On the top of our list of things to get done before Baby Zane arrives is turning our old attached garage into a family room (with closets). This means closing up a double-wide opening (around 18 feet), which we decided to do with lots of double paned glass since it has a nice southern exposure. All of this was planned and the door panels special ordered almost a year ago but, as these things sometimes go, Summer and Fall found me living in Nebraska managing a radio station. The nice, warm days faded to memories and we started having the time to think about finishing up the project.

And, really, what's wrong with picking the coldest, nastiest time of the year to open a gaping hole in the side of the house?

Luckily I have talented and hard working friends (Paul and Brian) so the time spent with the side of the house wide open was kept to a bare minimal. Also, you might be able to spot that the old garage door was kept in place "just in case." It wasn't an easy task, since we were squeezing 80" doors into an 80 3/4" opening, with a steel I-beam on top and cement floor below.

Huge thanks to Brian and Paul! I'll post an outside photo tomorrow.