We ordered the walls today...

Well, so much for a plaster guy. Shayne talked to Phil the Drywall Guy today, and he only wants $500 to skim the living room, stairway, and upstairs hall. That price includes walls and ceiling. Since Phil will be doing this on his own time, not as a company or union member, we're getting a heck of a deal. And, Phil has talked to some folks that he knows that do plaster, and he's gotten some advice and insights on dealing with plaster. The purist in me is rebelling againt not using period-authentic plaster, but a great many of the folks over at oldhouseweb.com's message boards advocate skimcoating with drywall compound. It will still be super smooth, just like plaster. And it's certainly more financially feasible. So I feel much better about everything. Now all I have to do is get the rest of that wallpaper off, and give Phil a week's notice. He'll start on a Saturday and be done on the following Saturday. Words cannot express how nice it will be to have walls that we can paint! Smooth, painted, uncracked, perfect walls... *sigh*

Maybe we really will be done with the living room by Easter!