This is a question that I expected to be asked more. Perhaps those that know me know me well enough to expect the answer, "Because I can." Those who don't know me get an oversimplified "I broke up with my girlfriend."
On paper, this appears a little dramatic, but it has been a completely organic and unforced endeavor. I left my last home, now also a large unfinished renovation project, completely unsatisfied due to the lack of closure and the fact that I no longer had the home I worked so hard to build.
the old home "before". note the bedrooms under the mezzanine. the lofted area was finished with carpet and had a very steep staircase leading up on the right. the decision to move this platform was mainly driven because i wanted to free our giant window up and get more light into the rest of the house. on the bottom is a view of our first house-warming party. we got very drunk and spilled red wine all over our carpet. this was a great thing, because it ended any discussion regarding saving the horrible carpet. pictured left to right, Aaron, me (Wes), Amalia, Brian, Myla, Omar.
the old home "during" and "after". the black staircase wasn't moved at all. most of the mezzanine could be moved without any alterations, just careful de-construction around existing pipes and electrical work and then replacing piece-by-piece against the other mezzanine.
more views of the new mezzanine. there is now a bedroom adjacent to the black staircase and the ceiling fan has been taken out. it still needs some drywall on the outer walls and heating should be run in from the large, single heating duct, which is now slightly isolated from much of the apartment.
When my good friend Emily suggested that the shack in her backyard needed a makeover and a caretaker, it was a challenge right up my alley. It didn't hurt that the aforementioned backyard is completely magical and includes, among other things, a fire pit, trees, a large table, many inviting chairs and a large brick wall. It feels very private yet very inclusive.
views of the backyard. on the top you can see debris that was removed from the house and Amy planting seeds in starter pots behind the leaves. on the bottom are house friends Michelle, Sebastian, and the queen of the castle, Emily.
There hasn't been a single visit to this spot that hasn't been remarkable in some way. why wouldn't i want to build my new home there?
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