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JOHN BROWN is the editor of theslowhome.com and the founder of the Slow Home Movement. He is a registered architect, real estate broker and Professor of Architecture at the University of Calgary.
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Supersized home design has Wellfleet couple in doghouse
Sep 07, 2008
By Stephanie Ebbert from the Boston Globe
WELLFLEET - When the so-called Billboard House was demolished in June, residents might have applauded. The big, modern house high on a bluff so offended local sensibilities that Town Meeting members issued a unanimous vote of disapproval.
But that was in the 1980s, when no one knew what big was. This summer, the Billboard House was razed to make way for the new - a mansion triple the size at nearly 6,000 square feet, with one side designed to resemble a lighthouse.
The owners, Mark and Barbara Blasch, won a permit from the town building inspector, even though their property lies within the Cape Cod National Seashore, a national park formed in 1961 to preserve the Cape and protect its character.
"I thought there were such strict laws on houses being built so close to the water" said Sharon Jacobs, a regular Wellfleet visitor from Newton. "Who in good consciousness in this era would make such a large footprint on a seashore that's here for everyone?"
It's the question that has riveted Wellfleet this summer along with its natural successors: How big is too big? Do neighbors have the right to decide? And can residents reach agreement on a new standard that will limit some of their property values?
Read the rest of the article
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We believe that our homes and neighborhoods should be healthy, vibrant places that uplift the spirit and gracefully fit our needs. We call for an end to poor construction, bad design, misleading marketing, unfair lending practices and environmental neglect in the housing industry. We acknowledge our collective responsibility to create CLOSE, SIMPLE, LIGHT places to live that leave a positive legacy for future generations.
provides design focused information that homeowners can use to improve the quality of how and where they live. It takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. The sprawl of cookie cutter housing that surrounds us is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast life that is bad for us, our cities, and the environment. In the same way that slow food raises awareness of the food we eat and how these choices affect our lives, Slow Home empowers you to take more control of your home and improve the quality of how you live while reducing your environmental impact and futureproofing the long term investment value of your home.
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