Itching for Flashing

Piece below the window, piece above the window: those are still needed. (Pieces of plywood.)

But one window is in!

Flashing is happening, a lovely stage.

Sunday Off, Sunday Work

Today I am taking our Sunday off, while Amy sweats through the heat taking care of business on the house. She'll take Thursday off and go do the Death Ride by bicycle this weekend. Hot times. The blocking is coming along, the sheer is getting screwed in, and the river is prime grounds for finding an ally.

Many Good Ideas

A great afternoon planning meeting with beer and chocolate.

Fast. Cheap. Good. You get 2 out of 3.

Me: Tripping on time.

Breathe in: Flexibility and Openness

Breathe out: Strength

Material Run

We went to Berkeley and at Urban Ore found a door.

On our way home went by Heritage Salvage in Petaluma, nothing for us in our price range, yet.

Then purchased new corrugated steel for the exterior siding at Friedman Brothers in Santa Rosa.

Now we're back and it's very hot.

How Long Will This Take?

Sometimes it's hard to wrap my head around.

It's such a small structure, so I think, it shouldn't take that long.

Knowing all the puzzles that arose with trailer tiny house #1, however, I think, will this next one ever be finished by late August?

Many things are possible, and a certain kind of thinking doesn't help. Good planning does help. And remembering that you're doing the best you can.

Anchor Bolts

This is a tardy post, but I'm sticking it in chronologically -- it is very important. The photo below shows the anchor bolts we used for tying in the studs (wall framing) to the trailer frame. Trailer and subfloor system can and will vary, so the solution for this trailer is quite different than from trailer #1.

We figured the system together, but Amy took charge of getting everything solid, tight, and beyond sturdy.

Four Walls Up, Working on the Rafters

Another day on framing. Began the bay window wall / hitch end wall yesterday afternoon. Finishing that and roof rafters today. Hopefully begin on sheer tomorrow.

Beer at the end of the day yesterday.

Many things going on in life these days, mom's face shows it.

Power tools in the shade, in theory.

End of the day today, rafters not in, though the hurricane ties are in and ready for wood. We (gulp) purchased plywood today. A major event, for me.

Tomorrow we will finish off the framing that still lingers, and then screw and glue the sheer.

Three Walls

Hot out there in a real way. Lots of water necessary as we screw through the sills, soles, and top plates. Quite a sky scraper we're raising over here. Still studs and blocking to put in.

My House These Days

It's lovely to wake up in.

The work remaining to be completed consists of, but is not limited to:

• building the chopping block into a table/island on wheels with a sliding shelf for compost and a lower shelf for mixing bowls
• putting on the second and last gutter
• doing the copper soldering on the sink plumbing
• attaching faucet securely
• finishing counter top behind and to the right of sink
• making the coved trim pieces on the router table
• installing trim where needed
• building thin shelf for translucent dishes behind sink
• rigging the mechanism for lifting the roof
• finish screwing down the roof (should have been done already)
• finish little chunk of exterior siding that I can't really reach right now (should have been done already)
• put up last piece of metal corner trim
• cut small upper metal pieces to finish all corner trim
• make door! in kitchen area that will lead to outdoor bathroom
• make door for storage area

So today is Sunday, our day of rest on trailer #2. I might get a few things crossed off this list, unless the river gets me first.

Two Walls Up!

Amy & Jenine got busy today. Hot day. No hard hats, but jog bras and bikinis.

One wall, the back wall by the license, is all framed out ready for further action.

The front door wall is up and still needs the majority of the studs, but has the corners in.

Sketched up drawing, not to scale, and revised mid-day.

We'll take Sunday as a day of rest and get back to it Monday.

Lots Going On

I'll post some pictures soon of the current happenings in the physical world. Meanwhile, in cyberworld, I'm working on a new website for showcasing this info in a more organized way.

August 2010 Trailer #2 Completion

For Sale or Rent

Contact us if you're interested:

j e n i n e . a l e x a n d e r AT g m a i l DOT c o m

Great Small Works

Watch Video.

3 Long Days, the 4th Will Be the Longest

I've put in three long days of work on my house. It's a lot of work. Building a house takes a lot of attention to details and systems thinking that is stimulating. Even though this house is small, it still incorporates most attributes of a home ten times its square footage. Because it is small, decisions... how wide the loft opening is, where to place a food storage shelf, how many inches to have to the right of the sink, how much storage space to put under an island chopping block that will also function as a dining table and therefore want legroom ...like these are ongoing and condensed. Basically I'm trying to say: buiding a house is a lot of work.

