The Plan

So, we’ve got our project; all we need is a plan. Tiptoeing even further into the frightening world of the mature and responsible, we interviewed a handful of architects – three Johns and a James. They ranged from young and enthusiastic to severely modern and extreme (“tear it down to studs, lift the entire building and see where it cracks”) and even a small-world story, friend of the family who fell somewhere in between. We chose a guy both practical and edgy, excited and inspired: John Lum. (His people skills were a plus.)

The plan is to give a shot of botox to this wrinkled Edwardian, merge our two top units into one, and recreate the backyard space which right now includes a dilapidated metal garage, rotting wood staircase, antique washing machine, and garbage-can storage that looks like the dump itself. Dreams of a home for our cars (ahhhhh), a mod staircase, a spot of green and our very own roof garden are just that right now: dreams. But we’re refining the art of realizing them.