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We've both been too busy to even think about posting (D. with the house and I with the book), but fans are clamoring for a progress report. So here's a quick update, with a few representative photos below. Since the last post we, along with some hired hands, have: - finished staining the downstairs concrete floors (they look gorgeous, but no one can see them now because they were promptly covered with protective rosin paper... photos below give glimpses, however); - applied acrylic sealant to the stained floors; - installed the bathroom ceiling using the leftover cedar from the batch we bought from the neighbor; this involved D. planing, ripping, and routing the boards first; - installed, sanded, and finished the loft's maple floor; - tiled and grouted the bathroom walls and floors; - finished drywalling – everything!; - painted the walls in the loft; - installed the shower/tub fixtures, toilet, and, as of today, the bathroom vanity and sink; - installed the smoke/CO detectors (or as D. likes to say “carbon dioxide” detectors – no heavy breathing in our house); - installed many light fixtures, some temporary and some permanent I'm sure I've forgotten something—probably an infrastructure detail hidden deep in some wall, which took D. six trips to the hardware store and three calls to experts across the state to find the right parts to craft a unique solution to work around something we neglected to consider, all of which I never entirely understood. The positive spin: everything in this house is custom. In the coming weeks we'll install the Marmoleum kitchen floor, stairway banister, provisional kitchen cabinets and sink, and a railing around the open loft. With all that, we should be eligible for an occupancy permit. But we'd also like to do some painting and get a few appliances before moving next month. Toilet installed, 01/22/08:  View of the loft looking southwest, 01/21/08: 
View from hall, looking west (note drywall and sconces installed), 01/21/08: 
The shower system, 01/14/08: 
Hall, looking east, the floor with acid etch stain still wet. It dries a lighter, cola color. The green lines are 1/4-inch tape we put down in a pattern. After removing the tape, the un-stained area gives the appearance of grout. The hallway was the only place we attempted to get fancy with the stain. It turned out well, but required us to do math first, which means it took a long time. 11/15/07: 
Here's the hall as viewed from some high place (was someone sitting on a beam?) before it was stained. On the left you can see the stained living room floor. 11/13/07: 
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