This past week, I was able to make a some progress, not much, my regular work schedule has been hectic, its budget time so a couple of days when I got home I just sat and looked at the house. I did browse the internet and downloaded some pictures that will be display in the reception office of dancers and ballerina shoes, etc. I also downloaded some printables for a slate/rock pattern that I would like to use for the porch. So if any of you can help me with some hints with Photoshop it would be appreciated. I just bought this software program and although I understand it will do just about anything, it doesn't appear to be "user friendly".

Since, I'm going to lower the second floor, the tabs/slots that the normal floor would be using was filled with wood putty and sanded and painted over. To lower the floor, Riley figured out that we would only have to cut off one section of the middle wall. Basically he sawed about inch off the top of the center wall, but only the portion that serves as the back wall for the little side room. Knowing that the floor had to be supported, we decided to use crown molding in the downstairs room. This serves two purposes now, its pretty and dresses up the room, but it also gives us a basis to glue/place the floor on for support. I hope the following picture shows better than this verbal explanation.

And view from the top

Now here came the fun part for this semi beginner builder . First let me back up, the molding's back surface was not even, therefore it necessitated that each piece be fixed to give a level surface to glue to the wall. This was done by adding wood putty to level it and sanding. I also decided to paint the portions that would go in the little side room. I mixed some white paint to the Nutmeg colored paint to tone it down, which gave me (at least in the cup I was mixing it up in) a creamy milk chocolate color. For the large downstairs room I left it white, I debated on giving it a gold color but decided that might be a bit to much gold accent with the gold accent I had already used on the wallpaper.

Next I decided it would be easier to add the molding to the walls while they were laying flat. Novice that I am, I remembered for the first couple of walls to leave a space for where the walls would join and even kept checking that the joints and tabs were not hindered, but I guess a brain fog hit the next time I was able to work on the house and finish gluing, because when actually assembling I had to "saw" off several more edges to make them work.

For putting the wallpaper on, I used tacky glue, which I like to also use to glue the walls together. But the bottle was about empty, so I went looking for my brand new bottle and couldn't find it anywhere. Luckily, I found a bottle of Titebond. I did not realize that it did not dry clear as the tacky glue. Long story short, my dance studio will now have molding in the corners, made from skinny sticks. Hopefully, this weekend I will be able to install them. The sticks are not quite long enough, so it will take one and 1/3 of another to reach from floor to ceiling. I will play with this and hopefully where they meet join will not be to obvious.

Right now, the bottom shell is glued together and I'm seriously considered finishing out the first floor with the interior doors, carpet/tile, bay windows and porch covering before tackling the second floor.

I will also be spending some time in doing touch up painting to the edges where the walls meet on the outside. I've considered, but not sure yet if I will follow through, of using on just the corners a "sandpaper brick". I really need to scout around, but I think I've seen some businesses that only have brick only on the corners of the wood structure.

I have been please that it has taken very little work in getting the tabs to fit tightly. Some minor "carving" of the tabs was needed and some innovative use of masking tape to get the walls to stay put while the glue dried.