Constructing a Homebuilding Revolution - Brick by Brick

Is Clay Chapman the Joel Salatin of homebuilding? At $80/SF for a custom, multi-century, structural masonry and timber frame home, he just might be. Scott Doyon enumerates the similarities, and challenges others to get involved.

2 minute read

October 16, 2012, 9:00 AM PDT

By Hazel Borys


"I believe our built environment should be built to last. Not just in terms of timeless and sturdy materials detached from technologies and fabrication methods that may be unique to temporary circumstances, but in ways that secure and hold our affection. A human and humane architecture reflecting culture and climate, the lessons of history, and our insatiable desire to continually build and improve upon our present condition."

"It's a tall order but, not so long ago, so was dropping by the supermarket to fill your fridge with food produced outside the CAFO system or grown without pesticides." Doyon believes that in Clay Chapman, who is building a model, high-quality home in Georgia for $80 a foot, he's found the land use analogue to Joel Salatin - the "patron saint for the progressive ag movement."

"I want this to work. I want others - similar madmen in other parts of the country - to take what Clay learns and adapt it to their own circumstances. I want a wider array of obstacles encountered and overcome. I want university architecture programs to send interns out to Clay's next project, a la Taliesin West, so they can sleep in tents, lay bricks, and experience, taste and feel an entirely different building proposition. I want buyers of like mind in all parts of the country to make their presence known, so all the currently unfulfilled craftsmen and builders out there - unable to forego making a living - will have just a bit more confidence to take the leap."

Thanks to Hazel Borys

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