Design Update…
This is posted against my mothers wishes… I will post this picture because I am fascinated that this little stack of paper will become a home! Exciting!
I wish I had something more exciting to show you but I don’t, my computer crashed killing all the data I had with it. All of the cool images I had are gone, but that’s ok, they weren’t all that cool anyway, it looks best in my head! I do have a pretty solid design nailed down, it looks pretty similar to the sketch I posted not too long ago. I will redo something somehow and post it soon, it will probably be some hand sketches at this point…like the rest of the drawings I will be building from :). Not in very good style for someone with an architectural background but it will work for now.
I have been tracking down my materials this past week. I have gone to check out a ton of various pallets and found a free/VERY cheap solution which I am stoked about. I have also found out, verbally (I get the hands on experience tonight) that pallets are very difficult to take apart. I am going to mess around with one tonight to figure out if I can find an easy solution that will work for me, if so I should have no problem finding enough pallets to side my whole tiny house.
I have also found some under floor heat wire which I have spoke with an installer about and found out that this very probably can be used as my primary heat source for my whole house and also that I can probably ‘handle’ the install all on my own. The con is that I have to go with a tile floor. This could actually be a great solution as it is a ton lighter than concrete and way less likely (or easier to deal with) if it cracks with the shifting of the trailer. This was a little more expensive than I had anticipated at $450.00 for ~120 s.f. but does seem to be a great deal compared to buying from the manufacturer and that is also about how much a wood stove is going for, but this would clear up a ton of floor space and be able to be attached to a thermostat (no waking up to freeze my butt on cold winter mornings. As I understand these are very efficient systems too so it should easily be able to be hooked up to a PV system. I am still looking into a couple other options on this but I feel like this could be a pretty good direction to take.
I know it’s pretty premature also to be looking for appliances but there is a one year old combined washer/dryer unit that is on Craigslist as well for less than half the price of new… I will be checking it out on Saturday, I figured since I have the time and while I have the money I would start to collect the pieces I will eventually need to get anyway, so long as it’s a good deal… With the economy how it is and with Christmas coming up for families I should have some extra bargaining power… but we will see…
Wish me luck!
Also-
I went through some walk-about’s in Home Depot and Lowe’s and got some great ideas for various aspects of my house and also got some basic ideas of prices. I threw together a rough estimate of quantities of products I need to build this and threw some prices to it. I was shocked at how low it was, maybe I am missing something or maybe I grossly overestimated from the beginning. I was expecting to spend around $4,500 and no matter how I add up the numbers of the ‘basics’ (studs, sheathing, vapor wrap, air barrier, roofing, insulation, fasteners and glue) needed to build the structure I cannot get the number above $2,000. That’s AWESOME news! This is even at the ‘commercialized’/corporate prices, I plan on going to a local building supplier whom I am guessing will be able to give me a much better deal, we will see about that too though. My plan is to get this list together and go down to talk to them this weekend to get a quote or two. I also need to call up an axle supplier in town to get some pieces to put that third axle on the trailer, just in case… I think it will be easier to do now than later. I am excited to get to learn how to weld too! It is awesome having a crafty family who can teach you to do things!
Oh! By the way, I did my first ‘new thing’ which is silly but, I backed the truck up to the trailer and hitched it up!!! I normally direct, that was the first time actually backing up to it :). It’s the little things in life…
So, it’s progressing… no really big news though!
“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. “
John F. Kennedy
