Short Story: The Well Grandpa Wants to Protect [Part 1]

The thing in the middle of the lot that halted the two-family home project

I was commissioned by a family to design a two-family home.

The parents currently live in an old main house, and their son's family lives in an apartment nearby. They consulted me about returning to the family property to live as three generations before their child enters elementary school.

The living spaces for the parent household and the child household would basically be separate.

Each would have its own entrance, kitchen, and bathroom. However, they would not be completely separated, allowing them to help each other when in need.

At the first meeting, the whole family seemed to be looking forward to their new life.

However, upon checking the site, I noticed one major problem.

There was an old well almost exactly in the center of the lot.

A well that is no longer used

The well was surrounded by fine stonework.

I heard it had been on this property for generations. They said it was once used for drinking water, washing vegetables, and cooling watermelons in the summer.

However, now the whole family uses tap water.

The well is covered and is almost never used in daily life.

For the son's family, the well was an obstacle that made planning the house they were about to build difficult.

Because it was in the center of the lot, the building could not be laid out in a straightforward shape. Avoiding the well would make the living room smaller and complicate the flow between the parent and child households.

Since there were small children, there were also safety concerns.

The son hesitantly said to his father,

"Since it's not being used anymore, wouldn't it be okay to fill it in now?"

Upon hearing those words, Grandpa's expression changed in an instant.

"I cannot let it disappear on my watch.""

This well has been in this house since long before you were born.

Grandfather began to speak quietly.

This well has supported the family through the post-war era when water supply was insufficient, and even when water was cut off during disasters.

He said his own father had told him, "Take care of this well, if nothing else."

It is not a matter of whether we use it now or not. I cannot let something that has been protected for generations disappear on my watch.

The younger generation had their own point of view.

They are the ones who will be living here for the next several decades. They could not accept sacrificing the floor plan or safety for a well that is not being used.

I understand that you have cherished the well. But the house we are going to live in is also important, isn't it?

Neither side was wrong.

That is precisely why the discussion did not reach a simple conclusion.

Plans that avoid the well

I came up with several plans that would allow the house to be built while keeping the well.

A plan to shift the building to one side of the well.

A plan to make the building long and narrow to avoid the well on the perimeter.

A plan to leave the well between the parent and child households and connect the two buildings with a corridor.

However, every plan had its drawbacks.

The first-floor area would be insufficient, sunlight would be poor, or the corridor would be too long. Naturally, if the shape of the building becomes complex, construction costs also rise.

Every time the younger generation looked at the drawings, their expressions grew slightly more clouded.

Considering that we will be living in this house for decades, it really is impossible.

Meanwhile, Grandfather would not budge either.

If it means getting rid of the well, I don't need a new house.

At the end of that day's meeting, Grandfather said this as he stood up from his seat.

Maybe we should just stop talking about this two-family house.

The air in the room froze.

A call from the son's family

A few days later, the son called me.

I have barely been able to speak with my father since then.

The reason for building a two-family house was not to persuade my parents to build our ideal home.

We wanted to live near my aging parents and let our children spend time with their grandparents.

If the family drifts apart over the well, I don't know what the point of a two-family house is.

The son paused for a moment before speaking.

We will keep the well. We will do as my father says.

However, his voice was tinged with resignation.

And then, he continued at the end.

But is there really no way to keep the well while still building a house that we can be satisfied with?

I laid out the drawings I had made so far on the desk.

Every one of them was a plan that only thought about how to avoid the well.

Should we keep the well, or get rid of it?

Should we prioritize the parents' household, or the children's household?

Perhaps I had been assuming all along that I had to choose one or the other.

"Please tell me about your whole family one more time."

I answered that and hung up the phone.

The next thing to consider is not where to place the well.

What is it about the well that Grandpa wants to protect?

What are the children's family afraid of losing?

I realized that unless I find those answers, I cannot draw up new blueprints.

To be continued in [Part 2]