02/05/2016
Well, I keep meaning to post updates more frequently but I just don't seem to manage it. The good news is, that means there's tons to talk about!
I finally got the last few pieces of drywall up, mudded, and sanded, and painted the walls. I decided to use three different colors, a white (friendly ghost) for the living room, kitchen, and loft, a very light blue (blown glass) for the bathroom, and a darker blue (left bank blue) to use the short living room wall as an accent wall. I chose blue to accent the reddish brown of the redwood siding and the green of the roof panels because I felt it helped round out the color experience and I have to say I'm very happy with the result. Thanks to Matt and Richard for helping paint!
Having finally finished the walls, I've been able to move forward with the inside! I got two counters from the ReStore, an kitchen corner piece for the bathroom and a not-quite-perfect fitting bathroom vanity for the kitchen counter. I cut the back off the corner piece to make it narrow enough to get past for the tub and toilet, and built narrow shelves along the inside to replace the big ones that I removed so I could run the plumbing. I also sanded down the wood so that I could nest my stone vessel sink in the counter to reduce the total height of the counter and create a stronger sense of connectedness between the sink and counter. For the kitchen counter, I added 2x4's to the underside to elevate it to 36" which is a pretty standard counter height. I then had to extend the counter by about four inches so that I could cover the wheel well and have enough space for the granite countertop I got from the ReStore before I'd even started construction. I also had to build a space off of it for the stove (against the bathroom wall) and I extended it toward the door with a shelf (admittedly a cheap new one from Target). The granite countertop covers the shelf and part of the original counter, the rest is just plywood for now but will be updated as soon as I decide what to use... For now the stove and sink look just fine on the plywood I got to create a solid floor for when I do decide to put a countertop on
As far as the rest of the bathroom goes, I put the rubber floor mat down and used some of the leftover rubber to create floor trim around the tub to help prevent leaks. Also, I put the tub in and hooked up the shower head, and will be able to take showers out here once I get a shower curtain and hang it up. The composting toilet also went in, although I still have to pick up a fan for it because the one it was supposed to come with mysteriously wasn't in the box... Perils of buying things second hand I guess.
Finally, the loft! I'm using plywood for the floor, and was planning on using tongue-in-groove to prevent material from falling between the boards, but was unable to fit the boards together in the confines of the loft, so I had to cut off the tongue so the boards would sit flush. Once I decide on a floor sealant it won't really matter though, because the whole thing will be sealed. I've decided that I will put in boards on the underside of the loft floor (kitchen ceiling) instead of leaving it open, but I haven't put the boards in yet. I put my mattress up after putting the floor down in the loft, and I've been living in here for the last week or so.
Over the next week the biggest things I need to do are get the solar water heater in and the solar system connected to the house - oh yeah, I had to buy five new marine deep cycle batteries for the battery bank because the ones I salvaged from our old electric car were very dead. That's okay though, because now I have batteries that should last the next ten years.
After 7 months of hard work, and because of the generosity, assistance, and patience of my friends and family (and a lot of helpful people at the hardware store) the propane burns, the water flows, the toilet composts, and the bed calls. Goodnight from my tiny house!
