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systematic elimination of all that does not contribute to the intended func-
    tion of a composition. In the case of residential architecture, everything not
    enhancing the quality of life within a dwelling must go. Anything not working
    to this end works against it. Extra bathrooms, bedrooms, gables and extra
    space require extra money, time and energy from the occupant(s). Super-
    fluous luxury items are a burden. A simple home, unfettered by extraneous
    gadgets, is the most effective labor-saving device there is.
    Subtractive design is used in disciplines ranging from industrial design to civil
    engineering. In machine design, its primary purpose is demonstrated with
    particular clarity. The more parts there are in a piece of machinery, the more
    inefficient it will be. This is no less true of a home than it is of an engine.
    Remembering Common Sense
    Most of our new houses are really not designed at all, but assembled without
    much thought for their ultimate composition. Architects seldom have anything
    to do with the process. Instead, a team of marketing engineers comes up
    with a product that will bring in more money at less cost to the developer. The
    team’s job is to devise a cheap structure that people will actually pay good
    money for. Low-grade, vinyl siding, ornamental gables and asphalt shingles
    have become their preferred medium. Adding extra square footage is about
    the cheapest, easiest way there is to increase a property’s market value, so it
    is applied liberally without any apparent attempt to make the additional space
    particularly useful. The final product is almost always a bulky conglomeration
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    of parts without cohesion — a success, by industry standards, where over-
    sized invariably equals big profits.
    Even when left to certified architects, the design of our homes can some-
    times be less than sensible. Too frequently, a licensed architect’s self-per-
    ceived need for originality takes precedence over the real needs of his or her
    clients. Common sense is abandoned for frivolous displays of talent. Where
    a straight gable would make the most sense, a less savvy architect will throw
    in a few cantilevers and an extra dormer, just for show. Subtractive design
    is abandoned for hopes of personal recognition and for what is likely to be a
    very leaky house. Common sense is an inherent part of all great architecture.
    Sadly, this crucial resource has become anything but common in the creation
    of residential America.
    Certainly the most famous example of those whose aspirations for a good
    name took precedence over good design was Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright
    was fond of innovative methods and extravagant forms. Those novel houses
    that once earned him recognition as a peerless innovator have since earned
    him another kind of reputation. Leaks are a part of many Wright houses.
    Wright has become infamous not only for his abundant drips but for his im-
    pudent dismissal of their significance. “If the roof doesn’t leak,” he professed,
    “the architect hasn’t been creative enough.” And to those clients who dared
    to complain about seepage, he would repeatedly quip, “That’s how you can
    tell it’s a roof.”
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    Subtractive design is integral to, and nearly synonymous with, vernacular
    design. Both entail planning a home that will satisfy its inhabitants’ domestic
    needs without far exceeding them. This is also what is known as common
    sense. When applied to buildings, the word “vernacular” in fact means “com-
    mon”: that is to say “ordinary” and “of the people.” In contrast to housing that
    is made by professionals for profit or fame, vernacular housing is designed
    by ordinary folks simply striving to house themselves by the most proven and
    effective means available.
    Webster’s defines vernacular as “architectural expression employing the
    commonest forms, materials, and decorations” ( Webster’s Third New Inter-
    national Dictionary, G. and C. Merriam