Raising The Roof

 I don't know where I would be without the assistance of Nate's Pa's help.  Ken has been very generously sharing his time and expertise in helping me place a bonafide roof on La Cabanita.  He's been showing me various methods of ironing out and/or cleverly concealing my mistakes.  For example, my roof framing wasn't quite plumb, so Ken showed me how to create a "kicker."  Essentially we attached one end of a long 2x4 to the ridge beam and braced the other end against the floor.  Ken pulled down on the center of the 2x4 to create a bow in the board while I screwed the floor end to the deck.  When Ken released the bow, the board attempted to straighten and pushed all the rafters into a more plumb alignment in the process.  You would have had to have been there...exciting stuff!  Afterward we had an easier time breaking the plywood seams on the rafters.  Throughout the process of finishing the roof, Ken was integral in breaking the material efficiently on the rafters and optimizing structural integrity.

We tackled the roof in this order:  soffit, fascia, sheeting, drip flashing, vapor barrier, metal roofing, ridge cap.  I hope my vapor barrier will stand the test of time.  My architect friend suggested I use Tyvek on the walls and a product called Shark Skin on the roof.  In the end I went "old school" and rolled out some 15 Lb tar paper that I'd already stockpiled.  Tar paper was standard construction at some point, but now some of these breathable vapor barriers are the norm.  I'll have to monitor the build up of moisture in my tiny house and make adjustments as needed.  One of the advantages of the micro house is that repairs/upgrades should be relatively cheap due to the small amount of materials required.  

I'm repurposing this old barn siding that I purchased on craigslist to clad La Cabanita.  It was in pretty good condition until I left it sitting in the yard for a couple months.  Ken called my attention to some badly rusted areas and we determined that the rust spots were due to a "galvanic corrosion."  Turns out that when two dissimilar metals touch, one metal begins eating away at the other.  In my case, the metal washers from the old fasteners adhered to the sheets after they were removed from the barn.  When the sheets were stacked in my yard for a couple months, the dissimilar metal of the washer began corroding my metal roofing, a serious bummer indeed.  It may take many years for these areas to rust through and create leaks however.

If you look closely at the picture to the left, you'll see the better side of my friend Laurel.  At this point Laurel has spent more nights in La Cabanita than I!  When she visited me in Portland she insisted on camping out in the cabin.  In the photo she was helping me drill holes for the earthquake ties.  More on that later.  Thanks Laurel!




Unfortunately, I've got to keep this update short.  There's a new sense of urgency in working on La Cabanita.  Summer is here and it's hay-making season.  It's true, I recently helped my Ma and Pa put some hay into their barn, but that's not what I'm talking
about.  Summer is a busy time for work and food production.  I will be moving to the San Juan Islands within the week to work on a farm.  I plan to come down to Portland during my time off to continue progress on La Cabanita, but for now,  the unfinished walls of the micro house must be somewhat protected from the elements in my absence.  This will probably mean temporarily placing my siding.  I'll use the metal barn siding because I already have it and because it will be relatively convenient to install and uninstall.  With the roof being clad with the same material, I'm hoping this won't make for an offensive aesthetic.  With any luck my house will be in transportable condition sometime mid-summer and I can begin living in it in the San Juan Islands.




Below is an example of a micro house clad from head to toe in metal siding.  This design, dubbed the "XS House" by Tumbleweed Tiny House Co., is no longer in production.  Thankfully, my siding isn't as reflective.

Ticking Away

She's really starting to come together.  The rafters are nicely lined up like so many ribs on a whale.  Notice the stubby rafter tails.  I'm not able to have much of an overhang running the length of the trailer due to the 8'6" road width restriction.  With the trailer being 14' in length, I decided to install a pair of fly rafters on either end to support a one foot overhang, which extends the trailer length to 16' overall.  By doing this I'll have a little overhang protecting the door opening and window above the loft and I'll be making use of the full length of plywood sheets.    

Now that the framing phase is more-or-less complete, there are dozens of details to tick away at.  I need to figure out how to cut plywood to sheet the triangle of space on the gable end walls.  I'll also have to figure out how to finish the rafter ends before I put plywood on the roof.  Should I cut bird blocking or make a soffit?  And then there are mysterious siding and window details that need to be determined to keep the home building progress rolling along.

