The Exterior Trim is Finished

All PVC Trim installed!

 All the trim is finally on the exterior, including corner trim and soffits. It is an incredible feeling to get to this point -- in only 13 months. LOL.  It looks terrific.  My little Sunflower is cute, eh?

As in an earlier post, the knotty pine tongue and groove is will cover the ceiling and walls.  Below is a picture of the planking around the box window. The planking is easy to install and looks good. 

I'm looking for a small, local cabinet maker since I have finished the design for the kitchen cabinets.  I think there will be plenty of room.  The cost for 'better quality cabinets' from Lowes or Ikea ranges  in price from $1250-1700.  Amazingly expensive (in my opinion) and that doesn't include the counter tops.

Box window with Knotty Pine around

My friend, Arthur, says that many cabinet makers buy their doors and drawers pre-built.  I'll let you know what I learn in this process.

I can only tell you that when you get to begin working in the inside (when the outside is done), the feeling changes. It feels like decorating or remodeling.  I am dreaming about spending my first week inside my tiny house and thinking being in community with fellow THers.

Pine Planking in Gables and Cathedral Ceiling

Open cell insulation was blown in before New Years! Love it. The ceiling and walls needed no more than 3".  Unfortunately, the waste created was too much.  They hauled away more than remains in the tiny house. Had a I known this, I would have found another insulation, since the waste was horrendous and could possibly been chopped up and blown into typical home ceilings, for example. Very little trimming was required, and have used a curry brush (used for combing horses) very effectively And since this insulation is so soft, you can push it with your hand and compress it enough to install the planking in most places. 

Insulation Complete

After spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday finishing the electricity, water heater insulation, and prepping for the spray-in foam insulation.  I'm amazed about how many undone things had to be completed.  I took photos of every wall, marked every stud where water and electric is run (by the way, it is best to wait until after the foam is sprayed before installing nail plates since the have a special saw that runs along the studs, removing the excess after it expands. Nail plates that are not flush with the 2x4s will catch the saw teeth.  Better yet, use the Dremel or a router to recess the nail plates 1/8". 

Daniel Insulation is a great outfit and very reasonable (I think) in price. The other option I considered was poly-encapsulated insulation (available from stores like Lowes.)  Poly-encapsulated insulation is entirely wrapped in plastic.  Supposedly Home Depot apparently carries the same spray-in foam for DIYers. I will explore both of these options next time. 

My Tiny House is now like a foam cooler. I'm ready for the planking installation! 

Getting ready for Foam Insulation

I sprayed and brushed polyurethane sealer on the ceiling of my kitchen and bath (the floor of the loft).  Came out nice.  Sealing it will help keep it looking nice.

I also finally put on the decorative braces under the box window.  It is really lovely to see what I envisioned look as I hoped.

The goal of this weekend and last:  finish installing the venting between the roof rafters, finish any modifications to the electrical wring, finish plumbing the water heater, mark the location of floor to sill studs on the floor, photograph every wall for future reference.

The next step is to find someone willing to actually give me a bid on spraying open cell foam on the walls and ceiling before Christmas. I have called two insulation contractors and the bids were wildly different. 

I have ordered my bathroom sink, received my faucet, and medicine cabinet. When it arrived, the sink is too large as is the faucet.  But I'm keeping the cabinet. 

Now we know...

The 12 mile round trip to the scales went well.  The scales showed the TH weighted 7600-7700 lbs including the trailer itself.  My Tundra did a great job pulling the load. After returning, Mac successfully backed the Tiny House into the side yard.  The only issue was the door didn't close/open easily.  After leveling the TH several days later, the door returned to normal operation...as is typical of RVs. I have no worries that I can finish the house with 2000 lbs, keeping the total gross weight under 10,000 lbs. 

