year that I'm planning on revisiting here in the coming months.
1) Who should be allowed to design houses? What training and experience should be required?
2) The real estate appraisal fiasco. How it hurt new construction, and how the new guidelines just going into effect from the Dodd-Frank bill might lift custom home building out of the doldrums
3) The AIBD and its nascent Master Residential Designer designation. Taking a leadership role in the development of a new breed of residential designer.
4) Cost of all the leaches interfering with the availability of money to improve design in our housing stock. Commissioned sales, title insurance, mortgage points, government mandates, and endless list. Imagine if all this effort went towards improving design. Would we be happier?
5) Design/Build. Where is the money? Who has the better time of it, the designer or the builder.
6) Housing affordability crisis. Are we at the end of the road for each man owning his own castle?
So, it looks like a busy year. I'll cover all these topics and more as the year progresses and new thoughts and ideas on home design come to mind. Maybe I'll even change the title of the blog to get it more current.
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