Our house originally had a hatch to the roof that was very inconvenient because it was located in my mother's closet. Each time we wanted to go up there we had to practically empty out four decades' worth of clothing and shoes, so we limited our ventures up there to about once every fifteen years. On top of that the ladder was very cumbersome and the hatch itself was very heavy to the point that dad couldn't even open it anymore.

Consequently when we redesigned the house, I suggested an easier route to the roof, but I was thinking something along the lines of a pull-down stair. The architect produced plans for adding another stairwell that leads to a patio on the roof, which I heartily approved for awesomeness. However my parents nixed the patio, which made the stairwell seem kinda weird: The steps now lead to nothing.

Last week our stairs subcontactor finally finished and shipped them over. We went over today to inspect everything, and my parents finally went onto the roof the first time. While I admit the view isn't Central Park East, it's not awful. Mom seemed to agree because she was moaning about not putting a proper patio up there.

Honestly though, I just want a proper balustrade or something. The parapets lining the edges barely go up my ankle, which if anything is just a tripping hazard. The staircase makes us more inclined to go up there, and I can totally imagine us just walking off the side.