Remember the  wish-list items in the earlier post? We’ve been working to get them all in the plans, with one item that wasn’t listed… lots of light.

A typical Philly row home has an offset along the back-half of the home.  This creates a side patio that also allows for windows in the middle of the house to let light in, far enough from the neighbors — 6′ is far for city-dwellers!

Here’s an example of the side patio and plans from our old home.

This old garage space doesn’t have an offset, so we needed to explore options. Adequate light comes in from the front (north) and back (south) of the house, but light was lacking in the center of this 50′ deep building.

We were already planning to go up to a new third floor and with taller than typical ceiling heights, the staircase couldn’t be a straight run. It needed to be what’s called a dog-leg staircase configuration; the kind with 2 flights of stairs with a half-landing in between them. This wider staircase complemented the space better.

While we tackled the light challenge, we also tasked our architect to explore and they came up with some terrific options as starting points.

Every direction pointed up… to skylights. J hates skylights, with a passion. They leak, the panes get cloudy, they leak and they leak. But they were looking like a necessity, so, compromises, right?

We loved all of these options, though  2 and 3 reduced living square footage in key rooms/locations, so we took option 1 and ran with it. And, we’re going with Wasco skylights.

The final product eliminated the drop-down indoor garden platforms — as much as we loved them; the idea of a permeable space within the house was a little daunting and probably not within the budget.

Architect’s model showing the third floor addition with skylights down the staircase/atrium

Architect’s model | left: Bird’s eye view through the skylights down the staircase/atrium | right: Side view of the new staircase/atrium and third floor addition

Architect’s rendering showing the third floor addition and roof deck