Pink Lady Renovation: 2nd and 3rd Floor Decisions

“ISN’T SHE LOOOOVELY!?”

…can you hear it? My singing? No? Probably best, given my abilities.

You may not think that this view is lovely, but to me, it’s BEAUTIFUL! Let me tell you why:

We’ve had to make some big decisions regarding the second and third floor, lately. Though it’s been our goal to stay under budget as much as possible, we’ve also had to consider the big picture: we plan on being in this house for a looooong time (y’all, I love this project, but I NEVER WANT TO MOVE AGAIN), and therefore, we need to consider what’s in our best interests long-term— even if that means spending more money.

If this home were a flip, or if functionality weren’t important to us (spoiler alert: it is! We have 4 kids!) we probably wouldn’t have made the changes lately that we have. With that said, we’ve made two big changes to our current plans for the third floor:

1.) WE TOOK CEILING HEIGHT FROM THE 2ND FLOOR TO GIVE TO THE 3RD FLOOR

One great thing about this home (and most historic homes, for that matter) is the generous ceiling height. The 1st and 2nd floors have 12 foot ceilings, while the 3rd floor (a converted attic space) had only 7 feet at its tallest point. Our roof has a LOT of gables, so it felt a lot like a cave and less like an actual “floor.”

Because we wanted to maximize use and functionality of the third floor (I can absolutely see the twins moving up there when they’re older) we made the executive decision to take two feet of ceiling from the 2nd floor and add it to the 3rd floor— making the 2nd floor ceiling is 10 ft, and the 3rd floor ceiling 9 ft.

Though this added to our budget, we knew it was the best choice long-term. Currently, the 2nd floor looks like a vaulted doll house until the joists go in, but we’re already so happy with that choice.

2.) WE’LL ADD A DORMER TO THE 3RD FLOOR

As I mentioned, the 3rd floor is a converted attic space, which means very little (read: zero) natural light. Though we plan to add large windows to each gable, the light factor still would have been quite low— especially in the area at the top of the 3rd floor staircase.

We anticipate using that area as a kids’ “lounge” area, and because the ceiling drops at the top of the stairs, it would’ve felt very enclosed and dark. So, we’ve decided to add a shed dormer to this room to add light and space.