We celebrated the end of the school build with a pizza party for both classes. It was a small way to thank the students for all their hard work. They were amazing. As well we often had little house groupies show up to see what had been accomplished on various days.
Lab technicians from the hospital would walk over to see what was happening, the custodians came down, and teachers and secretaries dropped by.
Two of the students were hired to keep working on the fencl parked in my driveway. The guys installed the loft flooring, but it was a bit short. Only a mattress will fit on top of it. There wouldn't even be a place to put a book down, so they're going to add another foot, and we've got plenty of spare wood, so it's worth doing.
Moving the tiny house through the city was not a problem. It was like the tree branches had been cut to accommodate its height exactly. We had to move it with only a partially constructed roof, but it still went off without a hitch. Surprisingly few people even gave it a second glance. It's not like you see a house move everyday, but apparently people in this town are blasé.
A friend from school did the hauling, and he's even offered to drive it to my parent's place all for the low low price of lunch and gas money. I love folks. Bernie backed it into my driveway without even having to make one correction. It's like he's a professional tiny house hauler.
When it arrived at my house, the neighbours were all intrigued. I'd warned them, but seeing it close up is a whole other story. There were many jokes about who's getting kicked out of the main house, and since my husband is currently away meditating for ten days, he took the brunt of the jokes.
Kids are most intrigued, and people are amazed at how roomy it is.
Clearly we didn't finish the entire project within the school year, but we did finish a good chunk of it. I've hired a few of the students to complete the project. We were three days still in the shop at school before we put on the roof and moved to my house.
What still needs finishing?
Window – foam insulation
Loft flooring
A few more sheets of plywood on the roof
The post on the porch and the final roof rafter.
Metal roof needs adding
Plumbing
Kitchen cabinets and Livingroom cupboard
I bought doors for the kitchen and livingroom cupboards, so that's a bit of a time saving. They were pretty cheap and they're quite simple shaker style. I can't wait to actually see these finished. Bob will complete the cabinets at the wood shop, then he'll install them in my driveway.
We had a guy from Ontario hydro (Ontario Safety? Some official name) come out to inspect the electrical and he gave it the thumbs up, so we were able to go ahead and close up the walls. This was a bit of a nerve wracking process, but ended up being nothing at all, really.
All that worrying for nothing.
It turns out I'm a huge control freak (which is no surprise to anyone who knows me), so this project has been a real lesson for me. I've had to learn to let go, to accept things on other people's schedules, to trust in the gods!
Should anyone else decide they want to do a school build, make sure the board appoves it, not just your own school. It will save you a world of trouble and anxiety.
As well, Ontario schools are allowed to have students install electrical wiring under the tutelage of their teacher, but otherwise, only electrical contracters can do it. A retired electrician cannot do it. I'm not totally sure why this is, but I think it has something to do with trying to shut down underground economies. In any case, anything electrical must be inspected before it can be hooked up to the grid.
Any solar over 12 volts must also be inspected according to our school board;s safety guy. Ontario seems to have extreme safety rules, so make sure you check things out.
Propane must be installed by a trained propane installer. Even though my friend who does construction says it is one of the easier jobs, you're not allowed to do this in Ontario. Safety first, I guess. I suppose it makes sense too, since you don't want propane leaking or anyone blowing up. Hire your electricians and plumbers. It is easier.
House To Go |
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| xs | epu | weebee |
| lusby | tarleton | walden |
| fencl | popomo | |
