Standing Tall
Remember how a few weeks back we realized that the existing roof was in shambles, screwed up beyond repair, and we would have to rebuild the roof structure from scratch? Well that got us thinking … the original triangle building had a parapet that was nearly 2-ft tall, but bigger than it needed to be. And that extra height had our masons concerned, because it created more opportunities for water intrusion into the roof and the long-term possibility of the parapet “failing” by bending inward on itself without any added bracing. And since the interior ceiling had already been framed, we would end up “wasting” an attic space of roughly 18” between the ceiling and roof. Wasted space is no good in a tiny house!
So after talking with the owner and the GC, we all agreed that the best approach was to raise the entire roof structure. This meant removing the ceilings that were already complete, and “rework” to build those at a higher level. The end result is a short 8” parapet wall above the roof, and an additional 18” (!?!?!) of ceiling height inside the living room. Our little tiny house now has 9’-6” ceilings on the main floor!
Ironically, the masons had also built the new stairway “addition” taller than it should’ve been. (Don’t get us started on the long list of mistakes that have been made. The brickwork looks great, quality is definitely not a concern. However attention to detail has been a different story - some walls too high, others too low, simple-but-important brick detailing ignored completely.) But this is no time to get bogged down by negativity, time to look ahead! Those extra-high exterior walls left us with the opportunity to raise the ceiling in this entry hall so that it would match the living room … and maybe sneak something fun into that “bonus” space above the entry. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, work continues on the exterior as we try to “dry in” the building shell. Some old, mismatched face brick has been removed from below the main window, and all remnants of the original door frame have been cleared away. The space below that center window is being opened up to create a long strip of frosted windows that will bring plenty of light down to the basement.
