It seems like, after some time of regularly building for our needs, I’m seeing things differently. I’m far from being any sort of skilled craftsman, and probably will never be. I simply do what I need to — different grades of coops from our backyard to market-scale farm, a fence and gate at said farm, various electric and plumbing things around the house; nothing particularly complicated, but having a home and farm naturally results in solving problems with tools on nearly a daily basis.

Being in the habit of constructing things, I’m more aware of the built environment around me. A covered porch, unique fence, counter top, or particular way a room has been trimmed, takes on new meaning. How did they come up with this? What sort of screws did they use? Why use that specific material, and where would you get it? It’s a pretty fun perspective, like having a special sort of x-ray, or breaking things around you down to their puzzle pieces.