workshop wrap up

BUILD DAYS 34 & 35

If you followed us on Insta then you saw the photos of the weekend. We had a bit of a twist in the plan when Susan got a touch of food poisoning. (ok, not a touch, a sledgehammer). She struggled through that first day and should have gone to get an IV drip for hydration but she soldiered on (she IS a Veteran, after all... she's stubborn and wanted to fulfill her duties). She did an information dump with B.A. and Dale (@BuilderDale) and they were able pull it all together. Stubborn as she is, she also showed up on Sunday and did what she could.  She had a lot of information in her brain so it was good to have her on-hand but otherwise we made her sit and rest. She did way more than she should have or was expected to in her condition. 

Sarge (Susan) gives the morning electrical overview to Ricky, Bryan, Robert, Jet, Susan, BA, Dale. Not Pictured: Robert H., Shmorton and me.

I did a lot of running around to Lowes and lunches and whatever needed. I was only mildly freaked out by the wires in my walls. Having the group energy was very helpful during the install, my focus was on the people.
Plumbing was a shorter day because, well, there's not much to it. There are only a few lines to be run for the kitchen sink, bathroom sink and shower and so the water heater connections, venting, hot/cold valves, and hose connector to outside were the focus. There is no water need for the toilet (I'm using a Nature's Head composting toilet) and I don't have tanks.  Dale did a stellar job in bringing a lot of examples of materials and systems to the group to demonstrate and educate and he and Susan fielded questions. I know a few were excited to learn how to install plumbing and learning such things as how to adjust the hot water temperature regulator at the valve... we are a special group. :)  We are very grateful for Dale; he stepped up and he is just The Nicest Guy.  He calls Susan "Sarge" and they are a great team. 

Dale is awesome. We all love him and he's generous with his knowledge. He's fun and so patient.

B.A. brought the #tinyhousetribe T-shirts that we had ordered (click the link to get yours).  I can't tell you how great it is to be among your people. I don't have many clothes but I'm going to get a few more of these in different colors and in long sleeve...they make me happy because they remind me of the community of fabulous folks that my tiny house has brought into my world. Traveling to Colorado in August (for the tiny house jamboree... the next one is already set to happen) and seeing loads of people interested in tiny houses in the same place was awesome but I can't wait to be out somewhere random and suddenly see someone wearing one of these shirts.  Beware, you may get hugged!

Just a handful of the 50K out there. 

NOW....
.... my homework consists of pinpointing the lights I want. We know the type/kind but I need to narrow down the style and model that I want. For instance, the porch light needs to be cool looking...I'm not going to use the ones I had picked already bought because they won't work size-wise.  (No loss, they were $10 and I may repurpose the glass because it's vintage bubble glass and I love it).  While I like outfitting my tiny house, I'm not a fan of shopping. I will need to buckle down and get the last bits of electrical in so that we can finish that up.
I don't know how long the electrical and plumbing will take to completely finish...but Susan says "not long".  I don't know what that means, she is always so optimistic and acts like everything is a snap.  No to me!  It's good to have wonderfully optimistic and capable people to help put the puzzle together. 
 



FORWARD...

*The Roxul insulation is carried by Lowe's but they don't always have it at the one near my build site, I'll have to search around to see which ones I can reliably get it from.
*The bathroom shower stall...I need to decide if I want to build it myself or get a one piece stall. I like the idea of not having seams. I also like the idea of tile but I don't know that having them IN the shower would be the best place for them. I would want to SEE them so maybe around the sink area would be best to put them if I decide on some tile...just as an accent. I don't want it to look too busy.  
*I am looking at stairs and have found many pictures online. This is the one that I like the best. 

instead of a ladder, I'm thinking this type of stair set up would be best for my tiny

These stairs are more of a side-to-side, half rung and will serve as storage. After I showed this to my tribe, Cory said that they were called "alternating tread stairs" so I Googled that and got a lot more examples. (Thank you, Cory!). This type of stair won't need to come out as far as a ladder would so that will save me some floor space. I want to get creative and tie the lower rungs into the seating in the Great Room  (LOL, calling the only room in a tiny house The Great Room always makes me chuckle). 
My stairs will be on the wall opposite the french doors. I am looking at different stairs and narrowing down the sizes of storage that I'll use on that side, then the counter and cabinets will be next to them (it's a galley kitchen). I also have a sketch to incorporate an idea or two. We'll see how that pans out when it's time to build them.

a few of the interesting "alternating tread stairs" that caught my eye. (based on the Lapeyre Stair, bottom left)

*Stove, Mini-Split and Water Heater...I will write about these in a future blog post, I don't want to get ahead of myself and say they're awesome until I know they are.  I am going with models that have been installed and used by other tiny housers and have positive reviews online.
*the pocket door will be lovely because of a special gift from Vina...the designer of the house. I can't wait to post photos of that! but not yet...  

off I go....online research and shopping... 

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!