Fireplace box is in!

In between getting back from our trip to my parents' ...

According to some sources, we are still a "mini" family because we fit in a "mini"van. A few more weeks will change that. ;)

(Not all parts of the trip were this much fun...but some were! It's a long five hour drive. Plus lunch and potty breaks.)

... and today (Monday), Matt found some time to get out and tape and mud the sheetrock in the fireplace cavity so it meets the requirements.

As usual, he's got his construction buddy out there with him. (Got to love how Dad's in a short-sleeve shirt and Reuben's wearing his winter coat. Proper attire was probably somewhere in between!)

Then, today, the fireplace got installed!!! YAY!! Progress! Yes, there are still a few more steps - Matt's got to get the DurRock (fireproof panel) installed over the front, and the mechanical guys have to come and hook up the gas, and then the fireplace guys have to come back again to do the final trim pieces, but I still consider this a significant step.

I'm going to brag on Matt just a bit here - every contractor who's been in the house doing the little bits that we're hiring out has commented on how very well done the work is. Today they got a kick out of how the base that the fireplace sits on (which will all be covered up) is done with tongue and groove pine. ;) Matt did this instead of rough plywood simply because we had some leftover tongue and groove boards from another project, and it made more sense to use that than to buy something new, but it's still kind of fun to know that someday we'll know that buried behind the fireplace wall is a beautiful tongue and groove floor. ;)