Monday, April 29, 2013

Foundation Complete! Next Up: The Walls

We can't believe it's time for the walls!!

This past weekend was yet another productive streak. The weather was ABSOLUTELY beautiful!! Sure, the work was a little slower going this time- but most everything we needed to do was meticulous and takes time no matter how you slice it.



We're both pretty pooped, and have a full week ahead- so I'm just going to make a list and plaster this post with pictures. Sound good? :) Excellent.







SATURDAY

  • Applied 4x4s to framing for added support to weight bearing edges.
  • Secured 4x4 brackets to trailer and secured 4x4s to abutting 2x4s.
  • Foam sealed the framing.
  • Drilled and bolted corners of foundation to steel trailer frame (except one).
  • Began cutting and installing insulation board
SUNDAY

  • Went to Lowe's for needed washers to complete bolting job.
  • Finished bolting trailer.
  • Finished installing foam board and sealed.
  • Cut and fitted 3/4 inch OSB (plywood) to framing.
  • Glued and screwed OSB in place.





And now we need to map out the framing for each wall so we can determine materials. I didn't take a picture of the leftover materials, but I'm pretty pumped. There was barely anything left, meaning we really had our calculations DOWN. One sorta poopy side note. We realized that we won't in fact have a 16 foot trailer- we actually cut it short by 4 inches! And when you figure in the width of the walls, we are looking at a 8x15 house! Even smaller! I'm hoping interior rearrangements won't be too difficult to adjust. Soon I'll post a video of the new layout we came up with just a couple weeks ago.

Oh! And I hope you all enjoy the blog face-lift! I finally did some playing around! Looks so much nicer, right?!
Sealing all the cracks with foam insulation. :/ Not my favorite material, but
this time around we want to go by the book. If there's a second tiny house, I will definitely strive to use
all salvaged and eco-friendly materials.

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Drilling through the steel frame for the bolts.




Putting in the last layer of insulation!
Applying the plywood-- to complete the subfloor/foundation!!

4 comments:

  1. Hello Jess and Dan! I caught up on your blog last week and read all of your entries. Seems like a really ambitious and exciting challenge ahead of you. Congratulations on working on this together... it's really impressive and I look forward to following your journey. It's funny, as I feel a bit like the enemy here as I work for GE, one of the oldest power generation companies in the world and was influential in the modern day grid as we know it. Although not perfect, I'm proud to work for a company that has such an impact on the world and think it's our responsibility as employees to make sure it is a positive one.

    I'm interested in checking out some of the books you mentioned to learn more! I love my line of work and thank you for showing me a different point of view.

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  2. Hi Katelyn! Thanks for reading along and responding! I'm glad we could offer up another point of view. We all walk different paths in life and there is no one right way...so don't feel like the enemy at all (unless you are excessively wasteful and don't even recycle anything). Just kidding!! It would be really great to see a company like GE lead the way in changing the energy consumption habits of our country, re-framing the minds of our citizens, and showcasing some social responsibility. I remember watching a documentary- (maybe it was the 11th hour)- One woman brought up an interesting point- most American businesses/corporations simply strive to grow- To become bigger and more profitable every year...to grow and grow is not a perpetual state or means to an end. It is not something that can realistically be maintained. Eventually collapse will set in. I feel like our country waits for collapse and begrudgingly changes versus recognizing the impending problem and embracing change now.
    Rather than cling to the old ways of coal and oil, it would be awesome to see a company like GE come out with more alternative energy products. Sooner or later, coal and oil WILL run out. I'd like to see us prepared well ahead of time!
    Thanks for reading!

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  3. Hey Jess and Dan! I initially was going to just use SIPs because I was intimated by the sub flooring and framing process, but your blog has inspired me to build it on my own! I plan on going through every entry and reading the books you recommend. Just one quick question: Were you worried about thermal bridging when you added the 4x4s to the subfloor for additional support on the weight bearing edges?

    Thanks!!

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    Replies
    1. Hey there! Thanks so much for checking out our adventure and we are pumped to have inspired you! Everything happens one step at a time! To answer your question, we did not spend too much time worrying about thermal bridging in regards to the 4x4s. We decided that being structurally sound was a higher priority than the subsequent heat loss that may occur. We found that "skirting" the tiny house during the winter months makes a major difference. We used hay bales last year, but we plan to do something different this year. If there isn't much airflow underneath the trailer, it acts as another layer of protection for us. Good luck!

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