One Big Home

Trophy homes threaten the unique character of Martha’s Vineyard. Ten, fifteen, even twenty-thousand-square-foot houses are going up around the Island. Not only do these mansions stand in stark contrast to traditional cottages, most sit empty for ten months a year, yet are heated year round. When he feels he is complicit in wrecking the place he calls home, one carpenter takes off his tool belt and picks up a camera. Bumping up against tired clichés, angry homeowners, and builders who look the other way, he works with his community and attempts to pass a new bylaw that limits house size.