A brace for that ladder is probably a given. Are you drilling dowel holes all the way through those planks, or are they going to be partially drilled and chiseled out, to keep them from pushing out of the holes?

I am hoping the syringe of bleach is enough to have cleared out the drain. We're entering the time of day when the A/C is working harder, but I don't cool that side of the house during the day when I'm not in there, so evening is probably the time to truly get a reading on it.

Kitchen is cleaned up and I'm making progress with a couple of smallish stacks of paper on the dining table. Most will go into the recycle bin or shredder.

SRS