Objectives #1 & #3: Stairs and Waterproofing!

The original objective of the remodel was to move the stairs. The stairs were removed months ago (one of the last things to be destroyed), but lots of things had to fall into place before they could construct the new stairs. They had to finish the rough electrical, put up the shear walls and get the inspections on all of that. Then they had to drywall the wall where the stairs were to go and get an inspection on that. So here we are, a month before we're moving back, and the stairs are finally in! Well, really, it's just the rough stairs... they'll be finished with the same wood that we are using in the upstairs great room, and the railing will be some sort of stainless cable rail.

In conjunction with this, they have now waterproofed the downstairs as well. They dug a 10-12' trench, smoothed everything, filled it with drainrock, and then bolted a waterproof membrane to the outside of the foundation. If that doesn't solve the problem, nothing will! In the process, they found two small places where the foundation is hanging over air. Be careful about looking closely into any part of your house -- you could be surprised at what you find. You will be surprised. (And usually, not pleasantly!)

They have also hung all the interior doors. We had a hall closet upstairs which is losing a door, primarily because its insides got taken up with heating ductwork. We will also replace the laundry room door, since it's adjacent to the kitchen and needs to look like everything else. We are still working on getting the front door fabricated with the broken-glass inset.

Last week I was in Prague to help teach a class. During that time I finalized part of the lighting order (thank you Skype!), and the lights have already started to arrive. It turned out that I could get a much better price on the lights than the wholesale price my electrician could offer. So I am purchasing all the external fixtures. I still have to buy the track lights and the outdoor lights, which I hope to do this weekend.

More complete pictures can be found on Kurt's Picasaweb site.