As I am currently building a house, reading 'Building an Ordinary House' hit home

Introduction: Reading a book by someone who built a house while in the middle of building my own

Right now, for the first time in my life, I am in the middle of building a house.

It started with visiting ready-built homes, shifted to custom-built homes, went to open house events, and just recently, I finally signed a contract with a construction company. And now, I am in the middle of final adjustments to the floor plan and struggling with subsidies and loans... There is so much to do that my head is constantly full.

It was at this timing that I read Michiru Fudono's 'Building an Ordinary House'. It is an essay in which the author, who is a novelist, looks back on the entire process of building her own house, 17 years after its completion.

From beginning to end, it was a series of 'I get it!' and 'Wait, that actually happens!?' moments. Today, I want to write about what I felt from this book from the perspective of someone who is about to build a house.

▼ Books I read when I started building a house

The books I read when I first started building a house were also very interesting. Books about home building written by professionals are always stimulating to read. You can find my thoughts on those here.

▼ My home building series (the latest installment of my home search series)

How do you remember things from 17 years ago so well?

First of all, I was surprised that this is a book written 17 years after the house was built.

The scenery on the day the land was decided, the conversations with the architect, and even the weather on the day of the groundbreaking ceremony are all written down vividly. What I said and what was said to me are clearly recorded. I can barely remember what I talked about in last week's meeting.

Surely, the event of building a house must have been such a huge and intense time in her life. So much so that it hasn't faded even after 17 years.

Thinking about that, I straightened my back, realizing that every single thing I am experiencing now will surely be an event I will never forget for the rest of my life. I had a vague feeling, but building a house is likely the biggest purchase of my life, and it is definitely a major project...!

The naming sense for the characters is the best

This book has such charming characters.The author gives nicknames to the people at the housing company involved in the home building process, and they are exquisite.

The sales representative in charge of the design is called 'Mr. Obama' because he looks just like him.

Moreover, after the author insists, 'I want an ordinary house without any dreams,' this Mr. Obama says this with a bright smile.

Yes, it's Barack Obama's 'Yes, we can!'. Even though it's a story about building an ordinary house, only the tension is like a presidential inauguration speech. I was immediately drawn in by this gap.

And while reading, I kept thinking, 'No, can things really be this dramatic every single time?'

The fateful encounter with the land, the unique personalities of the craftsmen, and the series of troubles were all as dramatic as a story.
…Well, the author is a novelist, so maybe it's a bit embellished (laughs).
But even so, I was impressed, thinking, 'Professional writers really are different.'

I am also currently writing a series about building my own house on note.
That's exactly why I felt a sense of frustration, in a good way, thinking, 'Wow, I want to write more interestingly too!'

There is a mysterious 'connection' between land and people

To begin with, this book is dramatic right from the start.

It all started with a sudden remark from my mother while she was washing dishes at my parents' house.
'You should build a house soon.'

The land we found that way was, surprisingly, a vacant lot that had been empty for over 20 years, diagonally across from my parents' house.
Falling in love at first sight with the scenery of an old red pine tree towering in the middle of the lot and the mountain cherry blossoms in full bloom, the author blurted out, 'I'll take this. I'll buy this.'
A snap decision!?

The words the real estate agent said to the author were great.

I found myself strangely convinced by this.

Even though it seems like we choose houses and land based on logic, I feel like in the end, we are pushed by something like 'fate'.

I am also just about to sign a contract for land.
I looked at dozens of plots of land, but I felt a 'spark' with this one.

My husband's intuition is sharper than mine, and

became a famous quote.
I think this land, too, must have had a 'thread of fate' tied to it.

An 'ordinary house' that is not ordinary at all

The biggest appeal of this book is that the 'ordinary house' in the title turns out not to be ordinary at all.

The author initially declares this to the architect.

Cool. Decisive.
…Or so I thought, but as the meetings progressed, the requests started veering in a direction that was 'not ordinary' at all.

