Bright and early this morning, I met my trusty assistant to check out the new property.
We liked the cool modern look of the entrance,
and Wendy was keen to check out the inside.
The full-length two-storey corner window met with her approval,
as did the light-coloured wooden flooring throughout the ground floor area. Perfect for either a shop or a gallery, she thought.
But the stairs were a problem, with the first step right up against the front wall (which also created dead space by the windows: not too much of an issue for us, as it can be used as a display space).
More worryingly, the stairs don't meet code, with no railings and therefore very dangerous if someone trips. A real problem for us, as we saw the mezzanine space as the perfect spot for the office. We won't even mention the danger of falling from the second set up to the roof!
Similarly, the mezzanine edge is far too low to be safe.
Wendy was quite perplexed at the design of the windows on the mezzanine, pointing out that she couldn't see out from a standing position, but that it would probably be OK when sitting at a desk.(She didn't even mention the hazard of the opening from the roof..)
Similarly the windows under the mezzanine were quite high as well: not an issue for us as we're planning to fill them with either glass bricks or frosted glass to control the amount of light.
Finally, Wendy (carefully) made her way up to the roof terrace. But she refused to climb onto it as the lack of barriers and the nearness of the edge to the top of the stairs made her feel quite unsafe going any further.
After returning to the safety of the ground floor she asked me what I thought.
I mentioned that what I found most perplexing about the building was that the designers managed to create the paper for the outside and the floor to scale, but chose a very out-of scale and fake-looking wood grain for the inside walls, when they could have quite as easily used something much more suitable.
I also told her that I thought the rounded corners on the unglazed windows are going to be a challenge for us,
and wished that the front edges had been better finished.
But, on the whole, Wendy and I decided that we are both very satisfied and can't wait to get started on our new project!
(As an aside, I note that the house is mainly held together with screws. If you have a Lori Loft to Love, I'd love to hear if you've been brave enough to unscrew it and if you have any tips: I'm thinking that recovering or painting the inside would be much easier if the pieces were flat, but have a fear that once I unscrew it I'll never get it back together again...)
5 comments :
Are you able to switch out the stairs? Move the ground level set over to the wall? This way, you may be able to create a landing at the second stair and turn the first step 90 degrees. This would make them less awkward getting on, and give you more head room in the space. I'll keep thinking on the rest...
Great thoughts: thanks Jodi!
Poor Wendy trying to walk up those treacherous steps in heels and without a handrail! ? It's a good thing she was going slow because a tumble in any direction would have been tragic. But despite the obvious dangers, this property DOES indeed have "Potential", and I am looking forward to seeing what you'll do with it.
So far, the only thing I have unscrewed on mine is the yellow light fixture. I do plan at some point to replace the "railing" on the loft and maybe put brick on the walls to give it an industrial look. The layout does make furniture arranging a little challenging.
Really great tour. Looks like some interesting challenges. I can't wait to see how much you change and reno!
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