We had an exciting tiny house adventure Sunday night.  It was raining just a few drops in early evening, then developed into real rain.  Around midnight, there was a waterfall-like sound and we were having a deluge nearly worthy of Noah himself. 

Michael had gone to bed about 11:00.  At 12:30, I was cleaning up dishes after an experiment with chocolate chip cookies (which actually came out pretty well).  He drifted sleepily into the kitchen and confided that he was a bit worried whether the big tarp over the Tiny House would be shedding water OK.  

It was still pouring heavily, but he went out to the site in slippers and a tee shirt (and pants, and an umbrella) and I followed very soon with two raincoats and more flashlights.  

What he had found when I got there was a nightmare: about 2/3 of the length of the house was dry under the tarp where it was shedding water well from a temporary raised “ridgepole” we had put up under it, but the tarp over the rest of it had collected 2 bathtub-sized pools (“bags”) of rainwater that were hanging down between the newly-installed rafters and growing deeper by the minute as it continued to pour. The weight  had begun to pull back the corners of the of the tarp so that a significant pool of water had already collected on the bathroom subfloor.

We pushed up on the hanging bags with what we had handy (a squeegee/broomstick), hoping to push the accumulated water up and over the ridge rafters of the house.  No luck - they were just too heavy, even for two of us together.   It really looked like something was going to give any second; I could not believe the tarp had not simply ripped under the enormous stress.

Michael yelled (had to - the downpour was so loud) “We have to pump!!!” I ran out into the huge puddle that was normally the yard and sloshed about trying to find the portable pump we use to clear small puddles off the tarp when rainstorms are over.  Of course, it wasn’t where I expected, but I found it where I had actually left it; meanwhile, Michael brought our tallest ladder and climbed up on the side of the house near the deepest pool with an umbrella in one hand and pump in the other.  I handed him the pump and he submerged it from above into the water, while I flailed a bit longer to locate an extension cord.   

Amazingly enough, we got the pump running shortly and it shot a powerful stream out of its outlet hose onto the ground.  We held our collective breath, hoping that the rate of outflow was exceeding the rate of continuing collection.  Michael yelled that he could see the biggest pool shrinking, even though it didn’t look that way from underneath.

After he got the biggest pool drained to a more reasonable size, he moved on to the next, fearing that the tarp might not hold up long enough to finish pumping the first.  Both pools were pumped dry, we pulled the tarp back into place and searched for another 10-foot 2x4 nearby to place overhead under the tarp where it did not have a ridge to keep water shedding rather than collecting. How to get it up above the rafters was a puzzle, which Michael solved quickly; and we finally got the tarp set up so that a repeat performance of the same horrendous event would be most unlikely. We used sponges and towels to start mopping up the floor, and the wet/dry shop vac to suck up what was left (an indispensable tool!). At this point the worst was over, and the rain was letting up.

As MY Dad said to me once that HIS father had said to HIM, “You showed a lot more sense getting out of that problem than you did getting into it!”  I pass that on now to Michael, but with the disclaimer that the rain was more than we have seen in a very long time, and he had taken reasonable precautions to keep the rainwater from collecting into growing puddles. It just came down too fast and too hard.  Also, the full extent of his foresight in planning minute details of the project is only just now beginning to become clear as the whole family watches him putting up sections of exterior wall sheathing.

When we stand in the house now, the sensation is clearly one of being enclosed inside a structure - it even has a “roof” of sorts - the same huge full-length gray tarp that used to be draped over the subfloor and its insulation when that was in progress.  We have set up a very temporary “ridgepole” the full length of the house to make sure that the tarp sheds - rather than collects - rainwater, and so far the strategy has worked well in at least two rainstorms.

Since the last posting, a total of about 16 more feet of wall framing has been assembled and raised, to completely enclose the house.   Included in those last sections of framing is the “back door” and the planned window directly above it.

Michael also assembled the 38” roof overhang that is now above the wall-to-wall picture window opening in the main living area.   To provide for this cantilevered feature, he first put it together resting entirely on the top plates above the main living area.  It includes two ten-foot 2x6es lying on the top side plates and two 2x6 rafters perpendicular to them.