'I don't need a living room.'
'If I want to relax, my study is fine. Or rather, I prefer my study.'

At this, the architect, Mr. Leo, is left speechless and finally says:

I can really relate to this.
I thought I wanted something 'simple' and 'normal,' but before I knew it, my requests kept growing: I want a soundproof room, I want a view, I want to be particular about this part...

A 'normal house' probably doesn't exist in this world.
Everyone has their own version of 'normal,' and the moment you try to give it shape, it's no longer ordinary at all.

If I were fine with an 'ordinary house,' I would have just bought a ready-built one! They're cost-effective, too!
Our wishes as a couple—'a good view,' 'a bit out in the suburbs,' 'a soundproof room,' 'no Japanese-style room on the first floor'—aren't ordinary at all.
To us, these are important items and 'of course this is essential' matters, so I sometimes almost forget that.

Surely, our house won't be ordinary at all, either.

Building a house is a series of 'choices, hesitations, compromises, and decisions'

There is a passage in the book that goes like this:

I am feeling this painfully, even now, just after deciding on the construction company.

Should I buy a ready-built house or build a custom one?
Which company should I build with, what about the land, what about the floor plan, where should I get the loan, can I use subsidies?
The moment I think I've decided on one thing, the next choice is waiting.

And what I realized after reading this book is that I'm still just at the entrance.
I mean! It feels like I've finally just reached the entrance!
I agonized so much just to decide on the construction company, though!?

From here on, the things to decide will increase exponentially, from the floor plan, interior, and equipment to the exterior and the placement of electrical outlets.

Thinking about that, I brace myself, thinking, 'Wow, the real work starts now...'

At the same time, there is something a bit reassuring.
And that is that I am writing about this process on note.

So, even if some trouble happens, I feel like I can face it with the strong mindset of, 'Damn it! ...But this will make good content!!'
It is the modest privilege of someone who records, someone who outputs.
Even if you have your heart broken, you think, 'I can turn this into a song! No, I will turn this into a song!' and that rebellious spirit flares up.

People who create things are generally like that.

The importance of the perspective of a 'house that brings peace of mind'

The words said during the interior design meeting also stayed with me.

The author says that until then, they had positioned a new house as a place to "fully indulge in hobbies, work comfortably, store many books, and live comfortably with cats."
But with these words, I realized that I hadn't been paying attention to my own heart.

A house is a workplace, but at the same time, it will inevitably become a "home" someday.
A place that protects and heals you, whether you are happy or struggling.
This book taught me that perspective.

Instead of prioritizing trends or style, I want to make decisions with the future in mind.

"Banks are not debt collectors, but bodyguards" made my heart feel lighter.

A 40-year mortgage.
Honestly, every time I see this number, my chest tightens.
It has always been scary, and it is still scary.
40 years from now—! I'll be a total grandma by then!

For me, the words in this book were a gentle remedy.
These are the words Leo says to the author during an interior design meeting.

Reading this, my heart felt instantly lighter.

I tend to think of a loan as "something I've borrowed, a burden I have to pay back."
But if I think of it as "proof that the bank trusted me enough to lend me a large sum of money," I can hold my head a little higher.

It's all about how you look at things.
I feel like it was worth reading the book just to encounter this one sentence.

"An easy-to-please client gets taken for a ride"

There was another phrase that struck me.
It's something the author learned after some trouble during the groundbreaking ceremony.

According to the author, even if the person in charge has no malicious intent, they are still employees.
If their boss says "push it through," that instruction might take priority.
Therefore, the "convenient modesty" of trying to keep things smooth by enduring it yourself is something you must discard when building a house.

This isn't someone else's problem.

Actually, I've already had one instance where I was "almost taken for a ride" regarding the contract.
It was about the subsidy for long-term quality housing, where I was told, "The deadline has already passed."
When I went home, wrote a note, and looked it up, I discovered they were talking based on information from the 2025 fiscal year version.

