If you are going to start a family you have to find a place to call home. Almost every living land animal that reproduces and cares for its young builds some type of nest. Biology drives us to protect our offspring. We look for a safe haven to give birth and nurture development; A shelter. A den. A hollow log. This is a basic need along with food and water.

Shelter. Actually, this is the first thing people build on the survival show Naked and Afraid.

An unspoken rule in the search for asylum: The actual place you decide to live should not be the most hazardous thing in your life. Your house shouldn’t try to kill you. My wife and I missed this memo and, according to Darwin, should have been naturally unselected years ago. This is a story about the first place we called home house.

I…