I handed in my permit to build a deck to the city of Chaska on Friday, only to have them call back and say that they wouldn't accept the permit while my basement permit is still incomplete.  This is bad timing because our deck builders are going to be starting in a couple of weeks. 

In order to get the basement signed off we need to do a final inspection.  And to do a final inspection we need to install bath fixtures, put the stair railings back on, and put up the smoke detectors.  Not bad, except for the fact that we really wanted to put all of our flooring down before installing the sink and toilet.  So in order to further expedite the timeline we're getting flooring estimates today from Empire, and we may have all of our flooring installed by the end of the day tomorrow.  With some luck, in two weeks we'll have a basement ready for final inspection.  Doors, paint, and finishing trim are still left to do, but it'd be nice if we can make some huge progress in the next two weeks.

On a related note...  you know you're getting older when you make stops at Home Depot with your spouse on your "night out" while the grandparents are baby sitting.