Today I set to figuring out how to frame around the wheel wells.  I was worrying over it, but it actually went together pretty smoothly.  So far I'm glad I decided not to have fenders installed on my trailer.  In my opinion, the fender openings have been a weak point in the design of many micro houses that I've observed.  The factory-installed fenders appear to create conduits for moisture, vermin, insects, and air to work on the structure.  There are probably some clever solutions that I just haven't seen yet.  With my design, I will have to fabricate a fender at some point.  I'm still not clear on the details of that, but after Nate showed me how to work sheet metal into desirable shapes for the undercarriage, I feel confident that I can do something similar for the wheel wells.

I may be finding my stride with the construction process.  Whereas before I was obsessing over decisions and overly concerned about putting things together with perfection, these days I've been approaching building with a little more calm and acceptance of a certain amount of error in the process.  The solutions to the framing problems I've encountered have mostly been intuitive.  I hope this continues to be the case!

I've been steadily nailing off my sheeting when I feel like beating metal spikes into wood with a manly mallet.  Sinking nails can be a pretty satisfying activity.  These days the art of swingin' a hammer is giving way to the efficiency of pneumatic nail guns.  With the meager size of my mansion though, I could indulge my old school tendencies.  You can see by the photo, it isn't always smooth sailing.  Sometimes I was inexplicably off, leading me to pull mangled, half-sunken spikes with embarrassing frequency.  Look at that total airball that I imprinted into the plywood for all to see.  And look at that blood blister on my finger!  It was hot and I got sloppy.   Other times the pounding never stopped.  I was like a machine I tell you...a machine!  I thank middle school table tennis tournaments for the hand-eye coordination.  

I decided not to glue my sheeting to the studs at this point in time.  I'm using 8d galvanized nails at about 6" on the edges and 8" in the field.  If I feel like the walls need more rigidity in the future, I might run some sort of construction adhesive or thickened epoxy down the inside of the studs at a later date.  A lot of folks are "screwing and gluing" their walls.  I have a tough time with that because I like the notion that I can deconstruct the materials if I need to.  Maybe it won't pan out but I'm an idealist.  

The quality of fasteners seems to vary a lot.  Initially I bought my 8d nails from the hardware store in bulk.  I went with "common" rather than "box" nails because I reasoned the former were thicker and would both bend less going in and provide more shear strength.  It didn't work out so well for some reason.  I bent a lot of them, used them up, and returned for more.  The second time around I went contractor-style and purchased a 50lb box of 8d galvanized "box" nails, which I bicycled home with great difficulty (not recommended).  These went in easier and I wasted very few.  I felt manlier too!  I even took my shirt off at one point and got into it (that is until the neighbor complained of the glare coming off my chest).  Galvanized probably aren't necessary.  I was thinking holding power and rust protection.  

A shout out to the humble impact driver.  What a work horse!  I now sleep with mine under my pillow.  These little guys make a terrible noise but are capable of great torque with minimal effort.  Screws are much more expensive than nails and, as I understand, they provide better holding power than nails but less shear strength.  I decided to frame with a robust 3" coated deck screw.  I'm glad I did because with the number of mistakes I make, I can use my impact driver to quickly assemble and disassemble framing without inflicting the sort of damage that sinking and removing nails can cause.  For the lonely carpenter, an impact driver can also act as a third hand.  By starting a screw in the material, and then placing the piece with one hand and screwing it in with the other, I'm able to work through those awkward moments when another humanoid is unavailable to help.

Oh!...a final tip:  leave the Phillip's head screws on the shelf for Grandpa to use.  Go with star drive.  They strip out less and take much less energy to push into the material.  They are simply a joy to use, again and again and again.

Big Sticks Into Smaller Sticks

I've been framing my home in recent days.  Cutting big sticks into smaller sticks and attaching them is fairly straightforward and satisfying.  It's fun to see my Google Sketchup design pop into a tangible, 3-D shelter.  The wind is already being cut by my walls and the rain is diverted by my temporary roof leaving the area below dry and protected.  Shelter is a lovely thing!

