The developments in week 14 of our remodel were less dramatic than in week 13. Not only was it a short week due to Christmas, but it’s tough to compete with being able to walk around upstairs for the first time.

Nevertheless, there were some real changes this week. Most notably, the team began installing a roof and actual walls on the north side of the second floor, including Julia’s bedroom, her bathroom, and the playroom. Even though there’s still a long way to go, the addition of these components provides in a much stronger sense of what it will be like to inhabit the space.

One additional thing we noticed is that they’d put in soffit vents along with the roof. This was a bit of surprise, because we’re planning to have an unventilated attic in which spray foam insulation will be applied directly to the underside of the roofing panels. The benefit of this approach is greater energy efficiency, albeit at a somewhat higher cost, since the installation of the spray foam is more technically complex than putting in ordinary fiberglass insulation. It’s somewhat uncommon in our area, so our first instinct was that the contractor had simply forgotten about it. When we asked, however, he assured us that he was merely preserving the option of taking a more standard approach when the time comes, and that the vents can be covered if we stick to the plans.

As part of this week’s work, the crew also removed our old porch light, which had remained untouched through the first three months of the project. I’m not altogether sure whether its removal was an integral part of the work they did on the roof or just something that happened incidentally, but although it was bound to happen sooner or later, it was still a tiny bit sad.

Gallery: Week 14: Walls Closing In