A Modest Personal Capital Works Programme

In addition to being a writer, during the day job I run an architecture practice with a business partner, the indispensable John A. Clark. We have many projects on the go at the moment, and more emerging, but I just wanted to note here my personal capital works programme of two projects, both of which are on hold at the moment.

I am not in a rush, which is a teaching from mindfulness, and I am attempting (slowly) to shift the needle on my relentless need for instant gratification by planning and waiting. This is moderately painful (first world problem) but I am getting better at researching, planning, designing and then waiting to begin, which is a necessary discipline when building is required. Building takes money, money takes time, and design also takes time - at least if you want to get things right, rather than just done quickly.

Project one is the renovation of my apartment in Docklands. It is pretty clear that I will get a much improved price for my apartment when I go to sell it if it has an equally much improved kitchen and bathroom, and improved finishes. So this one is in train, slowly - slowly. Might do something in about three years. Or whatever. I have no desire to sell any time soon, I love the apartment and the location, so it’s a long haul project. This is immensely comforting, and gives me a greater sense of personal permanence.

The second capital works project is more ambitious, albeit potentially smaller than my apartment. This is the writer’s retreat-slash-cabin in the woods. I have designed six-to-eight completely different schemes for this (I have lost track, not counted recently) but it is not right just yet. Not even close. So that’s between twenty and three years of design work so far, depending on how you measure it, as I have designed for two separate sites in the Wombat State Forest, one I have owned for twenty years, one for three years.

I have many books of cabins and small houses, and have recently bought a fantastic locally published book of Beaumaris Modern houses (beaumarismodern.com.au) which in some ways harks back to my suburban Brisbane childhood, and gives me lots of ideas, so my view is shifting again.

I can sense a new scheme coming on.

Please note that I have shamelessly stolen the images in this post from the Beaumaris Modern website. Copyright of the photographer and publisher.