After its assembly, the two of us stood on stepladders on the house floor, lifted and moved the overhang into final position.  This effort, it turned out, was not without some difficulty.  Although the plan for this move was not inherently flawed in any way, and the assembly not too heavy for the two of us to lift comfortably, we neglected to keep a close eye on the two side 2x6es resting on the plates as we performed the move.  As we concentrated on getting the overhang past a piece of sheathing sticking up from the picture window wall, the 2x6es dropped off their supporting top plates and the whole assembly rotated 90 degrees along an axis parallel to the top plate of the picture window wall.  Fortunately no one was injured, and after some further thought about how then to accomplish our original goal of getting the overhang into position, we stood on the ladders again and somehow (not sure if I could say exactly) managed to wrangle the structure back where it belonged.   The result was an esthetically pleasing feature, which will have three downlights mounted in it when finished.

An extra amenity to the site, fondly dubbed “Tiny House Land,” is a hammock that we put up between two large Norway spruces nearby.  It provides a place to put our feet up outdoors, with a nice view of the back side of the house.

Michael has now completed the placement and attachment of about half of the 2x6 roof rafters running across the house, and it should not be long before protection from the weather will not require the tarp because a real roof will be there.

We have started compiling a detailed list of all items that will be required for the electrical system - fixtures, appliances, receptacles, switches - and of course the main distribution panel, its circuits and its supply feed from outside the house.

“Did you pump the water off the trailer?”
“Did you put the tarp over the trailer?”
“Did you bring the tools in from the trailer?”

The questions above are the sort that Michael and I used to ask each other a few short weeks ago.

Thinking about what to write for this post, it occurred to me that the phrase “the trailer” doesn’t get used much anymore.  For a little while after the subfloor got completed, I started using the vague phrase “job site” sometimes, but now that real wall framing is almost complete, we refer to the project simply and appropriately as “the house,” because it is really looking like one!

As of the last posting, two sections of wall framing had been assembled and raised into place - the 8-foot long wall at the (bathroom) end of the house - right behind the trailer hitch - and about 8 feet of the adjoining side wall which will contain the main entry door - the same side as the “driver’s side” of a towing vehicle (if we were so fortunate as to have a towing vehicle, which we don’t).

As of this evening, 8/6/16, the entire “driver’s side” sidewall framing is in place, from front to rear of the trailer.  We can see where the “front” door will be and near to it the horizontal, rectangular rough opening that will accommodate a sliding window high in the wall of the main living area.

The most dramatic addition today, however, was the completion of the living area end wall framing with its wall-to-wall opening for the large picture window that will look out onto The Grove.  The window opening is framed on each side and overhead with “Parallam” engineered 4x6 and 4x4 beams - surprisingly not terribly heavy but extremely strong to resist stresses in various directions - stresses that would be resisted in a normal windowless wall mainly by sheathing. The design of this wall was subject to much careful consideration as well as the input of a professional engineer, as wall-to-wall window spans without the aid of heavy steel framing can present an engineering challenge.

This wall was clearly the heaviest one of all to raise upright and then lift and drop into place over the vertical threaded anchoring rods welded to the trailer. Michael and I managed to line up some help from Michael’s brother Ryan, so that we had a three-person team for the big lift.  Tip: before you lift a big wall section into place, don’t forget to pick out and have at the ready some bracing members (Michael used scruffy-looking 2x4s) - also your nailer and/or impact driver and appropriate fasteners, so that your lifting team is not left anxiously holding the wall section upright and hoping a gust of wind doesn’t hit while you are gathering those items. For us, fortunately, the weather was perfect and air was still.

The other wall framing sections completed and raised since the last posting - each at most 8 feet long - were easily raised upright and then lifted over the anchoring rods by just the two of us.

