John, Yours looks great!! Better woodworking craftsmanship than mine for sure, but mine is in a dark basement family room, so even my wife wasn't concerned.
Tugboat, I hear you about wishing you had half steps on the ladder. I wish the same for my 7 1/2 foot ceiling. I have the same slouching problem. At first I used a three step aluminum step ladder, now I use a three step folding aluminum platform that is about 15" wide and 3 feet long. It is much safer, but still is a few inches too high for ease of my neck and back.