Even though Eren Design & Remodeling in Tucson, Ariz., has experience working on similar home models in that neighborhood, they soon found what all good remodelers know: you never know what you'll find once you get behind the walls. Once the entryway was stripped to install the skylight, they discovered the entryway was the transfer for gas, water and HVAC. They first added another HVAC unit to the far end of the house to relieve the load on that primary unit, and then they built a soffit down the length of the master bedroom to reroute the existing HVAC lines which feed both the master bedroom and living room. Finally, the gas and water lines were pushed to the roof line, which gave the necessary space for entirely reframing the area so it could accommodate each of the skylights.

"It was a complex feat to get the four skylights balanced and centered in that existing framing and making them appear as one unit," Donald says of this three-week process. "Our designer worked very closely in the field to ensure the skylight was centered in the space, worked well with the front doors and had presentation integrity." All of this was accomplished without adding any soffits to any of the rooms in the great room area and thereby diminishing ceiling height.