Posts go up, walls go up & staircase sealed

Today was a very exciting day. I swung by the property on my lunch break and I saw that the contractors were starting to add the walls to the basement addtion. By 5:00, this is what it looked like:

In the kitchen, the temporary support walls have come down, and the new architectural beam that supports the house has been installed accross the top of the ceiling. From that two other architectural posts have been installed, which will be the ends of the kitchen island:

Did you notice that the staircase has been sealed up?

Also, the front porch is starting to take shape:

Can you see it ?: