24 frames per second

They are cranking right along on the framing of the house. We've been just patroling the exterior of the house, but today Chuck invited Conor and I up into the first floor to walk around (carefully, so as not to fall down empty stairwells etc). We really got a good feel for the layout. Very cool. The kitchen seems small but I'm waiting for the drywall! Dining room looks huge already. At first I was worried that it seemed a little dark now that the second floor (just the floor not the walls) is in, but it occurred to me that with no walls to bounce the light off it is probably darker than it will be when it is done (and Conor mentioned some amazing new technology called the 'light bulb' in a tone that can only be called "indulgently sarcastic"). Today was actually a very sunny day. The good news is that the kitchen was very bright already (at least at 3:00). Here's some pix that might help you 'see' the layout. Remember to click on them to make them bigger. This is the front of the house. The overhang over the door is the base of the dormer that is the front wall of the master bedroom. The door is a nice wood 8' door with dentil molding under a high window. It will be stained, probably to match the interior hardwood floors.

Here's the view from the front foyer. There is small alcove/hallway where the powder room and hall closet are. Visually that takes you all the way to the back of the house. Immediately to the right is an 8' opening leading to the family room. Below is looking in from that opening. I think Dux (the media/stereo guy) has reassured us about putting the TV over the fireplace. I was very against it initially, but it makes much more sense from a furniture arranging perspective and I don't think it will be too high, which was my other concern beyond just the aesthetic. But we weren't going to hide it in a cabinet anyway. I'm still mulling this over, so any thoughts are welcome!

This pic is looking from the dining room into the kitchen. There is a door framed in on the right that leads to the patio and a window straight ahead. The dining room will be flanked with floor to ceiling pantries which make it look a little more separate (and give us boatloads of storage) but the 7' entry makes it feel very open.

This is what the side door will look like. Enough of it is sort of frosted/opaque that we are hoping it will provide a nice balance between allowing in light and giving us some privacy! There is a matching transom that will run over the top. The door is fiberglass and will be painted to match the trim inside and an accent color on the outside. (We're still working on house colors).

That's all the news for today. As Brian liked to say when he was working on the Code at Fannie Mae, "It's all coming together!"