A Different View From Here — Reno Drama

Lest the whole opera thing is fooling you that I live a terribly glam life (ha!), here’s the current view from my kitchen — if one looks up.
That’s a lot of sky, eh? Great light to cook by, interesting intersection of all those architectural lines, but not so very warm. So far, we’ve been very lucky that the fall rains have held off, but it’s dropping down to 5 or 6 degrees Celsius at night.

The “boys” have started stuffing batts of fibreglass in the whole at night, and Pater reassures me that the roof is tarped, but I’ll feel better when the new skylight is placed into the new roof that is being built around it.
This photo was taken early last week, after the initial hole was cut, before the framing was built above it. Don’t they look pleased with themselves? Our wonderful carpenter Mathieu exudes a quiet competence and a steady will to work, so I’m actually quite comfortable with the whole process. Glad I’m at work all day, though, and that by the time I get home the mess is cleaned up and Pater has dinner on the stove.

Meanwhile, a second hole has been cut in the main-floor bathroom for another skylight. Hmmm, I wonder if this has anything to do with the twitch I’ve developed around my left eye. Or the cold sore on my lip. . .

But at least the weather is still fabulous — one more day, according to the forecast, and then the rains begin. So I’m off for what may be the last fall-sunshine run and then those two tough workdays. When I re-emerge on Friday, I’ll see what I can muster in the way of a What I Wore post — if I can get my cameraman down off that roof!

9 Comments

  1. hostess of the humble bungalow
    20 October 2010 / 4:43 pm

    Mater are you going to operatic heights with this post?

    Glad the rain has held off, timing is everything…
    and you look so glam and luxe at the Opera…much more exciting that my pedestian existence.

  2. Susan B
    20 October 2010 / 5:34 pm

    Oh wow, that looks like a major renovation! I'll be very excited to see how it turns out. I love skylights.

  3. Tiffany
    20 October 2010 / 9:56 pm

    I'm with Pseu – skylights are great. Our house is a very peculiar design (not ours!) but maximises light in every room and it makes such a difference. Hope the rain holds off for the skylights to go in!

  4. La Belette Rouge
    20 October 2010 / 10:47 pm

    I thought maybe you blew the roof off with an aria or two!;-)xo

  5. Mardel
    21 October 2010 / 1:35 am

    Ooh that looks like it will be fabulous!! Very jealous of skylights.

  6. indigo16
    21 October 2010 / 12:05 pm

    I know building is stressful but let me say ..You are so very lucky to have a man that does, rather than one who walks past what needs doing. I have had to navigate an old cooker abandoned in our hallway for a YEAR! Then 4 boxes of books arrived and I was determined to make him organise them before they too joined to pile of crap waiting to go somewhere. I just hope this house in Cyprus turns into a palace so we have at least one decent place to live!!
    Since moving into our loft I have never tired of watching clouds scud past so the stress will be worth it. Guess what temperatures I am coping with? a big fat 0! We have gone from nearly 20 to 0 in a week, how depressing is that?
    I am amzed you have a bag with silver fastenings, I do not think there are really any rules concerning brown with black, for me it's all about the texture.

  7. materfamilias
    21 October 2010 / 2:51 pm

    Hostess: Ha! Operatic heights indeed! At least this new view will let me stare at the heights from my pedestrian position. . .
    Pseu: I love them too, even in the rain when they give the room a vibrant soundscape.
    Tiffany: We have skylights in two other rooms and this one is a (much) bigger replacement for one that was in the kitchen already. Plus we're putting a new, fairly large on in the bathroom. Can you have too much of a good thing? We'll see!
    LBR: It's the diva in me! 😉
    Mardel: They don't work in every home, but ours has a very eclectic architectural history (that word "eclectic" is such a useful euphemism!)
    Alison: He's capable of some Emin-isms but he's generally pretty responsive to my nagging and he actually quite likes fixing up stuff around the house, especially now he's got the time. The problem I watch for is that if he suddenly decides to tackle some project or other, rearranging whatever, there have been occasions when he's thrown out items rather than done the necessary sorting.
    About the zero temps — yikes! We're teetering right on that edge, I know — a low of 4 last night so frost is just around the corner. At least we'll get to crack out our favourite coats.

  8. Duchesse
    21 October 2010 / 10:49 pm

    Oooh, skylights,m how beautiful. So many of your someday plans are happening- so heartening to see.

  9. materfamilias
    22 October 2010 / 4:29 am

    Duchesse: The skylights will be very nice bonuses, but the original plan was simply to get a leak-free roof that also sheds the snow in winter. It's such a relief to have someone in the house with enough time to get some of these tasks seen to!

Copyright

Unless otherwise stated, all words and photographs in this blog are my own. If you wish to use any of them, please give me credit for my work. And it should go without saying, but apparently needs to be said: Do not publish entire posts as your own. I will take the necessary action to stop such theft. Thanks.