Posted by Dawn Griffin
Rocio Romero and the Extraordinary Ordinary
I am reading The Perfect $100,000 House: A Trip Across America and Back in Pursuit of a Place to Call Home by Karrie Jacobs former editor in chief of DWELL. It’s great; I love it.
“What I want is house that…isn’t truly ordinary, but one that speaks the language of the ordinary with extraordinary eloquence”
That is the basic theme ribboned through the chapter on Rocio Romero. I’ve known of Romero for a long time and I have been fascinated with the LV Home kit since I first heard of it. As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband and I are considering building a new construction sustainable home in the city and as part of our research we are planning to attend one of Romero’s open houses in Perryville.
My Questions: Will this fly in the city limits of St. Louis? Would my neighbors hate me for erecting a pre-fab modern structure next to a 2-story brick bungalow? When I am ready to move will someone buy it? Will it qualify for a conventional loan? Will it be safe in a tornado?
Off Topic: As the author left Perryville she asked Romero where the scenic parts of Missouri were. Romero recommended Lake of the Ozarks. The quote is from the author’s journal.
July 30,2003 The Red Oak RV Park and Resort
This place is an agglomeration of Bad Design. I’ve never seen so much vinyl siding in my life. Everything here is the wrong size or the wrong shape or badly oriented or cheaply made.
Evidently juxtaposing Midwestern lake culture/architecture and the conscientious design of the LV Home allowed Jacobs to truly appreciate the Extraordinary Ordinary in Romero’s efforts.