to the dungeon!

the home inspection indicated standing water was in the basement at some point so a sump pump was the solution.

what's under here?



the path to glory:



tools of the trade:



all installed, note rickety wood ladder was replaced by sturdy fiberglass ladder:

once you start stripping, you just can't stop

we had so much fun stripping the beams, we couldn't stop. while jason worked on other projects, lori stripped the inside of the front door.

before & after shots:

beam me out of here

we knew we would eventually strip the living room beams, but eventually came sooner than we thought. in a great example of remodeling for dummies, we went backward and decided to strip the beams after refinishing the floors. you are supposed to work your way from the ceiling down, but whatever. we meticulously covered our precious refinished floors and began the month long process of stripping, sanding, staining, and polyurethaning.

it begins:



there were only about 4 layers of white paint and a mysterious layer of green paint - i am sure it was completely nontoxic:



first beam is sanded, two in stripping process:



we love termites and their work:



the finished product: