Thanks, everybody, for the nice comments about the house! Not to brag, but I am a little proud of myself. However....I can't rest on my laurels yet. The house isn't really done. Oh, I know it looks done—and it almost is—but it's not completely done. There are still some odds and ends to do, and I'll tell you all about those as I get to 'em. (Like that tree growing on the front porch roof that really ought to be pulled up before droves of people come through my neighborhood for the Old Homes Tour.) And then, when I'm really and truly done, I'll post a slideshow of the whole darn process.
In the meantime, I have a little story to share: a couple of days ago I was standing on the roof at the back of the house (more about that later) when an SUV rolled slowly down the alley, came to a stop by my carport, and a guy yelled, "Hey, is this your house? Did you do all this work?" When I yelled back, "Yes, to both!" he threw back his head and laughed. "I looked at this house four years ago," he said, "and decided not to buy it because taking off those shingles was too much work! You don't want to sell it now, do ya?!"
I grinned. "No way, sir. No way."