Stair tread construction for the River House is now complete. I will probably finish them with the same product we are using for the floors, Bona Traffic HD Raw. It is a water-based, commercial-grade floor finish that leaves the wood looking completely natural with no sheen whatsoever. Each tread weighs about 25 pounds so I have been getting a pretty good workout just moving these all around the shop.

We are seeing good progress on the outdoor hardscaping as well. We will have a small patio off the great room fashioned from large 2-inch thick stone slabs. These are set on a base of pea gravel and are intentionally placed to have wide gaps. These measures will allow rainwater to be absorbed into the ground rather than running off the top. The large rectangular stone will serve as a bench and we plan to complete the patio with a fire pit.