Up on the Rooftop

With the foundation addition mostly done, the contractors moved up to the roof today.

Tearing the low attic off

They started by tearing off the low attic. This is the attic that was over just the back of the house: the dining room and kitchen (which were an addition done several years after the front part of the house was built).

View out the upstairs hall

This is the view facing the back of the house now. Previously, you just saw the weird small door into the Cat Attic.

A lot more light in the back parlour

And a foreshadowing of what it will be like in the back parlour soon: a LOT more light coming in from the south.

Our bedroom

Our bedroom has gotten a bit of a modern look, and is a lot breezier than it had been.

The kitchen is really cluttered

And one of these days I really need to get my act together and clean up the kitchen. What a mess! You can't even see the floor in there.

The new view of the back yard

Seriously, I am really looking forward to having more views of the back yard. We have lived for years with the back of the house being basically a solid wall that blocked our views, which worked just fine for the Victorians, especially when there was a street car that ran down the street behind us. But this modern lady who likes to garden wants to see that garden. And I will.

Out in the meadow

The garden is a little overgrown right now. OK, more than a little. Totally, insanely overgrown. Like, waist deep in grass and I have no idea how we are going to deal with it. Maybe find somebody with a scythe?

Drainage cloth

But today the contractors also installed the perimeter drainage cloth...

Backfilled foundation

...and backfilled the foundation, so it is no longer a death trap to walk around there in the dark.

(Not that we were thinking of scything the lawn in the dark, of course. We are only a little nutty, not completely mad.)

Skim coated walls

One thing that is a little more subtle -- maybe I can get better photos later -- is that the concrete contractor skim coated the walls of the foundation. A cosmetic thing but little things like that are the sign of taking real pride in your work.

posted by ayse on 05/31/16