Good-bye destruction, Hello construction

It looks like we are really finished with the destruction phase of this project. We've even started clearing out the debris, although there is still a pretty good pile of stuff in the back. Our views from the basement windows are still of mounds of dirt and stone, and a few basement stairs.

Speaking of stairs, I guess the team got tired of that ladder, so they built a temporary staircase from the 1st floor to the basement. The treads are a little narrow, but at least you don't have to go down backwards. But before that happened, Ken cut back on the foundation wall so we will have more space in the stairwell it will look a lot more inviting to go down into the basement and not a dungeon.

The framing in the basement is nearly done, and the definitions of the spaces look great. Unfortunately, it doesn't show up well on photos (at least not my photos).

The plumber has begun doing the pipes and valves throughout the house. I'm trying to keep about 1/2 step ahead of him in selecting sinks, faucets, etc. We have decided to re-use a pedestal sink from the 3rd floor in the basement powder room. It's a bit of an '80's throwback, but we'll get a 21st century faucet for it. It just seems wrong to toss some of this perfectly good stuff.

On Sunday, Peter and I went to make some decisions that Lee needs right away. Here's a photo of Peter on the fabulous bluestone landing for our new vestibule entry.

Then Simon-the-builder came over in his hard hat to check out our progress and give us the ok to continue. I'm not sure what he remembers of the house the way it was, but he was pretty interested in the big mess everywhere.

The electrician is supposed to start on Wednesday which means finalizing outlets, light switches, etc. We are also hoping to finalize the built-in configurations. Another busy week - hopefully it'll be a little drier than last week.