The Fairfield Step Four: Dry Fit

My first dry fit of the Fairfield!  It's exciting to see the actual house and start playing with components rather than just trying to imagine it.

I spent a loooong time thinking about the staircase, sitting it this way and that, fiddling with walls etc. I decided in the end to go with what I really want to see, which is the stairs with a doorway next to them on the right, because if I don't it won't be exactly what I want and I'll regret it.  This means a really steep, narrow staircase just inside the front door, but you won't be able to see much of it once the house is completed, so I think I'll be able to construct it using my very basic skills.

The stairs are steep! The doorway will be trimmed to take the original railing off. I may add a door under the stairs.

The next decision I have to make about the layout is whether to keep the "bathroom" wall or not. I was never going to put a bathroom in the house, just because they are boring to look at as far as I am concerned, so I was going to leave that wall off and make that area a large sitting area at the top of the stairs, with lots of books, maybe a suit of armor and probably the spiral staircase to the attic.

Now I can't decide if I should close it off to make a more atmospheric "potion" store room with the secret staircase at the back of it.

Or should I turn the library into a big potion room and make this area an open area library? Take out this section of the attic floor and build double height bookshelves? With a gallery area?

Or, since I don't have an actual basement, close the room off and make it a panic room with devil's trap and lead lining?  A cot bed and manacles. No window.

Wall in, separate room

Wall out, open room

Wall added in the attic, and floor would be removed on rhs

Wall in attic. Floor above open area removed, spiral staircase leading to doorway in attic.

Although this wall is very easy to add or remove, whatever I decide on, it will affect whether or not there will still be a French Door in this area onto the balcony, not to mention lighting. I also need to make a decision about which windows to use - the Gothic or Victorian? Hmn.