The house we bought in 2002 came with this crazy 3-level deck, part of which—a ramp leading to the sort-of attached garage—was covered by a very sloped little roof. No part of the deck was really quite large enough to be useful for entertaining or relaxing, so it became kind of a storage space for plants, a potting table, recyclables, plastic chairs, etc. I don’t think I was able to get my husband to spend more than one or two short spells out on the deck during the entire eight years that it existed!
This morning, work started early on digging holes to sink the posts for the pergola, while our contractor, Tom, was at the City Code office trying to sort out a permit snafu. When Tom arrived here, he brought bad news. We are not going to be allowed to build our deck until the Board of Adjustment approves a variance and issues us a permit for our garage. Now, mind you, this garage came with the house when we bought it, but had never been permitted — a fact we had never been made aware of throughout the entire house-buying process.
In preparation for making part of our attic into a conditioned space — a place where I can safely store my artwork and art supplies, as well as the bazillion other things we seem to need storage for, we are embarking on a remodeling project again, with some trepidation. I dread the daily disruption of my space, my time and my life, but hope that, in the end, it will all be worth it.
Design Inspirations
