When I was a kid

I built forts and tree houses.

The remoter the better.

The bigger the tree, the better I liked it.

My favorite tree house was in a huge Dutch Elm.

I raided the local building sites for materials

and built high up in the tree,

a house with a deck

that overlooked the woods

and the neighborhood out in the distance.

Now,

when the neighborhood kids ask for scraps or use my grade stakes for sword fights

I believe it’s my turn to give back

what was given to me.

The homes I design and build today aren’t tree houses

but I still like the unique remote homes

with a view,

the best.

I like to take the time

to understand the property and the people I design for.

There is a sacredness to building

on the ground that has not been touched by human hands.

and a sacredness to the lives that will be lived in a home,

I designed & built.

It’s a very personal thing for me.

a privilege.

I have never built the same home twice.

I prefer things singular.

‘ One Off ‘

unique.

. . .

Michael  Ackerman 

eM