What happened to the art of building? Let's talk.

Even armed with good design intentions, sometimes cost makes it a slippery slope to building a McMansion. Let's find out what happened to the art of building.

The trendy days of McMansions are so over. The Tiny House that brings the delights of sustainability and less stress zen-like living are what's happening now. But we're still obsessed with square-footage costs. Who can afford good craftsmanship? Well, maybe craftsmanship is something worth investing in.

But what does good craftsmanship cost? How do you balance a smart budget with a well-built home, so you don't end up building a smart small home that's really a mini-McMansion? And what happened to the art of building? Where are the craftsmen and craftswomen?
What happened to craftsmanship?

We're talking with expert Brent Hull, author of 'Building a Timeless House in an Instant Age.' Trained in the art of museum quality preservation at the prestigious North Bennett School in Boston, Brent believes that what we build defines us. Over the last 60 years, he says we have become fixated with building homes as cheaply and fast as possible. New homes today are often built without much care or consideration and have no design philosophy or lasting appeal to them.

"For Hull, the main goal in writing this book is to help people understand that the house they build defines them and in turn defines our society."