Hot Water

We're looking forward to having the solar thermal system hooked up in January. First, the panel is taking up most of my garage. Second, we've been running out of hot water in the master shower and could use the extra capacity. I'm thinking it's going to be a late January installation.

Oak Stairs

I've been working on and off around the house (mostly off), trying to finish (it never ends does it?). I've spent a couple of days sanding the treads and risers that will be going into my staircase. My father-in-law loaned me an orbital sander for the job (definitely a must have to make the work go faster).

This past weekend, I spent most of a day staining the wood. It looks amazing. The next step is to coat the treads and risers with a protective layer (three actually) of polyurethane. Each coat takes about 8 hours to dry and I'll have to be careful to avoid getting dust on the finish, so I anticipate this is going to take a couple days to finish before I can start cutting and fitting.