Lots to report since the last post.
First, we've been looking for somewhere to do the actual construction. Building at our apartment complex was a no-go, so we posted on Craigslist and some other places. After chasing several nice sounding leads that evaporated very quickly and one which fell through after an unfortunate amount of effort spent negotiating, it finally looks like we've secured a place. A family in the next town over has a few acres of space where they've set up a permaculture homestead, which seems like a perfect fit. We'll be paying them a reasonable monthly rate for use of their land, a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Second, we've been looking for a trailer. We know from my Sketchup model exactly what size would be ideal (24 foot by 8.5 feet to the outside of the fenders). However, going around to local fabricators for quotes didn't yield the desired results - everyone seemed to want a massive markup just because the trailer was "custom", despite being a very simple build. Still, I'm determined to leave welding for someone with experience - I'll be taking on learning enough new things throughout the rest of the build. So, we've decided to purchase a trailer from Tiny Home Builders. Even after the 7000# axle upgrade, drop axle upgrade, and a whopping $1.30/mile shipping charge (at a distance of 1,200 miles for us), it still comes in at around $2,000 less than any local fabricator would quote us. So in the next couple of days, we'll place the order for the trailer. After that, it will be much more difficult to turn back!
Third, we've been trying to nail down at least a vague schedule. This was particularly difficult to do as Tiny Home Builders states fabrication will take place in "two to four weeks", delivery is a bit up in the air as we're going to try and contract it out through uship, and even once the materials are in my hands, I have little experience to draw on for accurately judging things like "which takes more time: framing or sheathing?". Still, I'm confident that the house will be started no later than July, andwill be weather-tight before Rochester winter settles in (with any luck, that will be after Halloween for a change!).
Lastly, I'm still eager to share some actual screenshots of the Sketchup model, but still need to finish the details so it doesn't look quite as ugly. Once I'm satisfied with it, I'll post plenty of details here.
17 May 2014
In the Beginning
When I was very young, I loved crawling under the table and pretending it was my kingdom. A little older, and I built my fair share of blanket forts for various games of the imagination. Fast-forward again to when I was a teenager, and I helped my family build a shed in our back yard, at which point I remember wondering why I couldn't just drag my mattress and a few other things out there and make it my own. Today I live in a smallish apartment but it still somehow feels far more cozy when we break out the blankets and make a little movie night fort.
So I like small, cozy spaces to begin with. Add in concern for "living simply so others may simply live", a dash of engineering critical to design and organize a small space, a pinch of DIY attitude, (and apparently a penchant for cooking metaphor) and you have a compelling group of reasons to, as they say, "downsize".
It was a surprise, then (though a welcome one) to find out about individuals like Macy Miller, communities like Boneyard Studios, and companies like Tumbleweed are all already tackling the challenges inherent in downsizing to a more appropriate living space. The community surrounding tiny houses is, admittedly, a niche little gathering, but it's growing. It's also a community I'd be honored to be a part of.
I've been working hard on a tiny house design of my own for a while. At first very vague sketches of floor plans and lists of ideas, but more recently moving on to some to-scale drawings with Sketchup (which I cannot recommend enough, but that's a separate post!). I'm plenty aware that the chronicle of a tiny house build has been done to death, having been a lurker on countless such blogs over the past several years. Still, whether it ends up being just for myself, or some day ends up useful to someone, I'll be recording progress of my Tiny House design and build here. Stay tuned for more!
So I like small, cozy spaces to begin with. Add in concern for "living simply so others may simply live", a dash of engineering critical to design and organize a small space, a pinch of DIY attitude, (and apparently a penchant for cooking metaphor) and you have a compelling group of reasons to, as they say, "downsize".
It was a surprise, then (though a welcome one) to find out about individuals like Macy Miller, communities like Boneyard Studios, and companies like Tumbleweed are all already tackling the challenges inherent in downsizing to a more appropriate living space. The community surrounding tiny houses is, admittedly, a niche little gathering, but it's growing. It's also a community I'd be honored to be a part of.
I've been working hard on a tiny house design of my own for a while. At first very vague sketches of floor plans and lists of ideas, but more recently moving on to some to-scale drawings with Sketchup (which I cannot recommend enough, but that's a separate post!). I'm plenty aware that the chronicle of a tiny house build has been done to death, having been a lurker on countless such blogs over the past several years. Still, whether it ends up being just for myself, or some day ends up useful to someone, I'll be recording progress of my Tiny House design and build here. Stay tuned for more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)