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In my corner of flyover America, there are numerous beautiful limestone houses, churches, offices, commercial buildings, etc still left from the late 19th/early 20th century.
Let's say $$$ and time was not an issue, would one even be able to find the architects and skilled labor necessary to build a similar structure today?
As long as you're not insistent on 'lost art' things like decorative plasterwork and the like. When things like the California State Capitol was restored, they had to find the last craftsmen on earth who even vaguely knew how to match and extend some of the decorative and stone work. I'm sure there are now tradesmen who will come cover your castle ceiling with rosettes, but money isn't just going to have to "not be an object," but be something you are trying to exterminate.
The (very ordinary) house I used to own was built in 1920, and had shiplap siding of beautiful close-grained old-growth Douglas fir. I don't believe you can find that anywhere in the world anymore - unless you buy a building that has it and then take that building apart.
Yes, you could find people who still know traditional building techniques. A friend of mine was a custom house builder. He knew how to use those traditional methods. Most of the time he didn't get the chance to show it.
The (very ordinary) house I used to own was built in 1920, and had shiplap siding of beautiful close-grained old-growth Douglas fir. I don't believe you can find that anywhere in the world anymore - unless you buy a building that has it and then take that building apart.
Yes, you could find people who still know traditional building techniques. A friend of mine was a custom house builder. He knew how to use those traditional methods. Most of the time he didn't get the chance to show it.
All the old growth forests have been mostly depleted, but isn't it still possible to find recycled old growth wood?
All the old growth forests have been mostly depleted, but isn't it still possible to find recycled old growth wood?
Yes. There are companies around that mill lumber from old industrial buildings and barns. The materials come at a premium, and you might have to wait for something to come along if you have specific wants, but stuff is out there.
I'm assuming you still want the modern comforts of indoor plumbing and the like for infrastructure because, if not, those building permits would never get approved.
That being said, certain tradesman-ship / craft work may be able to be found, but as mentioned would be very high priced, and depending on the skill involved, may not have time to do your 'new build' as they are probably working on the restoration type projects.
It's been a while but there was a roofer in our area who specialized in the authentic type roofs with old materials some years ago and I recall in the article he was last tradesman doing that type of work and he was busy doing mostly high end restoration with occasional new (like an outbuilding on an estate) to match.
In some cases the new high tech material science products can be made to look like the authentic and provide more flexibility. Interestingly, certain old materials like reclaimed wood siding has its own niche market.
I suspect OP is interested in finishes, not MEP. There aren’t many people out there yearning for knob and tube wiring and lead pipe.
I suspect the desire is for wide plank hardwood floors, crown molding, possibly plaster walls, potentially fieldstone exteriors. But people also want central air, insulation that works, and WiFi.
Quality craftspeople have always been hard to find but if you locate yourself in an "moneyed" area where people are building or restoring mansions the craftspeople will be there. Getting their names, that's the tricky part because no one wants to share them. Like women will never tell other women their maids name so they don't lose them when you offer them a little bit more money to work for you. Luring away someone's cook was common in upper classes a generation ago.
Top architects will use craftspeople with top skills but to get them you have to hire the architect.
Same with interior designers on a different level, they will know painters, furniture and cabinet makers to achieve their look.
I lived in Naples FL for some years and "Old World Palazzo" mansions were de rigeur, requiring highly skilled people, some were European (Russian, Eastern European) some were Mexican, some were American. I saw some multi-million dollar homes up close and they were spectacular, both in materials used and execution. You couldn't replicate them in many places except California, Santa Fe, and other similar rich enclaves. Where there is lots of money there will be skilled people.
edit to add: just remembered a funny bit. When a Naples hurricane knocked off peoples barrel clay tile roof parts the HOA got bids from 2 roofers. The less expensive one got the work. I talked to the boss and he said "When you need a clay tile roof replaced you hire Mexican. For an asphalt roof hire the American." Yes, he was Mexican and they did a great job.
I live in the same house my Dad bought fifty years ago. It was well-built, and has very few structural issues, the only plywood in it might be the subfloor under the kitchen tile (the other rooms have hardwood and 1" dimension lumber under them, same as the roof under the shingles). That being said, the home is not very energy efficient, the walls are brick veneer over 4" block, the interior walls are sheetrock and plaster over furring strips, there is no "insulation" in the walls. I added an 8" batt over the blown-in insulation in the ceiling joists. So in that way, modern buildings are much "better" than mine, I love the idea of placing extruded poly board on the exterior of basement walls, for instance, for insulating and water mitigation purposes. I can't believe anyone would think that modern triple-pane, reflective glass windows do not function better than old single-panes (initial expense aside).
On the other hand, many modern homes rely WAY too much on caulk for my tastes, it seems like they have too-shallow of eaves, loose plastic siding, too many roof valleys and dormers, and far too much reliance on things like "flakeboard" (essentially baked sawdust and glue, which performs poorly when wet and burns faster and hotter). Pop always said that "Water in unintended places is the number one enemy of long-lasting construction".
But to the post, my garage was built by Dad a year or so after moving here - he bought some White Pine logs from a local mill in Wisconsin, and had them planed to "old" dimensions - 2x4's are almost true 2" x 4", and all of the sheathing and roofing was 1x10 boards, most of them having few knots, white pine is SO much better than modern spruce (they say the only thing more crooked than a snake is a Chicago politician or a 2x4 from Home Depot). He and Gramps hand-built the roof trusses with 2x4's and plywood gussets, which show no sign of delaminating. The original cedar siding has some cracks in it, I guess it's almost time for its every-ten-year paint job again. I'm half-inclined to take that garage down piece by piece and move it with me, LOL, the concrete under it is pretty cracked up after fifty years, and it would be a shame if somebody just tore it down one day.
I guess the bottom line is, why worry about building a house that will last two hundred years, when most houses become obsolete in much less time due to changes in taste, style, energy concerns, "the neighborhood going south", etc..
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