I put wheels on my house today.

When I purchased my trailer, I asked that it come without fenders so that I could tightly seal the house from the wheel well area.  This meant that I had to fabricate my own fenders out of sheet metal.  I took dimensions, drew up a plan, and paid another visit to Pioneer Sheet Metal in Portland to get a quote for the work.  The folks at Pioneer have been easy to work with and friendly.  Including two hours of labor, Mark calculated that I could have two custom fenders at the cost of $180.  This seemed like a surprisingly easy and affordable option.  But I also learned that buying a 4'x10' sheet of 22 gauge galvanized metal would only be $35.  I decided to go with the raw material because I wanted to learn how to work the metal myself.  Ken had offered to help me with the process.     

Earlier in the year I blogged about my first visit to Pioneer where I obtained three hopelessly-flimsy sheets of 27 gauge, 4'x10' metal and transported them atop my utility vehicle: the humble Honda Civic sedan.  I still recall glancing in my rearview mirror as I drove away from the small cadre of Pioneer employees who looked on with expressions of curiosity and dread.  I made it home just fine, but decided not to tempt fate during my second sheet metal run.  I arrived in a borrowed three quarter ton pickup, which felt a little overkill for the task.  The Pioneer staff still recognized me and wanted to know all about how the tiny house was coming along.  When I left the office to retrieve my purchase, I noticed they had rolled the huge metal sheet into a cylinder and bound it with rope.  They must have saw me coming this time!  Boy, it would have been easier to pack off that first load of sheet metal on my Honda Civic had it been bundled like the second!

It took awhile to cut the thicker metal with tin snips.  I channeled Popeye the Sailor Man and swallowed several imaginary cans of spinach as my forearms burned through the metal.  It also took longer to bend it.   Ken showed me how to create a break with chunks of angle iron that he keeps around for such purposes.  We would clamp the sheet metal between two pieces of angle iron and then bend it down by hand and clean up the new edge by working it over with a hammer.  To create flanges for fastening the metal pieces, it took both of us, each working with a pair of sheet metal vice grips, to persuade the material into a right angle as we moved shoulder-to-shoulder down the layout line.

  

Each fender was made with two pieces of sheet metal.  At first I was trying to make the pieces nest together with perfection.  The result was that the pieces were just a hair too big.  Sheet metal lengthens a bit when it's bent.  Several times I had to pound out a bend until the sheet was flat again, scribe another layout line, and bend it back.  I glued them together with flashing caulk and placed sheet metal screws through the seams and fastening flanges.  I screwed the bottom of the fender to the sill plate so as not to weaken the metal trailer frame with screw holes.  I also taped the bottom edge of the fender temporarily.  If the roads are wet during the move, water may get driven up inside there if it's left open.  By the same token, I didn't try to caulk the seam shut because I want water to drain out of that space if it does find it's way in.

I was eager to put on the wheels once I finished the fenders.  I still have a few trim details to complete in the fender area, but the wheels shouldn't have to come off for that work.

In other news, I installed a small entry porch and awning over the door.  I used my new sheet metal working skills to fabricate porch-mounting brackets from leftover sheet metal.  In this way I could avoid anchoring directly into the metal trailer frame, which helps maintain the strength and integrity of the tongue of the trailer.  I made a run to Sustainable Northwest Wood to pickup some FSC 2x6 cedar decking.  It's always a pleasure to visit their warehouse of wood and check out the beautiful slabs of Willamette Valley Walnut, Restoration Juniper, and other locally-sourced beauties.  

The awning came out particularly well.  I built it very light but strong using lap joints.  I used scraps of my salvaged metal barn siding for the roofing.  Now I just need a chicken coop and dog house made out of the stuff to complete the aesthetic!  The awning is hinged so that it folds down over the door during asphalt sailings.  It hangs from a robust eyebolt which is anchored into the ridge beam.  Right now I'm using some blue NRS straps to hold it up until I can find a rustic used chain or cable to replace it.  It's amazing what a difference the awning makes.  To walk out the door, or into the structure, without mother nature immediately pelting down on you is a great comfort.

Exterior 98% Complete!

Big day yesterday, BIG DAY!  Ken and I finished cutting the last siding panel.  Holy Toledo I thought this moment would never come!  Last spring I was hustling to make progress on La Cabanita between rain showers, desperately trying not to get all my materials soaked.  Then came the heat and intense summer sun beating down on the thin tar paper that shielded the wooden frame.  In an effort to preserve the tar paper's water proofness from degrading in the sun, I temporarily affixed all the metal siding panels to the walls.  And now, all too soon, the fall rains have arrived and I have a renewed interest in sealing the building envelope from the elements.                                                                                                                      It would have been real nice to seal everything while materials were warm and dry.  The task of caulking around windows, door, and trim represents the remaining 2% of the work to be completed on the exterior.  Unfortunately caulking adhesives tend to rebel against cold, damp surfaces, so barring an unexpected dry spell, I'm not sure when I'll be able to claim "100% Complete."   But it's quite a load off of my mind to know that very little water should be penetrating the building envelope at this stage.  A quick inspection of the unfinished walls inside confirm this.   

It was necessary to complete the finish work under the eaves before the siding was installed on the front and back of the house.  I used 3/8" thick cedar tongue and groove to accomplish the task.  Ken had recently scored the material for cheap at a neighbor's garage sale.  Beautiful stuff, it's amazing how such a simple detail enhances the aesthetic!

I never contemplated the practical nature of the eaves that overhang our shelters.  Eaves are a first defense against water finding its way inside a structure by providing a shadow over window and door openings where falling rain cannot reach.  I have very short eaves on La Cabanita due to road width restrictions, but even so, I was entertained recently by watching La Cabanita's eaves deflect rain water just far enough beyond the sides of the building that the tops of the window openings were dry.  This gives me comfort that my secondary measures for keeping the bones of the structure dry (vapor barrier, flashing, siding, caulking) won't get tested too rigorously.  Wind blown water can easily get under my short eaves though, so hopefully I'm in the clear.  The longer eave that I designed over the door will play an instrumental role in keeping the entry dry.  I plan to put another roof above the door to protect the entry and small deck (check out my design drawings).  Properly-designed eaves can also play an important role in controlling passive solar gain.  Yay eaves!