Stairs - a quick preview

So, this past weekend we assembled the stairs, hoisted them into place.  They are functional, but still need the lowest tread on the living room side of the T..  Railing will come after the paint is done. (I need the area open right now for easiest/safest ladder access.) 

We have a 2' section of railing that's already installed on the balcony edge;  just enough to know we made a good choice in materials.  We have every reason to hope that the "fresh" pine will age to color-match the pine that's been installed for a year.

Is this how warp speed feels??

So much is going on. For the last week, it feels like I get home from work, eat, sleep and paint. Fortunately, the average is still that I spend just a little more time sleeping than painting when I'm away from my 8-5 job. We were drawn to a Sico color called Whitish Clay, but it was too light until we doubled up on the tint. As we cover more walls with it, our affection for the resulting color grows. Last night we got a good start on the third gallon of it. We're also approaching the bottom of the first 5 gallon pail of primer. To have a feature wall or not is my current dilemma, and the array of available colors is making it hard for the girls to settle on what we'll be doing in their rooms. The taper is hoping to finish the upper level today, so that's buying all of us some deciding time. Again, I realize that we choose to treat the timbers like finished trim, and protecting them slows our pace at this task too.

Eight more light fixtures could go up during the lull between drywall boarding & taping.  My helper & I only got seven done, but the best part is that they are permanent!! We don't have to paint around them, so they can stay right where they are...for always! 

 

Dennis has been back in the barn workshop with his timberframing tools.  This week he's been working on building stairs from the main to upper level.  They are turning out with a very sturdy look.  Contrary to popular belief, we will NOT leave a ladder as the permanent route to the upper level.  It will be a strange change, but we'll adjust.  My bet is on the adjustment being quick!  More pictures will be coming once I'm done painting the walls near them, and they are installed.

We finally have quotes and drawings for 2 different kitchen layouts.  One is very open and reveals a lot of timber, but is weak on upper storage space.  The other errs in the opposite direction on both points.  We need to decide this week so the other minor changes can be made and place our order.  Cabinets are 4-6 weeks away.

One fun thing we've done is start a countdown. We know it's much more ambitious than realistic, but it's been one more thing helping us stay focused on what's sometimes felt like "The Never-Ending Road".