Transcript (en)

We're opening up our roof to bring light to the secret room build. We bought this old cottage with a steep pitched roof and all these forgotten attics. My daughter's turning 10 and I'm going to gift her a secret whimsical room with a roof balcony window that feels like a tower tucked in an overgrown secret car. Once we ran the exhaust vent between the floor joys, we finally had room to start walling off this creepy little space. Sub floor down, insulation in, and drywall up. Then we ran electrical through the slanted ceiling, closed everything in, and began mudding and mudding and more mudding. My daughter requested a desk, so we found the perfect little nook for a built-in that she can use now and as a teen. It's tucked right into the wall so it doesn't steal precious square footage. After carpet went in, we added baseboards, and while I waited for the wallpaper to arrive, I made the room even more secret with a built-in bookshelf door, a hidden entrance that feels very enchanted tower, and adds more storage. Then the whimsical wallpaper I'd been dreaming of finally arrived. My vision is a secret garden tower with vines and birds, and this wallpaper brought that dream to life. In this small space, it feels like art is just enveloping around you in this magical way. Remember those fairy lights? My daughter really wanted them, so that was an easy yes. I wanted to get her mattress off the floor, but the low profile bed I found online was wildly overpriced. So I made my own for about $100. I'm calling that a $550 savings. DIY math absolutely counts. Now her mattress is just four inches off the ground and she didn't lose much ceiling height at all. And then the balcony window arrived. My husband and his brother, who both have a roofing experience, started cutting a giant hole in our roof. Slightly terrifying, but very exciting. They installed it, repaired the roof, waterproofed everything, and then I hopped in for the part I actually know how to do. Trimming it out, installing the blinds, and painting the trim. Remember the dark, creepy attic that no one ever wanted to enter? Well, now it's my daughter's fairy tale secret room. Even on these gray December days, the natural light comes pouring in this room. Listening to the rain and soaking up the natural light feels like a dream. The roof balcony window is easy to open and really does feel like a little tower overlooking the backyard with a perfect view of the gazebo. And her cozy bed nook, it's pure magic. Just what she dreamed of. My inner child is just as delighted by this build as my daughter, and gifting it to her has been such a treat for both of us. Thank you for cheering me on on this whole adventure and stick around because next I'm going to bring the same fairy tale charm to our nursery.