A Case for Looking to the Past When Building or Renovating
Lately, I’ve been watching a historic preservationist on YouTube named Brent Hull. His deep knowledge of classical design and the craftsmanship of older homes has challenged the way I think about building. It’s inspired me to encourage others to reflect more intentionally on how things used to be done. Homes built before the 1950s didn’t just rely on natural materials like wood, stone, and plaster. They were also shaped by principles rooted in beauty and order, things like the golden rectangle and the perfect ratio. These and other design rules were once second nature to builders. Today, many of those principles have been forgotten, and with them, something of the soul has been lost in how we build.
As a contractor, I see the contrast firsthand. I often compare the methods and materials used in older homes with what we use today. Traditional designs tend to be far more pleasing to the eye. They carry a sense of character and enduring beauty that modern construction often lacks. Of course, they also come with challenges. Brick and stone are expensive, and solid masonry walls make it more difficult to run plumbing or electrical, insulate, or hang drywall.
To solve this, builders began using brick veneer over wood framing, a practical compromise. Still, it sometimes bothers me when a house has a brick façade and plain siding on the sides. It can break the illusion and expose the shortcut.
Another modern shift is the use of materials that mimic natural ones, steel, aluminum, vinyl, fiber cement. Some imitate better than others, but none fully capture the warmth or depth of real wood. These materials were designed for performance, and sometimes they succeed. But even when they do, they often fall short visually.
That said, I’m not opposed to innovation. When medieval builders designed cathedrals, their goal was to lift architecture toward heaven. That vision drove advances, soaring ceilings, luminous windows, domes, and buttresses. Technology served beauty and theology. I often wonder what they could have created with today’s materials. Steel could lift their vision even higher, but without care, it easily creates cold, lifeless spaces.
As I’ve reflected on why man-made materials often lack beauty, the answer seems simple: natural materials reflect the beauty of their Creator. If they fall short, it’s usually because we’ve used them in ways they weren’t meant to be used. So if you’re planning a renovation or a new build, I encourage you to look at how things used to be done. Consider the time-tested materials and methods passed down through generations. Whether they realized it or not, the builders who came before us were onto something.
