- link Copy Url - [ Share on twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Rediscovering Good Ideas To Enhance Your Life https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/45621?absolute=1&via=3blnews "link to 3 B L Media's Twitter") - [ Share on linkedin ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/45621?absolute=1 "link to 3 B L Media's Linkedin") - [ Share on facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/45621?absolute=1 "link to 3 B L Media's Facebook") - [ email Share via email ](mailto:?subject=Rediscovering Good Ideas To Enhance Your Life&body=ESG News from Rebuilding Together https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/45621?absolute=1 "Share via email") [Health & Healthcare](/CSR-News/health-healthcare) # Rediscovering Good Ideas To Enhance Your Life ##### Learn More at the National Healthy Homes Conference Mar 27, 2014 10:20 AM ET Campaign: [National Healthy Homes Conference](/news/campaign/national-healthy-homes-conference) ![](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_2x/s3/images/Pfeiffer_A_2011_BW.JPG) *Peter will be presenting at the upcoming [National Healthy Homes Conference](http://www.healthyhomesconference.org/index.asp). Join HUD, Rebuilding Together, HGTV and the DIY Network, plus other other healthy housing professionals in Nashville May 28-30! Registration is filling up quickly, [register today](http://www.healthyhomesconference.org/registration.asp)!* By Peter L. Pfeiffer, FAIA One of the great truths about the big things in life is usually what goes around does indeed end up coming around. Building homes are big undertakings for families, and their designs are *coming around* – again. For two decades now we’ve seen both the *super sizing* and the *homogenization* of the American home. A house doesn’t have to be a little 5500 square foot *cottage*; with steeply pitched roofs and puny overhangs might make sense in snowbird country but don’t do much good against the Texas sun. (Besides, in my 35 years here, I’ve yet to experience that heavy snowfall that will vindicate these roof designs…) The ever popular extruded modern boxes, or *old word* styles, with their heavy masonry walls, flat or tile roofs, and little or no overhangs are two examples of home designs that just don’t make sense in our Austin climate – or at the very least, have to be handled carefully. (Just because something wins design awards from the builder magazines doesn’t mean it’s a smart thing to do in Central Texas.) That’s where getting back to our roots comes in; that’s what **vernacular architecture** is all about. Contrary to the mythical lore promoted by the old cowboy TV shows - much of the climate in Texas where we live is NOT the desert Southwest. It’s the Hot and HUMID south. Walls that are thick and store the daytime solar for keeping the home warm at night wouldn’t be doing the Central Texas homeowner a big favor on a typical summer evening; to say nothing of the flat roofs and small overhangs that let that big bright three o’clock afternoon sun come on in. (Summer’s not a season here – it’s an eight month sentence...) Now with all this carrying on you might be wonder just WHAT type of architecture I won’t be slighting today. Answer: stuff that responds to our specific & difficult climate. Our interpretation of vernacular style has to respond also to the fact that we use air conditioning here – a lot. Light colored roofs and exteriors will keep us cooler; so will big broad overhangs that shade windows while still letting in REFLECTED sunlight. Cupolas were put on top of our old Texas courthouse buildings, usually above a central stairway, to let in daylight and vent out heat before the days of mechanical air-conditioning. Even the dome above our state capitol had a heat venting function. Our forefathers used light tin roofs, and their homesteads had nice wide porches that shaded the windows. Face the home to take advantage of the prevailing Southeast breezes and shun the ever-so-hot afternoon western sun. The well-built vernacular homes of the past almost always had sleeping porches, often screened in, on the Southeast corner or side of the home. Walls and roof systems that are light weight that shed heat – as opposed to storing heat – made sense then and still do now. Wood was plentiful in much of Texas and still is; so light framed structural systems were smart then, and still are appropriate now. (We just got to continue pushing this concept of *sustainable harvesting*.) When programmed and designed well, our homes of today are safer to live in, provide superior comfort, cost significantly less top operate, and are just more enjoyable places to be in and around. When a home lives well with its environment life can be more FUN. It does require time and talent – but the rewards are worth it! *Peter Pfeiffer is an Architect & Building Scientist who was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects for his life-long achievements in mainstreaming green building in North America. He is a principal of the Austin based Barley & Pfeiffer Architects. *Residential Architect* cited him as one of the 10 most influential architects of the past decade.* *Follow Peter:* *[twitter.com/barleypfeiffer](http://twitter.com/barleypfeiffer)* *[facebook.com/barleypfeiffer](http://facebook.com/barleypfeiffer)* *[houzz.com/barleypfeiffer](http://houzz.com/barleypfeiffer)* [![Rebuilding Together logo](/sites/default/files/Clients/logo_3.png)](/profiles/rebuilding-together) ### More from Rebuilding Together ###### [Rebuilding Together and Cost Plus World Market Announce Partnership to Support the Repair of Homes for People in Need and Revitalize Communities](/news/rebuilding-together-and-cost-plus-world-market-announce-partnership-support-repair-homes) Nov 14, 2019 7:10 AM ET ###### [Sears, Rebuilding Together Support Veterans with 12th Annual Heroes at Home Program ](/news/sears-rebuilding-together-support-veterans-12th-annual-heroes-home-program) Oct 29, 2019 3:05 PM ET ###### [Rebuilding Together and Lowe’s Address Affordable Housing Shortage One Community at a Time](/news/rebuilding-together-and-lowes-address-affordable-housing-shortage-one-community-time) Oct 25, 2019 8:20 PM ET ###### [Rebuilding Together Elects New Members to National Board of Directors](/news/rebuilding-together-elects-new-members-national-board-directors) Aug 13, 2019 8:05 AM ET ###### [Rebuilding Together to Revitalize Underserved Communities Nationwide](/news/rebuilding-together-revitalize-underserved-communities-nationwide) Apr 11, 2019 2:00 PM ET ###### [Six Atlanta Families Receive Home Repairs in 24th Annual ‘Kickoff to Rebuild,’ a Super Bowl-Sanctioned Event](/news/six-atlanta-families-receive-home-repairs-24th-annual-kickoff-rebuild-super-bowl-sanctioned) Feb 1, 2019 2:15 PM ET ###### [Starting the New Year With a Fresh Coat of Paint](/news/starting-new-year-fresh-coat-paint) Dec 31, 2018 11:00 AM ET ###### [A Warm Place for the Holidays](/news/warm-place-holidays) Dec 20, 2018 12:15 PM ET