There are a lot of things in our everyday life that are holdovers from an earlier time that we continue to use simply because of inertia even if they don’t make a lot of sense in modern times.

Dear James: My living room is too dark, so I want to add a skylight. My house has a pitched roof. How can I add a skylight when there is an attic above the living room? -- Colleen G. Dear Colleen: ...