Basement Reno - recap & drywall finishing

RECAP: we are in the middle of a major DIY project.... finishing our basement. Jess and I did the prep work, and then for the last 10 days Jess' brother, Matt, has been helping me... often working long days, sometimes into the early hours... (Matt has been a HUGE help and has been amazing to work with - thank you Matt!!). 

You can see the transformation take shape through some photos at each stage on our Picasa photo album. All the blog updates can be found under our "DIY" category. 

The drywall finishing has begun... using joint compound to hide any gaps between the wall & ceiling boards and cover the many screw holes. Jess is great at finishing tasks (i prefer the building stage), so she has stepped-up with a baby due in 2 months to help out...

Until today, we had kept Ziva out of the basement (she had never gone down the stairs). Now she seems right at home in the basement, keeping a keen eye on her people as they work, from her bed.

Now we wait for the seams to dry and then we have a dusty and uncomfortable task ahead - sanding the excess compound away...