Can a house express an attitude? If it can, does it matter? Yes, it can. And yes, it does. Consider that the average size of the island houses built from 1680 to 1980 is a bit above 1900 square feet. What does it mean (i.e. what does it communicate) when someone builds a large house bigger than 3,000 square feet?

If you ask them, they will invariably says it is all driven by family values. “I have a large family.” “I want room for the grandchildren some day.” If this is really the driving force, it will be obvious from the house design. Extra bedrooms will be tucked discreetly out back where they belong, not piled on top. The house will go out of its way to fit in, to be in keeping, in spite of its larger size. Said another way, the family values will extend to the island family, not just the nuclear family.

In a growing number of cases, however, talk of “family values” is a sham, a pretext for ostentation. The house is bigger and more visible than the true needs of the family require. Here the definition of family values in no way extends to the island family.

And it goes beyond just a failure to respect the island family. Implicit in these bloated houses is a distancing from the island itself. They are not houses on the island; they are islands of their own. They are enclaves that express their aloofness from the island.

Tomorrow: The Costs of Aloofness