Thursday, March 28, 2013

Sheathing and Moving a Tiny House

 
Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. ~a bunch of different people online~
 
May you live in interesting times. ~Chinese curse~
 
As promised, tiny house updates will be posted on this blog; La Petite is struggling to get back to it after the death of her dad, but progress is being made, and it should be documented.
 
My friend Luke (from Redwing Farm in West Virginia; best organic veggies and heritage pork and expanding in the coming years) is here this week for three days, and we are taking full advantage of his talents; he has built about 20+ houses in his lifetime, including the house he and his family live in and his late father's beautiful retreat. He has volunteered to help keep us going and was featured in the framing pictures posted earlier in February.
 
On Wednesday, we sheathed the tiny house in plywood in preparation to move it; this may seem a little odd, but we wanted to make the structure as stable as possible for the short trip to our house. We had originally planned to keep it at HoneyFern, but plans change, yes? So we adapt, and change with them.
 
Here we have the end of the tiny house. Behind this wall will be a bathroom and a dressing area/closet:
 
 
Skipping to the front, this is La Petite, gluing around the large window in the bump-out:
 
 
 
 
Nailing in another stud. Yes, a bit after the fact, but it was necessary to stagger the plywood seams:
 

 
 
La doesn't love the ladder; this is one of the reasons we are hoping to get Luke on the roof before he's gone. Even if we have to put the metal on ourselves, if we can get the plywood up we will feel better about it. It is pretty amazing how uncomfortable learning a new skill can make you. Yes, it is very exciting (we are building a house?!), but watching Luke walk around with a nailgun like it is an extension of his arm, versus La and I, a bit awkward and unsure, is definitely disconcerting. This makes me realize how important it is to leave your comfort zone, frequently. It is the only way to learn and grow. But I digress. Back to pictures:
 
 
 
The bumpout from the inside. La is going to build in a setee/storage space:
 

 

 
One more sheet to go:
 

 
 
The long view:

 
 
La Petite, selfie:
 
 
 
 
More pictures today and tomorrow as we race to exploit, er, utilize, all of Luke's talents before he leaves Saturday morning. Moving the house and putting windows and roof rafters in today.
 
As a side note, Luke, La and I all have our thoughts on what the policeman will say first (after "License and registration, please") when he pulls us over as we move the tiny house:
 
Luke: "Just what is that thing you're hauling?"
 
Suzannah: "Are you aware that a license plate is required to haul a trailer?"
 
Sicily: "Do you know why I pulled you over?"
 
Stay tuned!!


4 comments:

  1. It's so good to see her back in action...we all get by with a little help from our friends, Luke seems like a good one. Working on a project keeps one's hands and mind busy, it's a great therapy for life.
    Perhaps a temporary tag would be available from the tag office?

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    1. We made it with nary an incident. Look for the blog tomorrow...

      And Luke is a very good one; we have been friends for 20 years, and he was a good friend of Dane's, too. We are lucky to know him.

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  2. I am so sorry for your loss! I am a Mom of a now 22 year old who completely "unschooled" my daughter, (which is why she is so smart and graduated college with honors). I only wish there had been knowledge of tiny houses then, as we would have surely had one. As it was, we lived in mountains in a tiny cabin with milk goats.

    Wishing you all the best. A lot of people you don't even know about are cheering you along!

    Ani Blair

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    1. Thank you for your support! We are profoundly grateful.

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