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.....

Kitchen Counter Revisited

Well, friends, we modified the kitchen counter design owing the fact that it would be a profligate use of steel to make such a large L-shaped thing out of one piece of sheet metal (lots o' waste) and, more to the point, highly pricey. 

Hence!  A new design was created -- the so-called "ultra great split-level two-piece design" which has a 1" step-down from the main counter top to the part that contains the stove.  This in fact mimics the original Weebee design.

First we framed it with 2x4s:

 (placed the fridge underneath just for a frame of reference and because there needed to be some creative thinking in order to enable the fridge door to open more than a few inches -- other tiny house builders have special-ordered ultra-narrow fridges but this fridge appeared spontaneously as a gift and is having its time in the sun right now).

Next, we put 1"-thick plywood over top of the whole thing and lined up the countertops.  We even dropped the sink and stove in place for a bit of a "staged" look at what the future kitchen will be like.  In the pile of tools in the corner of the Weebee there are all kinds of great things like webbing and duck tape and, apparently, a stainless steel pot to complete the staged effect.

One kitchen down, one bathroom to go!

Design for Kitchen Countertop

Worked on designing the kitchen countertop today and sent out to vendors for quotes.
The original Weebee design calls for a slightly different countertop.  Decided an "L"-shape could be more useful/robust/impervious to kitchen grime.  The stove won't be perfectly centered underneath the window but this is probably not a major aesthetic issue.  Might change the 86" length to slightly shorter.  Other than that, this is the sketch!  Stainless steel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cutout A is for the sink, which will be this model:

http://www.us.kohler.com/webassets/kpna/catalog/pdf/en/116366_4.pdf

Cutout B is for the stove, which is a drop-in two burner stove by the brand Suburban.

Closet and Shelves!

Wahoo! A shelf and a closet (with more shelves) are now complete.

Well, also a ladder.
Everything is pine.
Note the lack of fasteners on the visible side of the shelf.  This made us (every so slightly and probably a bit too) proud.

Converting the Bench Seat into a Desk

Removed top shelf and tested out options for desk angle

 Today we finished the modification of the bench seat -- transmogrifying it into a transformable desk/bench/shelf system! 

 There's not much room in the Weebee until you MAKE MORE ROOM via clever means (well, we hope this was clever -- perhaps it's in the eye of the beholder).  The idea here is that perhaps everything in the house should serve at least two purposes.  This may be more of an ideal than a working reality but, for now, the bench/desk/shelf embodies the ideal.

Is that a skull and crossbones?

 To make the appropriately crazy curved desk edge we used aluminum.

 We then made an equally crazy frame to support the crazy edge.

Here's the system in Bench Mode -- add pillows for enhanced comfort.

And, now: the system is seen in Desk Mode!  Note shelf in lower right.

Chop Wood, Carry Water: a new shelf and more siding

A number of small edges and corners still needed to be filled with siding when we started the day.
We began to chase down these loose ends.
Additionally, we dreamed of a bookshelf that would be located above the door. Why waste precious space? Most books won't fit vertically but a few could assuredly be stacked. And so a bookshelf vision was born.
Lots of tiny house work actually occurs after sunset (who knew?) lit by halogen worklights. For these upper corners it's great to do the layout on a table first and then nail things in place.
Voila! Still needs some trim around and above the door and in the uppermost triangle. But, aside from these things, we're inching up on having the exterior all zipped up.

Finally, while resting on our laurels at the end of the day, we tested out the bookshelf. It works! Huzzah!

Exterior Siding Nooks and Crannies

"Hey, farmer, when you gonna fix that leakin' roof?"
"Well, stranger, when it rains it's too wet to fix it and when it's dry it's as good as any man's house."

Indeed, we may have felt the same way about the small triangle of siding which was missing from the octagon window area of the front of the house... until today! Tiny house gnomes again emerged from the backyard (where DO they all live?!) and completed the job with time to spare against the backdrop of a gorgeous 70-degree day.

Long live the cedar siding.