Embrace The Constraints (heck, go ahead and fall in love with it)

I know I said no lecturing as an architect, but my professional alter-ego (think Edna from the Incredibles) just can’t help it.

Ladies and gentleman, I know you all hate constraints: hate it that we only have 24hrs a day, hate it that we can’t eat cake and lose weight too, and hate it that we must age and die. But having limits is what gives everything meaning. So I am giving you my honest advice on how to start any project when I say: embrace limits and constraints and actively seek out rules and regulations and anything that will give your project parameters and framework. 

Fortunately, government jurisdictions typically give all the basic (and comprehensive) constraints to start. These days cities give out informational handouts with all the basic rules - ADUs or otherwise, right on their websites. Here is an example ADU handout from the City of San Jose. Required setbacks, maximum height, maximum square footage, and sometimes even the submittal process are all defined upfront. 

In my experience, the projects with the clearest constraints are the most smooth-sailing. And with all aesthetic options being equal and code compliant, budget becomes the easy deciding factor. So congratulate yourself when you need to sacrifice something for budget or code compliance or aesthetic choice, because that means the project has a clear set of parameters and you are that much more likely to succeed because of it.

Also, get real clear about your personal constraints as a prerequisite to starting a project. Us architects will take care of the jurisdictional and technical constraints. It’s up to you to set your personal determining-factors, a.k.a. boundaries, in the form of budget, timing, and priorities (i.e. I must have high-end fixtures so I’ll use average finishes; my kids are leaving the nest in four month so it’s time for me to have my dream kitchen; I must have a powder room and I’m willing to forgo the coat closet). 

Get clear on the constraints, and you’ll be clear for the tradeoffs and help move along the process. I guess you don’t have to fall in love with “limitations”, but it really helps when you understand that what limits also gives meaning. Just like life itself.

That’s it.