Preparing to Weigh In

This past weekend I had hoped to bring my TH to the transfer station to weigh.  Since I had some planning issues, like not knowing how to work my braking system or having a PSI gauge that could validate if my TH tires were inflated properly (65 PSI), I changed the goal for the day and decided to finish installing the siding on the dormer.  I am pleased -- very pleased -- to report that ALL THE SIDING is installed!  I need to give Jack the credit for figuring out the geometry of the angles for cutting the siding to match the pitch of the roof.  He says its his secret, but I can attest that doing all four side walls of the dormer only took ~4 hours. It is all in knowing the angle/degrees to set the chop saw.  We both joked that if our high school math teacher used this as the reason to learn that stuff, students would pay attention!  Can you imagine a TH as one big, educational and PRACTICAL mathematics project? 

Anyway, I plan to do a final test on the plumbing, the electric, and then begin installing the second layer of insulation in the walls this coming weekend. I ordered an electric knife to cut the insulation sheets and then plan use it to carve the Thanksgiving Day turkey.  Although the insulation company never called me back with a quote (which is not unusual in Florida), I learned that 200 cubic feet of foam insulation would cost about $700. I can use 4x8 sheets of insulation and have a similar R value at a much lower cost! 

4x8 Finished VC Birch Panel-Item 969-965

I found some very attractive, knotty pine wainscoting (paneling shown at right) at Home Depot. I'm considering this instead of the 3/8" T&G knotty pine since it weighs less and would be MUCH FASTER to install. And it really looks good. For those that may be asking the next logical question, yes, I *could* upgraded my axles to handle a heavier load if is necessary. Is only money, right?

So the official weigh in day is October 25th -- after Mercury goes direct. I don't tempt Murphy or Mercury.  I have a friend that is experienced in towing heaving loads who offered to drive. Additionally, I have had a new gate installed in the side yard so I can back the Tiny House Of Love (or an RV) into the side yard, thus avoid trying to back it into the back yard and straddling the septic tank. 

In closing this blog entry, let me ask if you have ever felt love for a inanimate object?  Well, I have fallen in love with my Tiny YELLOW House.  It makes me smile to just look at it and I feel pride having built it by hand.  I know it is built well and with lots of LOVE!  All I need is a white picket fence and a English garden...

Dormer Windows Made By Hand

Last week, the dormer windows were finally finished and installed.  They are hand built and quite attractive.  Each window measures 17"x33". I decided try making them when got a quote of $400 per window.  Four of them would have cost $1600. I built them to look like the ones I did buy -- natural wood on the inside and white on the outside. After getting double pane glass made, and buying the wood, hinges, paint, and polyurethane...the cost of each window has cost me about $110 in materials...saving 70-75% of the cost!  Now that I know how easy it is to build windows, I will probably build all the windows by hand for my next Tiny House. If you do build your own, buy a Dremel for sanding. It has become one of my favorite tools.  The next time I build windows, I'll probably try this process:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3OV6y0m-CM&feature=youtu.be . 

Caulking the exterior of the handmade window

The rough openings had to be re-framed once my windows were built and I knew the exact size.  It was not difficult, just a bit annoying.  I suggest that you have your doors and windows in your hand or at least ordered before you begin building your walls!

Jack showing the first assembled window

The hardest part is deciding what hardware to use to open/close/lock the window.  I have not decided on the dormer window hardware.  I ordered casement adjusters, but realized after they arrived they are made for windows with side hinges, not for windows with hinges were on the top. Since then, I found telescoping push bars made in Denmark and sold in the USA by H Window. They will hold the open the window and lock it when closed. The only drawback is they are cost $77.50 each. They would work perfectly in my handmade awning windows, but I'm not sure if $310 is worth the money when something simpler would work. Stay tuned....

Handmade dormer windows are installed! (Picture by Jack)

Today, the siding around the dormers windows was also installed and painted.  It took all day. Although I the siding on the sides of the dormers still need to be installed as well as the soffit, and the corner trim, I hope to have the entire Tiny House weighed on October 4th. I need know how much it weights before I begin the the inside.

Someone asked how much time I have spent on the project so far. Since I began actual construction, I probably have only spent 1 day/week, but had on average, had 2-3 people working with me.  That is roughly 100 person days or three person months.

Not bad for such a quality piece of art!