Rowan's Tiny Home

I went with a great suggestion my brother gave me, which was to use tin ceiling panels as the heat shield for the stove, although it was a little flimsy, and so had to back with a sheet of aluminum. The stove is sitting on a floating steel shelf, so that wood and newspaper can fit underneath. After a few nights of unbearable heat and open windows, I've gotten used to the routine. On sunny days, though, the sunlight through the windows is enough to heat the whole house. I have yet to see my breath when waking up or coming back from work. Maybe it won't be the same in February, but this little stove has been doing more than I had ever hoped. Under-counter shelving next to the stove. The trunk I have been lugging around with me for over 7 years finally has a home. It slides out from under the bookcase and then the front flips open to reveal the drawers.  I was actually surprised how simple in was to make these shelves. Just ran vertical, and then diagonal cuts o...

The lights are on and the house is officially off-grid, which meant I could finally take the extension cord out of the living room window. Almost 2 months in, and no major issues as of yet. There are still wires to be run, lights and switches to install, and the more detailed monitoring system still needs to be installed. Still, there is an outlet and 2 lights, which means I am set for winter. Anything else is bonus. I have also started to turn off my fridge. Although I feel like the system could handle it even after 4 cloudy days, I am using my fridge like an icebox, freezing soda bottles of water and ice packs outside at night. Works like a charm. Testing out the first AC outlet. Drilling out blank switch plates I was able to install dc switches.  I blew out the dimmer switch that came with this lamp when I tried to remove the transformer and rewire it for dc. I have another dimmer switch ordered, but for now there is the toggle one dangling from the bottom. ...

Now that school has started up again, it is back to working in short spurts when I get home, usually still in a skirt and smock. I was originally thinking that moving in before things were finished might be a bad idea - that it would just make things take longer or that it would be uncomfortable without certain utilities set up yet. What I have found, however, is that instead of seeing things as missing, this backwards process has been making me grateful for each convenience that is added.  Every new step is like a present.  My aunt and uncle who were visiting in the beginning of September helped put together the compost bins from used pallets. The center area will eventually have a roof with rain water collection to a barrel. The left side will be used for wood this winter and then be converted to a compost bin when the wood shed is built next summer. I have also finally had the pleasure of emptying the buckets, without any issues. This retrofitted water storage...

School, or at least two days of faculty meetings, begins tomorrow and so this past week has been spent making the space livable and to move it into place. While there are still loads to do, with the electric, plumbing, heating, etc. left to hook up, I have moved my mattress in.  And for now, that is more than enough.   Our friend Walter generously made the maple counter tops for me, along with tagging the underside. Incidentally, Walter is also the one who had tagged the vapor barrier with port-a-house.   Framing for the counter on the south wall with the 12v fridge and sink.  Framing for the counter on the north wall I finally got around to finishing the nose (as well as the roof) - in time for picking up the batteries from Massachusetts. This picture shows the roof of the nose mid trimming. For the toilet, I based the design off of the lovable loo. It's a bit wider to include a compartment for sawdust or other covering, and ...

The bathroom ceiling was the first section to go up.  I wanted to complete a whole section for that sense of immediate satisfaction before moving on to more complicated areas. That, and I just LOVE the cedar. The chimney support.... I have no idea how you're supposed to cut around pipes, but this made up method definitely worked for me. First I took a piece of paper, lined an edge up with the wall and drew the basic diameter of the pipe. Then I cut some slits so it could slide over the chimney support and used a pencil to scribe the resulting oval before cutting it out.  Since the bottom edge of the paper lined up with the wall, all I had to do was square it up, do some basic measurements, and trace. And voila! The light fixtures..... I got these nifty 12v light fixtures and in order to put them in had to cut some of the insulation for the part that protrudes as well as a rainbow like arc for the mc cable to be able to move in and out of the s...