Ok, anyone getting tired of framing yet?
We didn’t have time to do much during the week, but a rainy weekend turned into a fairly productive two days.
1. The loft framing is done! Here’s a quick stitched-together (and slightly distorted) panoramic photo.
Here’s the opposite view looking back into the rest of the attic and the “light shaft” over the basement stair.
Another view of the light shaft. The plan is to install a fan from the sloped rafters that will help regulate temperature between volumes.
A view from the attic looking back into the loft (with the light shaft in the foreground) – so glad we decided to go ahead with the space!
The attic/loft framing was my own personal jungle gym today as I tried to get different shots. Good thing neither of us are afraid of heights!
This shot was taken from the basement stairs looking up. The shaft will provide peek-a-boo views up into the loft (and vice versa) and help with natural ventilation (via a fan and large operable skylight).
Sorry Bails – not for you. (We actually had a loft in our previous rental house and made the mistake of coaxing a young Bailey up the ladder. He got up ok, but getting him down was a nightmare!)
2. We also installed the new window for the dining area! Last year, we decided to go ahead and remove the old kitchen window and patch it in, since the size and location wouldn’t work with the new layout. And because we had kitchen cabinets along this wall, we had to wait until demo was over to install the new window.
Last year we scored a great deal on some windows that were left over from a larger project. The only problem, they were long and skinny and sort of awkward. We used six of them for the front porch, and decided to install the seventh in our dining area. The size and shape probably wouldn’t look right by itself, but we’ll be installing a long and narrow skylight above so it will (hopefully) read as a vertical ribbon of light.
In no time, the window was installed and we were amazed at how much light came in! We’ve also been thinking about planting bamboo or some type of fast growing, tall plant to provide a little greenery outside this window. Sadly, the Camellia bush transplant seems to have been a failure.
Here’s another view of the new window – the higher sill works well since we’ll have a bench seat or banquette of some type in this location. I didn’t have the right light to capture it, but the trunk of our neighbor’s large fir tree is perfectly framed as you come in the front door.
3. Progress was also made on Bailey today. He went to the groomer and came back feeling very good about himself.
There are still some framing odds and ends to do, plus the skylights. Those will probably take an entire weekend, but we’re hoping to move on to electrical by the start of next month (June! AHH!).