Timeless Design for Houses: Talk #2

Talk #2

2nd Commandment:
Good as New — Second Lives for Dated Houses

Date: Thursday, April 10, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Naperville Municipal Center, Rooms A&B
400 S Eagle St,
Naperville, IL 60540

This talk provided an overview to the challenges and benefits of transforming dated houses, explain how it reduces harm to the environment (and your wallet) and examine three local examples.

Check out the video, slides, and resources from the talk below.

Walk the Talk  #2

On Saturday, April 12, Tom took participants on a visit to three local homes to bring the concepts from Thursday's talk home.

How Can a Dated House Become Timeless and Good as New?

1. With the right architect and interested / knowledgeable homeowner, it has a chance for a transformational do-over.

2. If you’re not starting with a McMansion, a human-scaled addition will always appear organic and, due to its proportions, light-filled.

3. You’ll do less harm to the environment and your wallet for the same result…and your neighbors might like you better. 😉

Sources of Inspiration

Books & Events:

• “First Additions: Strategies for Adding On" by Stuart Cohen & Julie Hacker. Chicago ICAA is hosting a lecture and book signing by the authors on April 23, 2025. For this and other such events, visit their website.

• "Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid" by Marianne Cusato and Ben Pentreath (Available Locally at Anderson’s Bookshop)