I always dreamt of having a tiny little space of my own somewhere in the house. Somewhere that’s private and I could get away from constant mess of the kids and all the house chores. You would know if you are a mum, right? Maybe dads are the same too. A place where I would take a book and a cup of coffee or something.
One day I was having a breakfast at the dining table and looked up and saw a space between the laundry/bathroom ceiling and the roof that could turn into something. This space was only revealed after we had ripped open the ceiling of the house. It’s like a tiny loft. If I clean all the dust (I was certain would be there that had accumulated over the past century), it could be useful for storage at least if not a romantic “hideout”.
My idea was instantly dismissed by my husband. “Not a priority” apparently. I sighed. There’s lots to do to the house yet I know. But can’t I decide where to renovate too? Does it always have to be his call? No. I decided to spend my own money and do what I want.
Japanese houses do not have a lot of storage space. We have a storehouse (kura) but we made ours into a living space with a lounge, toilet, and sleeping area to host our Airbnb guests. We had already moved a few old drawers into the main house to create more space so we can host more people. But the storehouse still had a lot more stuff than I would have liked – some that’s quite old and I didn’t want to throw away but didn’t quite know what to do with (like vintage farm gear and plates). Being able to host more guests would be beneficial financially. So hideout or not, having more storage for these things is a good idea.
I got my builders to have a look for a quote. $1200 to enforce the floor with timber so it can take enough weight. A bit more than I hoped for a few tatami mat size space to be honest but that’s what it costs. I gave the go ahead, then I felt so excited.
Now I needed a ladder to get up there. I found a nice old vintage timber ladder online. But the seller sent me the wrong size ladder and blew up on me when I asked for the product I had paid for. A little upsetting since it was his fault. I ended up offering to pay for both ladders as sending back something that large would have cost a lot and he would not cover it. After a bit of dramas I finally got the one I wanted. I decided it was worth it as it is hard to find beautifully aged timber ladders like these.
It only took one day for the builders to finish my mini loft. The new floor came up much higher than I thought, with the roof hanging over my head much too close for comfort which made the space feel smaller. But there it was, my very tiny hideout. I had to walk hunched over most part but I was very happy.
My husband installed a timber bar across the space so I can hook on my ladder. Floor enforced, ladder installed, beams cleaned, invoice paid. View from up there was different and refreshing, made me feel like a kid again. After moving a few items from the storehouse it didn’t feel big enough to relax but I kept some space where I can sit.
As soon as we can safely get up there, the loft was full of kids. My sons would bring their friends over, not that they can do much up there, but they just climbed up and down like a jungle gym, thought our place was a “Ninja” house. We moved some stuff from the storehouse and we can now host four people there. We also bought some camping gear and stuffed it up there.
My secret hideout was not so secret as I would have hoped after all. But it was pleasing to see my little renovation project was rather approved by the little people.
秘密の隠れ家のはずが
家のどこかに自分だけの秘密のスペースがあったらいいな、と思っていた。子供達のぐちゃぐちゃや家事から離れ、ひとりほっとできる場所。本やコーヒーと一緒に。お母さんなら誰も、そんな気になるよね。いや、きっとお父さんも。
ある日、朝食を食べながら上を見回すと洗面所／お風呂の上と屋根の間にあるスペースが目に留まった。小さいロフト、できるかも。以前、梁を露出するリノベの前にはベニアの天井が貼ってあって見えなかったスペースだ。そんなロマン溢れる隠れ家にならずとも、収納には役立つはず。現に民泊に使っている蔵には何世代分もの嫁入り道具の箪笥が並んでいた。母屋に動かしたものもあるが、「これ、どうしたらいいのー？」というモノがたくさん詰まっている。捨てたくないけど、どうしたらいいか悩ましいビンテージ農具や食器類の数々。スペースが空けば、泊められる人数も増え、経済的にもプラスだ。
が、この案は即座に夫に却下された。「優先順位が低い」。DIYの腕や金銭的な立場から、いつもリノベは彼主導だ。たまには自分の優先順位でやってもよくない？納得いかないので自腹を切ってやることにした。
大工さんの見積もりは１０万円ほど。洗面所／お風呂場の上を木材で補強し、歩けるようにする。もう少し安かったら嬉しかったが、かかるものはかかる。それでお願いすると、ワクワクしてきた。
次はこのミニロフトに上がるのに梯子がいる。ヤフオクでちょうどいいサイズの古い梯子を見つけて購入すると、送られてきたものは違うサイズ。用途に合わないので連絡するとなぜかゴネられトラブルに発展。実際購入したものを送ってもらうのは当然のことなのに、結局先方が間違えたにも関わらず両方買うことになった。ちょっと落ち込んだが、ここで意気消沈は不本意だ。何れにしてもイイ感じに経年した梯子は貴重だ。そんな心無い人の元に置いておくのは可哀想だし、ウチが引き取ろう。
工事が始まると1日で完了。夫に梯子をかける木材をつけてもらい、登れるようになった。上から眺めると、家が違って見えた。なんだか子供のようにワクワクした。思ったより床が高くなり、天井がすぐ頭に迫っている。ほとんどは屈まないと歩けない。想像通りものすごい埃だったが、掃除し、梁を拭き、請求書を払い、モノを収納すると達成感に溢れた。スペースが空いた蔵では、４人は泊まれるようになった。調子に乗ってキャンプ用品も買ってロフトに突っ込んだ。お陰で物置感が半端なく思い描いたようなくつろぎ空間ではないけど、ちょっとだけ座れるスペースを残した。
安全に上がれるようになると、ミニロフトは近所の小学生達で溢れた。息子たちが次々と友達を連れてきた。別に何ができるワケでもないのに、登ったり降りたり。「忍者ハウスみたい」と。降りられなくなった中学生もいて、怖いのに登りたい衝動に駆られてしまったところが微笑ましい。
そんなワケで自分の意思で決行した私の隠れ家計画は、とりあえず忍者ハウスの評判と収納スペースに終わったけれど、小さな人たちに気に入ってもらえて満足です。
