Living in the Golden State:

Staircase to the Second Floor

This is what the stairs looked like in the empty house. We had been advised by the realtor that stairs are largely wasted space, a central column whose only function is to get to the second floor. This is especially true with two half staircases and a landing, which we had seen in several places. These stairs didn't take up as much space as some of the other houses we looked at. In fact, there's a half bathroom under the upper portion, and we're wondering if the lower portion can be opened up to create more storage space, maybe for wine. This photo may also have been the last time the stairs weren't covered in a bunch of our "stuff" or cat fur.