160. Sturdy Construction

I live in a house that was built over 100 years ago in 1910. The construction is solid and I appreciate that. It was built to last and so it has. I know it was put up in haste as the foundations of the town of Potlatch were put into place, but the construction is solid and the people who have cared for it over the last 110 years have kept it solid, remodeled it in tasteful ways and caused it to have its own unique look apart from its cookie cutter neighbors. We have also just had built an adjacent garage and patio with a connecting deck.

Americans typically take pride in their building construction and you can trust our buildings to last. We have put codes in place to honor stability and to protect people from faulty construction. I realize that sometimes those codes seem onerous but they insure solid, safe construction. That has been true throughout the centuries as my own home stands as a testament. I appreciate that pride in construction and the workmanship that goes along with it—construction that withstands the ravages of time and storms.

Of course, there have obviously been some shoddy constructed buildings in the history of the country but most of those have fallen into disrepair or been completely destroyed. I know when you go to buy a home in this country you will know how sound the building is because it will have to pass inspection before you will be able to get a loan to finance it. Houses on the Gulf coast are built to withstand heavy winds. Houses in the Midwest are built to protect so if a tornado hits they will have a storm cellar. Homes on the west coast are built to withstand earthquake tremors. While certainly no building is made to withstand all the ravages of time and weather, Americans seem to work hard to insure the construction is sturdy and that our buildings are shelter in times of trouble and comfort in times of need. This isn’t true everywhere so I’m thankful that we Americans have sturdy construction that provides us with safety and comfort.