One Weekend - Two Walls

Half the walls are done!! :)

Once again, extensive planning paid off nicely. After my work trip, I opted to use one of my comp days to get settled back in at home. I spent a good four hours or more, on Thursday, mapping out the framing for the walls. After referencing the Google sketchup example, going cross-eyed from drawing so many straight lines right next to each other, and doing a lot of simple math- REPEATEDLY - I had our material needs down to the last ten foot 2x4.  

We grabbed materials that night so we could just dive right in on Saturday. We started by double checking the measurements of the windows that will be in the wall we were about to construct. Most say, "Measure twice, cut once." I like to measure about 20 times. haha

Start of the front wall - gonna be a lot of windows!

We set up shop under my Dad's carport since the forecast called for precipitation. We were determined to work rain or shine! It turned out to be a nice day overall with just a few sputters from the clouds.


Feeling a little bummed about the time-lapse camera getting none of the action out in the back yard, I decided to do a mini time-lapse. We just put my camera on a tri-pod and walked over and hit the self-timer every so often. But it beats posting 25 separate photos!

Here you can see us putting together the first wall.









We are building the smaller end walls first. On Saturday, we built the end wall with two windows- a bit complex, but just taking it one step at a time and following the basic framing rules wasn't bad at all. 

 Today (Sunday), we blazed through the second wall. Only one window in the center made for quick work. Especially after yesterday's wall. We stood there, pleasantly amused at how quickly and simply the second wall came together. We finished early and decided to take the opportunity to grab the materials we would need for next weekend. We needed to get the sixteen footers this time, so we borrowed Dan's Dad's truck. They still stuck out quite a bit and I had to improvise to mark the ends of the boards. I'd say a pair of blue hands flapping at you would catch a tailgaters eye. ;)

Tiny House - Huge Happiness

Stay back!

 Next weekend we will tackle the long walls...and the one with all the windows is going to be a DOOZY.

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Reconn' In Texas

Life is what you make it.

I had a seven day work trip coming up, running Wednesday to Wednesday, and since we choose to work on the house when we are together, a weekend was lost. I felt the first tinge of frustration, remembering too well how easily things can slide off track. I was bound and determined to explore and enjoy the time abroad, and find a way to use it to my advantage. Success! Not only did I take a hike through McKinney Falls State Park, and experience the Pecan Street Festival- I am thrilled to report that I was able to attend a Tiny Texas Houses tour. These small houses are made from 99% salvaged material. I wandered around in absolute awe. I have always been a bit enamored with old, distressed pieces of the past. These colorful and artfully constructed buildings showcase 500 yr old growth lumber- where the beams are so hard that a special tool is needed to drive a nail. I witnessed all the chic and smart ways to reuse common pieces, like panel doors.

MASSIVE Warehouse...one of many!

 I was also thrilled to learn about a few natural and durable finishing supplies: tung oil for sealing wood, and milk paint for a splash of color and protection. I was able to get a pamphlet on the tung oil, but I need to research the milk paint.

Another fabulous find was the small ceramic panel heaters and blown in foam insulation. As we stood in the smaller of the houses toured that day, I stared at the small pot-belly stove in the corner and wondered if that would be enough for us. The tour guide, Dale, saw my gaze and remarked, "That'd be waay too much heat fer a place like this. You'd be openin' all the windows in ten minutes." I was shocked, considering the building we were standing in was easily 50 square feet bigger than our house will be. I asked what could be used, and it was then that I learned about the ceramic heater. It's just a simple tile that is mounted on the wall, and sticks out about 1.5 inches. It's electric and is the equivalent of running a 400 watt bulb. This immediately intrigued me, and when Dale mentioned they were about $80- I was locked in. Dale pointed out the heaters in the office; there were three. That was all they needed for about 400 square feet. Granted, this is in Texas, so the temperatures don't drop as low. Never the less, I will be researching that.

Oh! And the insulation! R-12 per inch. That means R-36 in a 2x4 wall!! We stepped into the 12' x 12' house set back on the property. It was an solid 90 degrees, beating sun, and slightly dry heat. We stepped into that small house, which had no windows open, no fans, nothing. It was EASILY 20 degrees cooler in there. Thanks to that insulation. A building with that kind of protection is going to be incredibly efficient. Again, super pumped to research this. I'll leave you with some photos now!

Ship-style ladder...makin' note!

All sealed with Tung Oil - waterproof!

This little guy is too much heat! Can you believe it?!

The porch has large hinges on the roof line. The deck and posts are removeable, allowing the porch roof to fold down
and protect the doors and windows during travel.

WOOOWWW.

On the tiny balcony. :)

Riverstone shower floor, 200 year old tin, small antique dental sink.

Door recycled as a mantle/focal point.

Oscillating ceiling fan.