Well, of course! It would be past the deadline! That was last year's information!!!

That was close.
I have to check these things thoroughly as the client.
It was a moment where I felt truly glad that I was writing a note.

My husband is the type who says, "If I can just endure it and keep things smooth, I won't complain."
So I think I have to approach this with a strong mindset.
That said, I also hope to use this as an opportunity to help my husband gain the strength to voice his opinions more.

I've steeled myself again: don't leave everything to others when building a house! Don't let yourself be taken for a ride!

You never know what will happen before blueprints become a 'house'

There was even a passage that chillingly captured the terror of building a house.

In fact, in this book, various unexpected situations occur after this, such as kitchen ordering mistakes and handover day troubles.
Wow, even if it's perfectly completed on the blueprints, there are so many obstacles waiting before it becomes a real house...
I've seen it written many times on social media that 'mistakes will definitely happen, so you should check carefully!', but are there really this many things to watch out for~~~? Wow~~~~.

This was a very real story for me right now.

Actually, the construction company we hired is a bit weak at creating perspectives (completion renderings).
So now, I'm using AI to generate images of the house to supplement the '3D' in my mind as we proceed with meetings.

The process of properly turning the 2D in my head into a real 3D reality.
I've braced myself, knowing that this is where I have to be most vigilant.

The 'answer key' 17 years later was the most poignant part

The reason this book doesn't end as just a record of building a house is because the end describes 'what it was like to live there for 17 years'.

This really touches the heart.

Each room had a 'intended use' properly planned during the design phase.
But, they say that after actually living there, there were several rooms that didn't go as planned.

What made me laugh the most was the story about the bedroom.
They built a lovely bedroom with a large east-facing window so they could wake up refreshed by the morning light, but—

For the night-owl author, the morning sun wasn't refreshing at all, but rather blindingly 'hitting them right in the face.' It seems they gave up on it as a bedroom early on.
Now, that bedroom has apparently become a bed for their cats.

And, after finishing the whole book, this one sentence remained in my heart the most.

A house isn't finished just because you built it.
I feel like I was taught that the long, long time after building it is what 'house building' really is.

The author intended to separate the first floor for work and the second floor for living, but ended up settling into a style where they spend time in a workroom in both, a 'work is part of life, inseparable' style.
People often say things like 'you should switch off' or 'you should rest properly' lately, but I thought, if you love your work, maybe it's fine to be immersed in it...

A house will thoroughly accompany the life of the person living in it.
I found myself a little envious of that kind of relationship.
At the same time, I wondered what kind of life I want to live. What kind of life will it be?

Conclusion: I also want to write my house-building series to the end

The strongest thought I had after finishing it.

It is that, 'I, too, want to write down my own home-building journey until the very end.'

Right now, I'm still at the stage where I've just started meetings with the sales representative.
From here on, architects, craftsmen, and all sorts of people will probably appear... gulp.
I'm already nervous, hoping they'll be good people.
I hope that, just like in this book, unique people who make me want to give them nicknames will appear.

And if I'm being greedy, I want to write about the time after the house is built, the first maintenance, and my thoughts on living there decades later.
I hope I can keep writing on note for a long time, just like this book, so that one day I can do a '17-year follow-up check'.

Just one last thing.
The author seems to be planning to write about 'closing up the family home' in their next work, and this is a theme that is by no means irrelevant to me either.
I am incredibly looking forward to the next book as well.

--So, with that said.
I have some anxieties about building a house from here on, but I'm even more excited than that.

Man, I'm super excited!

If there is anyone among you who is about to build a house or is thinking about building one.
I really want you to read this book with me.

*This article contains Amazon Associate links.

#BookReview #MyBookshelf #HomeBuilding #BuildingAHouse #Essay #MichiruFushino #BuildingAnOrdinaryHouse #ReadingRecord #MyHome #note