Stain and Posts

Some nice finishing touches started to take shape at the house today, I had a second conversation with the same contractor from the day before, today he was staining the railings and stairs and he wanted to know what I thought.  I told him earnestly how happy I was with it all, I have to admit I was having reservation about the stain.  I have to remember three critical things, first the stain was wet when applied so will appears darker; second, the stain is unvarnished so it tends to absorb more light then reflect; and last, the stairs will match the floor, and so they will look stunning even if they are a shade deeper then I anticipated.

This was the best shot it really picks up the grain,
love the way you get varied stain in the nooks and crannies on the spindles

Outside the decorative post were installed, they really give the front elevation character.  We are missing the railings on the porch and walkout, but I suspect, as I mused yesterday the walkout won't get finished until they finish the waterproofing.                  

As Om Nom Nom's go this one is looking more sophisticated.

For the geeks out there, here is a the HVAC system.  The notable beige box dangling from the ceiling is the heat recovery ventilation system.  It is what allows the house to be more thoroughly sealed against air leaks as it is explicitly designed to perform air exchange, extracting heat from the out bound air, and warming the in bound air.

This picture shows something really really important, and isn't immediately obvious, if one cranes their peepers to the ceiling you will see the extensive duct work is now in place.  What is important is that the lowest point in the ceiling remains the two steel beams, and that all the ducting could be accommodated in the joist spaces or above the plane of the beam.  Since that beam is ~7-8 feet, it means when the basement is finished the ceiling can be hung without risk of most people bumping their heads.  I'm super happy with how that worked out.

In other house related news, we now have some serious colours selected for the dinning room, kitchen, main bathroom, and Bryan's room, and a maybe on the trim colour.  We really need a decision on laundry room, en-suite, and powder room, as my initial goals are to paint any room with water ASAP followed by rooms we live in.  I have 4 weeks off at the time of move in, so we will start with the critical rooms and move out from there.

Anyways thats the news, closing date in T-minus 30 days.