These days I'm working on bringing my house closer to completion. Amy & I are taking a break on trailer #2, to begin work up again on the 24th of June. It's nice to put all my energy back into my trailer. Finishing the sink, plumbing, cutting marble, baseboard, roof on top of window push-out in the kitchen, trim around window push-out in the kitchen, other trim, trim, and trim, sanding chopping block and other sanding, deciding on if any/kind of wood finishing oils...

So begins the 4th day of work since returning from Portland. Salute the sun, on this longest day of the year.

The diamond blade to cut the...

marble, or granite?

The router to cut the...

groves for the shelf for the mason jars.

And Howard's Wax & Feed (beeswax and orange oil) for the wood.

Then, after cutting down the carpet to size, I built a shelf into the storage space, the right size for storing milk crates.

Then I rinsed and steel brushed some old barn wood for making a temporary cover to my storage area. When I move out and rent this house I will screw off this area that will store my stuff. When I return I hope to one day make two sliding doors that can be lifted out of their tracks so as to give easy access to things below.

I also decided to move the opening in the loft, which took a little grunt work.

I also finally cut the roof and finished the part over the pushed out window in the kitchen. But like this photo, the amount of work I've done begins to blur after so many hours dedicated to the same small space. It can be lovely, when rather than tuning into all that still needs some attention, I'm able to find a relaxed poise and enjoy all that I have already put together.

Return from Portland

Tomorrow morning I will return to the long day alone working on my house; with renewed vigor for attending to details with care and niceness, sweet music, and shared meals with my growing family of Alexanders.

Time with loved ones is invaluable, like having wind on your feets and head, but still a warm enough torso. Thanks to the ocean and wilderness for their reminders!

Subfloor Ahoy

Darn tootin thang's near done.

There's going to be a hiatus here for a few long days on this trailer number two,

(friends & bicycles & trailer number one need some attention)

but then we'll be back with full impact driving fierceness.

(This photo is from our first day working again, beginning to put on the sill plates. OSB scavenged, at least 3 out of 4 pieces were... )

Tiny House Blog

Don't forget to check in with the Tiny House Blog.

Kent is always posting new photos and articles worth following.

One example:

What a Fun Project!

Only not so much today. Getting the blocking and leveling all in order before putting down the subfloor wasn't all that rewarding.

But it's an important step in the process

all the same.

Rain Days = Business Meeting Days

So lovely to have a lovely business building partner.

Spent the moist day with the trailer all covered down, and us around town. We found (we think) all the doors and windows we'll need (besides the dutch door we'll make) from another local salvaging resource. Knowing these dimensions is imperative so that when we start framing, as early as tomorrow late-afternoon, we'll know the rough openings we'll be working with.

Framing the Floor Joists

And then a little bit more work later:

It was a long day, with many setbacks between hardware stores, staples, hammer tackers, and a stream of lovely visitors... onto the prying-jacking out of our work so we could get on with the finishing of undercarriage (stainless steel staples with 24" aluminum flashing), then lay the whole thing back in place (lay in this context = sledge hammering), fluffing and cutting in soft cheeked denim cotton insulation, stretching out ye old salvaged tar paper, and! by the end of the day we covered up for rain just in time, so you can't even see all the work. Nice trick.

Welding Continues

The rented welder. This one a Lincoln only 110V, worked well.

More than one bolt holding on the boards on this car hauler. A two person job getting them off. One person holding on top, another from below.

Finishing up.

Rolling out with an ingenious system.

(Remember, my house is blocking the driveway now, so no truck has access here anymore,

until I move further out the driveway at least.)

And there she blows!

Outriggers attached. Real purdy.

Welding the New Trailer

Great thanks to Janelle with the new welding machine, a Millermatic 211, with 110/220 volt switchable MIG welder. We didn't have any 220 outlets so Amy rigged up a direct line to the utility box in the garage. We used fluxcore wire rather than gas. Things were great until the new machine blew a chunk when it really shouldn't have if it had been ready for work. This brought a slight stall and quite a bit of learning more about all the mechanisms that make MIG welding possible (in that learn-when-it-breaks kind of way). So Janelle's machine went to the shop for a new PC board, and we kept crackling like sizzling bacon with a rented welder in order to, you know, forge ahead. Nice days, three women, meshing metal.

Then rolling her out to the building site. Ready for round two.

One of Two

The view from the family kitchen has, changed.

Still got the sink to do.

Now my priority is the new house.

I will have to carve out some time to finish my house,

which may be being remodeled for decades to come, let's face it.

Room for the second.

Beautiful Baby Rita Visits!