KCI Torrential rains

Denny and Aaron added more flooring to the loft.  I am happy, my tall husband will be even happier.  They also got the final roofing truss up, because that night the torrential rains came down.

The rain lasted about four hours; fortunately there was only a wee bit of water in the place.  It was easily cleared up, and I placed a bucket or two to catch anything else, then my daughter and I threw on yet another tarp.  This one isn’t nearly as large as the first one. It’s held down with skipping ropes since all the real ropes are holding down the other larger tarp.  We had quite a bit of fun getting the tarps up.  First we attached ropes to one side and then attached the ropes to croc shoes, then we started throwing.  It should have been a contest.  In general, three tosses and we got it over far enough that we could grab the other end, then it was just a matter of hauling the tarp up, then tying it down.

Tarps tend to get caught (and torn) on the roof peaks. That’s where the water gets in.

KCI Buying Materials

I am good friends with all the big box stores and all the small hardware stores in town.  I go at least once a day to pick things up.  When people say they use scavenged or recycled items, I wonder if they have been collecting things for years or if they have a huge garage that they can rummage through to find what they need.  Sure I’m going to be furnishing the place with used furniture and dishes because I can do that over time, and the local 2^nd hand stores have a lot of items to choose from.

Aside from Habitat for Humanity’s Restore where do I find “on-demand” building supplies?  Craig’s list has been a total bust for me.  Again, if I’d been gathering things over the last few years, I’d be good.  Alas I didn’t.

KCI Moving it through the city

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.

KCI The school year ended

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.

KCI Finishing the floor

I was happiest in this process when I was doing something active towards the completion of my tiny house.  Finishing the floors was my job. The students installed it, then did a sanding, and I applied the finish. It was a long process – four coats (and sanding between each coat) later and it was almost done.  This was fun and there was much advice from my head custodian. I have to admit, taking his advice for the last coat made a big difference.  We’ll have to do a final coat or too after the rest of the interior is done because the floor has gotten pretty banged up despite the students’ reminders to take off your shoes when you go inside.  I think I’ll cover the floor with a tarp while we finish things off for a little bit more protection.

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