Our approach to building the wall sections was refined a little after the first two sections were completed: Michael decided to request that when I cut studs in advance for the remaining side walls, I make those cuts precise to 1/32 of an inch rather than 1/16”.  (His drafting program, Sketchup, very conveniently can provide lengths of each framing member - to whatever precision desired, reflecting even the differing lengths of the shorter and longer sides of a stud whose end is beveled at a 3.2 degree angle to accommodate the pitch of the roof).

He asked for the increased precision because studs in earlier wall sections did not fit as tightly as desired against the top and bottom plates.  (Really tight framing joints make for noticeably increased rigidity).   The 1/32” requirement led to some challenging development of techniques for cutting with our ancient but reliable 10” Craftsman radial arm saw (which has no laser cutting guide assistance).

At this, point, only 16 feet or so of wall framing remains to be completed, and the momentum of our achievements this weekend is exciting and makes us look forward to wall sheathing and a roof starting to appear soon.  The needed materials are all delivered and eagerly waiting!   :)

The past 2-3 weeks has been focused on wall construction, with three wall segments now standing and one nearing completion.

Before I began on the walls, I still had a few decisions to make. This ended up taking longer and being more stressful than I had anticipated. The main decision I faced was the interplay of the interior headroom, roof pitch, and wall height. My design (which I’ll show more of soon) features a roof that is sloped in the long (24’) dimension, with the lowest point at the trailer hitch, sloping gently upwards towards the far end with a vaulted ceiling and wall-to-wall windows (more on that to come). My design also features a roll-out bed, as it has no loft. To accomplish this (and provide some extra under-floor storage), the kitchen and bathroom at the hitch end of the house are also raised 16”. My trailer deck is roughly 32” off the ground. With a legal road height limit of 13’ 6” and a practical desire to keep the height as reasonably low as possible, every inch counts. It’s also worth considering that the IRC (International Residential Code) specifies that habitable rooms must have a ceiling height of 7 feet (84 inches) in at least 50% of the room. Since tiny houses have a somewhat vague legal status at the moment, this is not necessarily required. In fact, many tiny houses have ceiling heights closer to 78” under their lofts. However, 7’ is generally a good rule of thumb for comfort.

What I eventually settled on was to use the standard of 8’ 2x4s for the rear (bathroom) wall at its lowest point. This put me at around 82” for the ceiling height at its very lowest point, and gets me to a generous 86” at the highest point in the bathroom. At it’s highest point in the living room, the ceiling will rise to a luxurious (but not excessively superfluous) 9 1/2 feet. The slope of the roof comes out to 3.2 degrees, which is a bit more than 1/2” in 12”. This will require a special EPDM or metal roofing which is rated for a low slope.

With that decision out of the way, I was able to start on the bathroom wall. I started by marking and boring 7/8” holes to accommodate the 5/8” threaded rods on the trailer. After ensuring the bottom plate would fit correctly, I clamped the top and bottom plates together and marked the stud locations.

I have decided to go with the traditional 16” on center stud spacing on my house (vs. 24” oc), but am saving weight wherever possible by using “advanced framing” techniques like using single top plates with metal plates at splices, omitting headers on non-load bearing walls, and using header hangers instead of jack studs. It’s important when making the decision to use 16” or 24” stud spacing to also consider the weight of your sheathing, roof decking, interior wall material, and subfloor. Increasing the spacing to 24” often requires substituting a thicker plywood or osb material to compensate, which means you’ve lost any weight savings you may have gained from using fewer studs. You also have less to attach to inside when installing cabinetry, shelving, and other interior features, requiring more blocking in these areas.

I have also decided to save weight by using spruce (S-P-F) wood. This stuff is amazingly light, easy to work with, and is also inexpensive. However, it is not quite as strong as Douglas Fir or Pine. For this reason, I am also using Douglas Fir strategically on my window wall, to maximize strength where it is needed. If you are using 2x4s for your roof, I would definitely use Douglas Fir and not SPF. However, I am using 2x6’s and will probably stick with SPF for these. If in doubt, check span tables and make sure you know the snow load requirements for your area (assume 30 or 40 to be safe).

