Thursday, December 20, 2012

Wheel Skirts for Posterity

After almost six months of full-time habitation, the time has come to enhance the aesthetics of the underbelly of the beast -- we are currently in the middle of inventing a (perhaps slightly overbuilt) wheel skirt device to hide the wheels and hitch.  Perhaps this will have a utilitarian heat-retaining function in the dead of winter.  This remains to be seen.  In the interim, here are some pictures of the half-built contraption:

The photographer's breath is apparently visible in the foreground.

Sloped top piece may finally alleviate the water-bouncing-on-wheelwell issue.

Spring will be a good time to refinish the cedar.

Sawhorses will not be part of the final version.
 
Ultimately, this will be painted an exciting shade of brown or dark red.  Stay tuned!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Some cabinet doors

As per the tiny house school of thinking (which says that these houses feel much larger when thing


s are hidden away as opposed to being displayed as piles of stuff on shelves every which way you turn), we have installed three cabinet doors.  A sleek pine look has been added to what was previously an open closet


These two doors hide the closet:
This door hides the triangle shelf area:
The material is dimensional lumber -- clear pine, 1x6 (which is actually .75" by 5.5").  The pieces are held together with two stringers across the back (see line of screws).  No diagonal piece was deemed necessary.

Sink: Solved!

This is an open letter to the engineering profession.

Dear Engineering Profession:
Thank you for your existence.  Without you, we would simply accept reality as it is without adding any creativity or problem-solving-ness to either the mundane, everyday matters or the space shuttle.  Today, thanks to you, we drilled a new hole in the sink and all seems well with the kitchen faucet.  Ingenuity triumphs again!!!
Sincerely,
The Build Team



Friday, July 6, 2012

The Sink: Prototype

Basically there is a Catch-22 here: 1) install a large sink that will be easy to wash dishes in but sacrifice the ability to have a fridge under the counter; 2) install a fairly small sink which will require a fairly small faucet. 
Given these options, this setup is what we are currently thinking about.  This may work.  Or this may make water splash all over, creating a veritable water park in the tiny kitchen.

It is summer, after all....




Monday, July 2, 2012

New Kitchen Shelf!

Haven't posted an update in a while, but a new shelf has been built in the kitchen -- and the house got moved!!!  We'll post more details about the recent progress, but in the meantime here's the new shelf:



Perhaps you have to rotate your head to see it.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

A Coat Rack

There is now a brand-new custom color glossy coat rack with a paragraph on the back of each one in the tiny house:


All the pre-fab ones at the hardware store were junky looking.  Plus, obviously, it was important to match the color of everything else in the tiny house.

Safety equipment proudly displayed.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Yet Another Shelf

Inspired by the folding desk design, we made a shelf in the same curvy image.  Perhaps this top shelf can be used for cereal boxes and dried lentils while the lower shelf is used to store camping mugs and small kitchen implements.

Not everyone knows this, but the Buddha sculpture is permanently attached to this shelf in order to bring maximum equanimity (which you can't buy at Target, despite popular belief) to the tiny house even while it is being moved down the freeway to top speed.  Built-in Buddha!

Is it sufficient to hang this whole shelf with just 12 wood screws into the loft joists?  Only time will tell.....