Secrets in the attic

One of my first jobs as a work-from-home mom was as an assistant editor for a local start-up newspaper. I wrote hundreds of articles, and one of the perks/challenges was coming up with my own story ideas. Since we ran a lot of home and garden stuff, I got to write features on unique homes, and of course, I tended to focus more on older homes than newer.

One of the houses I wanted to feature was a house I’d loved since my teenage years, so I knocked on the door, introduced myself, set up a time for an interview and tour, and put together a tidy little feature. The newspaper is now defunct, but today I live in that house.

I remember then-owner Teresa telling me this house had about 300 square feet of attic space they wanted to “do something” with but hadn’t gotten to yet. Fast forward 10 years, and the attic is still empty aside from a bunch of blown insulation, cast-iron sewer vents, and a brick chimney.

We’ve got big dreams for that little space, fueled by beautiful attic spaces we’ve seen online. This week we went up for another look with our contractor and his crew. Here’s how the attic space looks now:

And at the other end:

Yes, that’s a brick chimney coming up through the center of the attic.

These photos might not do anything for anyone else, but my heart seriously pounds when I think of the potential. If I’m a junky for anything, it’s potential!

There’s code stuff to work out and stair configurations and safety, safety, safety to consider, so we’re still grappling with the details. Plan A is to turn the space into a loft by demoing the ceiling above the south bedroom all the way to the rafters and finishing the rest of the attic, which will be located over the north bedroom. Plan B is to nix the project altogether if it doesn’t fit in the budget or can’t be done with code enforcement’s blessing. If that happens, I’ll be heartbroken, so I’m very motivated to make this work. I’ll keep you posted on the progress. •

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