Almost... there.

I finished up the mudding and sanding for the hallway / stairwell and gave it a first coat of paint.

Finally starting to see the light at the end of tunnel now with all the rooms I've been working on in the final stages of completion.

I haven't really done anything interesting or different work-wise, so I'll just let the before and after photos speak for themselves.

before

after

before

after

before

after

before

after

A/V Nook install

For that A/V gear like playstations, I made a space for a corner nook which used to be unused space underneath the ductwork. To make it I used 3/4" laminate pine. It came in a big 9'x4' sheet and I cut it down to basically create a big box that fit inside the nook space. I used another kreg jig for drilling the holes for the shelf pegs. Those pegs will be in place to hold up some nice knotty alder shelves that I'll create to sit inside the nook.

Drilling the holes with the jig.

Box set into place with power and a/v box access.

Trim added around to finish it off.

Stairs continued

Finished most of the stairs. Enough to drywall the side-wall of the stairs, and realize I don't have enough spare drywall to do so. I'll probably buy some more wood to just completely redo all the treads and risers. With some of them glued together, ripping them out to reseat/reglue them to fix the squeaking can become destructive on the treads.

Liquid Nails everywhere!

Support wall ready for drywall I don't have.

All but one tread all secured.

Give more of an idea of why I did this...

Randomness

I've been working on a bunch of little things, all to get to a point where I can think about installing carpet downstairs. It's still quite a ways off, but here's the little things I've been doing. First off, is completing the window casing and paint.

The before. All bare...

A look at the profile of the casing, with a little accent at the top.

All nailed in and ready to paint.

Painted! Paint color sure looks different in the night compared to day.

So, after a little bit of finish work, I realized I needed to finish off the stairs in order to get the hallway all ready for finish drywall and mudding. Thus begins ripping out the carpet and fashioning an extra support for the stair treads that will now stick out (in place of the wall that I removed). I used my t-square and had to buy a new t-bevel to make sure the angles were all correct for matching the rise and run of the existing stairs. Took a lot of time just to make sure it all fit right...

The carpet tear-down.

All clear for measuring and cutting new angles to match.

Measuring with t-square and t-bevel to proper angle.

Cutting away with my circular saw.

Added a 2x4 to the right for more support.

A look from a different angle.

Roughly adding in the new risers and treads.

Everything is going in ok so far. The treads are... of course... completely out of level, so I'll have to see if adding shims to the right side of the treads will even things out, yet keep the treads secure and squeak proof. I've been adding Liquid Nails Heavy Duty Adhesive to everything so far to make sure everything is solid and doesn't move at all.

Theatre Room all done

Well, finally made it. The theater room, or theatre room, is all done. Walls are all painted, lights are in, and speakers installed. Apart from a little tidying up all it needs is carpet. Went for a Baked Scone color which makes the room really warm looking. Some of the photos look a bit too yellow, which the color isn't...

Well I guess I lied. Still need to finish the A/V cubby in the corner, the molding around the window, and then there's the door to install and the baseboard. But... it's all finish work which will be a welcome change from drywall and mudding.

Walls Primed, Ceiling Painted

Well, I got a lot done lately. After days of sanding and then touch ups and more sanding, I've finally painted. So... primed the ceiling and walls. And after that painted the ceiling with it's final coat of flat white paint. Will go through and look to see if I need to touch up any additional spots, as the primer makes imperfections easier to see, but after a quick look I only see a couple trouble spots that I've have to remedy.
Looks pretty cool as is though. I've have to decide on what color to paint the walls next...

I cut out the hole for the center channel speaker too, and pre-drilled holes for the tv mount.

Will keep the duct line painted white. 

Finished the hallway to the bathroom too, which is in darkness...

Mudding/sanding the duct probably took the most time.

And.. the back of the room.

A look at the fancy theatre lights finally installed.

Recap

The whole mudding process is a slow, tedious one that seems to keep going on and on. Especially when done solo. But, the light at the end of the tunnel is close. I just did a final coat of mud around the corners, as after trying to sand it, it wasn't up to snuff. And in doing that, I also added some more mud in the hallways so they are now complete and ready for some sanding too.

Here's a look at the living room as it is now...