I was amazed how light the first wall was. I probably could have raised it myself, but was glad to have my father’s help in saving my back the unneeded additional stress. Once situated, We added some temporary 45 degree bracing to keep the wall from blowing over in the wind. It’s amazing what a 45 degree angle will do for a structure! 

I decided to wait on fastening the bottom plate so that I could adjust the position and square everything up nicely once the other walls were in place.

Speaking of fastening, let’s talk a bit about fasteners. I debated for quite some time whether to use a nailer or screws with an impact driver. I had purchased a 12W DeWalt impact driver a while back, but a few months ago purchased a nail gun and thought for a time that I had settled on using nails, being that they are the tried-and-true (and code-approved) method. However, after talking with Chris, my engineer, he expressed his preference for screws due to their superior resiliency to pull-out. The problem is that there are few screws on the market that are approved/rated and up to the task of framing a house. One of the few that is is the R4 multipurpose/framing screw by GRK. I can’t say enough about these screws. They are extremely tough, well engineered, and go in great every time. Oddly, it is very difficult to find this screw in a 3-1/2” length which would be comparable to a 16d nail. Most stores only carry 3-1/8” and 4” (what gives??!!). 3-1/8” is probably sufficient, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I finally found the 3-1/2” screws on Amazon.com. It’s also good to have some of the #10 3-1/8” screws handy for joining 2x4s, where you don’t want the screws to stick too far out the other side. For attaching subfloor and sheathing, I am using #9 2-1/2”, which is comparable to an 8d nail.

After several instances already where I’ve needed to remove a stud to shave a bit off, or even an entire top plate, I am very glad that I took my engineer’s advice and framed with screws instead of nails.

For the long (24’) walls, I’ve decided to build these in ~8 foot sections, with some variation in length to avoid having to splice a wall in the middle of a window. We have 3 sections in place and have started on the specially engineered window wall at the opposite end, which must be raised before we can continue on any of the other sections. More on that in the next entry!

First, thanks to my dad (Jon) for stepping in and giving this blog a second life. Before my dad picked it back up, I had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to make some sacrifices in order to make ProcessHouse into a reality and not just a blog. Unfortunately, one of those sacrifices was, in fact, blogging.

However, as my father and I began construction back in May, I discovered he was already taking the time to document the process–in quite some detail–in emails to my uncle. Suddenly it became apparent what I should do, so I dusted off the blog and handed it over to my dad.

One thing that I didn’t fully anticipate is how physically and emotionally draining the construction process can be. Although I look forward to long 3 day weekends of all-day building, more often than not I will need one of those days just to recharge from the other two. And forget about weekday work nights–when I do attempt these, usually I end up feeling scattered and making some sloppy mistakes.

The other interesting thing I’ve found is that the construction moves relatively fast and easy when compared with planning and decision making. Once plans are in place, it tends to be pretty smooth sailing. If you’re designing your own tiny house from scratch, you will need to plan ahead with dimensional drawings of the framing. I can’t emphasize this enough. I highly recommend a CAD application like SketchUp for this. It allows you to basically frame your house in virtual reality, so you can run into problems and fix them before any wood, metal, or other real-world (real cost) materials are involved. And once you’re done, you can easily pull your materials list and measurements from the app and start cutting everything to spec.

For this same reason, I highly recommend would-be tiny house DIYers to buy plans from a reputable tiny house builder. Unless you are already schooled in or prepared to learn quite a bit about the field of construction, building codes, and–if your plans are innovative to any degree–some basic structural engineering, you may end up with something that is either unfinished or unsafe.

However, if you are (crazy) like me and want to be the all-in-one architect/designer/builder on your tiny house (and want to do it well), be prepared for a long haul!

In addition to the many tiny house builders/bloggers who have gone before, I’m also grateful to have been able to consult with Nick, a local contractor, and Chris, my cousin, who also happens to be a structural engineer by profession and has been kind enough to give me some advice during my final stages of planning. My attempts to locate structural engineers before had came up short, all of them seeming interested in the idea but ultimately unwilling to take on such an unorthodox project. Thanks Chris!