Winter Is Coming

For you Game Of Thrones fans out there, winter is coming!  If you’re not yet a fan, stop reading this and go watch seasons 1 through 7, then get back to our blog. OK, where was I? Oh yes, winter is coming. It’s actually been coming here in Missouri for a few weeks. We spent Thanksgiving in San Antonio, TX, so, we hardly noticed the temp dropping, but boy did we feel it when we got back! The days have definitely gotten colder, but worse, they’ve also gotten shorter. Before building Tiny Houses, Anderson fancied himself quite the Venice Beach artist sleeper inner type of dude, so short winter days are even shorter when noon feels too early to start working.

Nevertheless, with the assistance of a lot of coffee, a small space heater, hand warmers, and many MANY layers of clothing, these southern California year-long-sunshine-loving folk are indeed still making some progress!

One plus side of it being winter (possibly the only plus side) is that we are on the migration pattern for a convocation of about 30 bald eagles!! I had to google that term, but, I have too many biologists friends to simply write “flock”. They are living in the trees that line the back pasture. It’s so damn cool!!

 

Anyway, since our last post, some big things have happened. Both front and rear storage sheds have been built, electrical has been started, the roof has been put on, and about 80% of the siding is on! (See below for progress pics) Speaking of that siding…we had been excited for a long time to use the Japanese technique of shou sugi ban on our cedar siding. Sadly, we had to change course. The moisture level of the cedar was just too much still. During the charring process the wood was splitting from the intense propane flame.

Since we could not wait any longer for it to dry out more we had to make a different choice. After considering different options, we decided on a dark stain that would give us a very similar look to the shou sugi ban. In a few months, when the stained siding has been naturally weatherized, we will add an oil finish to help lock that look in and further protect the wood.

 

Since neither of us has ever fully installed a metal roof like this, the installation process has been a learning experience. Fortunately, we had two shed roofs to learn and practice on, making putting the actual roof on much less daunting!  The rear shed was rather simple so we started with that and had no real problems.

With our roofing prowess high we approached the front shed, where our newfound confidence took a proper nose dive. This trapezoidal roof was obviously designed without much practical thought but it sure looks cool!  It took quite a bit of brain power and creativity but we feel it came out great.

 

Onto the main roof.  Our particular roofline has created some interesting challenges when it comes to installing the roof. For one, we will be towing this tiny house around the country, so, the roof has to be able to withstand the incredible amount of wind that will be hitting it while driving. And, since our roof slopes down in the front, this is especially challenging, because the wind hitting the front of the tiny house will want to lift our roof off or allow rain to be blown underneath. To combat this, we are going to cut a piece of wood to match the shape of the ridges of the metal roof that we will install over our siding, right below the roof to prevent the wind from getting up under the metal and lifting it, while also being a solid water block.

Just because we’re in the middle of creating our ultimate travel mobile doesn’t mean we have to stop our frequent road trips while we build.  We’re about to drive to Myrtle Beach, SC in a few days to spend Christmas and New Years with Anderson’s family. So, the next 3 days are gonna be busy getting the last of the siding up and the door installed. That way, the house will be completely weather-proof from any rain or snow. Why would we care about that you say? Isn’t the tiny house being built in the giant hay barn you say? Well, it was. However, seeing that it was blocking a bunch of hay that a bunch of hungry cows need during these cold, non-grass-growing months, we pulled it out a few days ago and parked it behind the workshop.

Then it rained for two days! Very happy to report that it passed it’s first water test with flying colors. The interior stayed bone dry.  Also, now that we will be working on the interior of the house, being so close to the workshop will come in handy. Not to mention the giant wood burning stove in the shop to keep things toasty!

 

There is one thing we’d like to mention because it’s just now starting to become a concern of ours.  We’ll do a blog of “things we would do different” at some point, but, we wanted to touch on this now to possibly help someone out. If you are in the planning stages of your own tiny house and thinking about drop axles… maybe think again.  We got them as to afford more headroom in the loft area but the downside might hinder our travel plans greatly.  The trailer is so low to the ground that even the most modest of dips or bumps in the road can mean scraping or possibly getting stuck. We have already experienced some of this getting it in and out of the hay barn, but fortunately, the ground there is all dirt. We are pretty concerned about what will happen when there’s a dip in some pavement. If we had it to do over again we would definitely not go with that option.  We wish that someone would have advised us against it.

Once we are back from Myrtle Beach, and hopefully fully rested up, we will get to work on the electrical and plumbing, then insulation and interior walls. We hope everyone enjoys their holidays and stays warm!

Puppers update: Arletta weighs a whopping 28 lbs now!!!! She has “sit” and “stay” down pretty well, and is starting to learn “come”. She’s also doing great on leash. Her favorite game is fetch. She especially loves it when we bounce the ball so she can jump up and grab it mid-air, and she’s pretty dang good at it! Oh, and she lost her first (we think?) tooth tonight! She’s growing up so fast! Buckley is doing great, as always. He’s getting a bit more used to having a little sister, and even likes to play with her sometimes. Scroll to the end for pics.