Or A Tale of Two Houses
Here’s an example of poor design not paying and following that, an example of good design paying off.
The projects are in many ways opposites of each other: one is large (over sized, really at five bedrooms, four bathrooms) and the other is small (just one bedroom, one bath), one is cheaply built, the other has been built to last a long time. One is built in the suburbs, another built in the city. One is built to a certain standard and would look the same in Seattle or in Florida, the other is connected to its community is very particularized to its environment. One is an energy hog and one is sustainable. One is (probably) not designed by an Architect, the other is designed by a very capable one. Those sets of factors are connected.
Moral of the story: Hire an Architect! [In the interests of full disclosure, I'll note that--yes, you guessed it--I am an Architect!]
