Tiny House Construction – Week 3

Tiny House Construction – Week 3
After a bit of a break it was time to crack on with framing the walls. In normal house construction, with a well oiled team, this is usually a very fast stage. I am doing this for the first time, and am having to cut every piece of wood to a custom length, so we will see how 'fast' this goes. Watch a time lapse to see what I got up to this week: Build Day 10 Today I got to use my new framing nailer to build the first wall. It actually was a little harder than I expected! Being the first time I had framed, I was learning as I go (no change there then), I was also learning how to use

Tiny House Construction – Week 2

Tiny House Construction – Week 2
After waiting around for so long to start the build I have been very go go go on the house. My plan is to get the house watertight and road worthy so I can move it into the driveway where we are living and eliminate the rent I am paying on the barn. This does factor into my wanting to make good progress on the house, but mainly it's because I am having so much fun. Watch a time lapse to see what I got up to this week: Build Day 5 Today I finished bolting the blocking in place. I also found out the hard way that a 5/8th inch bolt does not have a 5/8th inch nut (the bolt is 5/8" in diameter,

Tiny House Construction – Week 1

Tiny House Construction – Week 1
I had been very sick for the best part of a month and excessive coughing had left me with a cracked rib, all of which delayed the start of the build. Despite some mild pain my doctor had given me the nod to start some work, as long as I didn't get too carried away. It feels like I had to wait forever, but finally I can start! Watch a time lapse to see what I got up to this week: Getting set up Waking up on the morning when I took possession of the barn (where I will start the build) it felt like my first day of school, or a new job. When I mentioned this to Carly over breakfast she

Tiny House, Big Trailer

Tiny House, Big Trailer
Having never towed anything before I was both excited and a little nervous about the prospect of driving a 26.6 foot trailer 650km home from a different country. I managed to get a couple of practise sessions in from kind (and trusting!) individuals (thanks Dayna and JP) who also gave me a few tips. I was most worried about reversing, but had been assured that the longer the trailer, the easier it becomes. I have to send out a huge thank you to Morgan, who kindly allowed us to use his truck to go and collect the trailer. This made life a whole lot easier, and ol' red did us proud, so

Edging Away From Theory Towards Reality

Edging Away From Theory Towards Reality
With the plans in hand my first job was to learn how to read them! I spent a few days learning architectural acronyms and notations in order to make sense of what was in front of me. Once I had figured out the basics I started 'building' a 3D model of the house in SketchUp so I could get a grip of the elements of house building I needed to learn. Every step seems to spawn a whole set of questions, so this really put into perspective just how much I have to learn. I am not learning one trade, I am trying to learn all trades required to build a house. I certainly have my work cut out for me,

A Man With Some Tiny Plans

A Man With Some Tiny Plans
So far all of my work on the project had been very speculative and I was feeling the need to focus my efforts, to do this I needed to decide what to build. In a previous post I outlined some of the tiny house plans I had found for purchase. Deciding the house I wanted to live in was not an easy process. This isn't a space I will be spending just a day or two in, this will be my home for years. Going tiny relies on good design, in order to make the most out of the available space and create something pleasurable to live in. After much deliberation I decided to go with the Ynez from the Oregon