Nate is examining my unconventional framing plan.  Studs are placed 24" on center and I avoided king and trimmer studs as much as possible to continue trimming weight.  I used Simpson Header Hangers to support window openings.  Nate's pa pointed out that I ended up sacrificing some lateral stability by not using full length studs around some of the window openings.  I'll get by, but if I did it again I probably wouldn't frame in this manner.  It took too long, and the measurements didn't even come out very accurate in the end, and I probably didn't save all that much weight.  This unknown question of weight is a bit of pain.  Perhaps it is worth it to get the 10,000 pound trailer or to build much smaller.  I'll let you know when I weigh this thing on a truck scale at some point.  My concern over weight could be all for not, though cutting weight also means shaving materials and cost.  

I also made the mistake of not starting with full length plates that spanned the wheel wells.  Full plates would have made measurements more consistent, accurate, and fast.  Cutting the unnecessary parts out later would have been a breeze.  

Even for the two of us (as meaty as we are) the walls were awkward and heavy to raise.  I assembled each frame on the leveled trailer deck with screws, sheeted it and tipped it up.  You can see the temporary bracing we employed to keep from being squished while we made adjustments.  A huge thank you to Nate for assisting me with the wall raising, leveling and plumbing everything.  How lucky I am to have such awesome friends!  

 The other three walls made the deck too crowded to tip up the final wall safely.  We each took a shot of whiskey (not) and heaved the frame onto the trailer and commenced sheeting it upright.

 In all its glory...maybe I'll just use these tarps as my permanent siding.  I need to keep the kiln dried lumber reasonably dry.  Getting it wet can mean pesky warping and cracking.  Plywood can de-laminate if it gets soaked and then cooked by the sun.  Also keeping water off the insulated floor is critical as it would be tough at this point to drive out moisture from the sealed space below the deck. 

Rafters intimidated me initially--with the angles, overhangs, and bird's mouth cuts--but they actually went pretty smoothly.  Perhaps I got lucky?  I used Google Sketchup to model them and transferred dimensions from screen to board using a carpenter's square.  My roof pitch is an odd 7.25:12, meaning 7.25" of rise for 12" of run.  This provides me with three feet of headroom off the mattress in the loft .  My success was probably mostly due to Nate, who helped demystify the process.  He was also instrumental in helping me square, plumb, and level the walls, which helps the whole structure come together tightly (well...mostly tight).  Looking forward to nice weather this weekend to unwrap everything to sheet the roof and nail off all the plywood.

My house is bloody tall!  If I did it again, I might go with a little longer trailer with a lowered storage/sleeping loft.  Also, Nate's pa showed off his truck bed camper to me recently and we discussed how campers, as well as boats, are engineered to be both strong and light.  I wish I knew more about the construction methods of these types of shelters.  Using traditional framing on a trailer seems a little excessive sometimes.  Framing with 2x3's instead of 2x4's may be a good compromise.  Lots of considerations for a mere mortal.  Building simple and cheaply is important for an amateur builder with little supervision such as myself.  I like the idea that I can keep modifying the structure as I learn more and improve my skills, all without too much monetary investment.  As it is, I think I've gotten a little carried away in the size and cost of the house, however, forward momentum is also good.   

Insulating the floor...

...was a bit of a disaster.

If there exists an option that is simple and elegant (and there usually does), then it's probably the right decision.  I took a different route when I decided to insulate the floor of my home.  The work has been messy, slow, expensive, and frustrating.  I spent a few days cutting layers of rigid foam into puzzle pieces and placing them in between floor joists.  Picture kernels of foam flying everywhere.  I now have 6" of foam insulation in the floor...overkill!  On the bright side, Nate pointed out that after using all that foam, my trailer is now amphibious and capable of handling arctic temperatures.  Stay tuned for my float trip to the coast via the Columbia River.

I have ideas on how the whole process could have been more clever and smooth and will update this posting when I get a chance.  I've been busy framing walls lately!

If I could do the floor again, I would insulate from underneath the trailer once the structure was waterproofed.  That would allow me to frame in the rain with less concern about my materials getting wet and trapping moisture beneath the floor.  As far as I'm concerned, this house will live its life in the Pacific Northwest, so I probably could get by just fine with less foam in the floor.  It's a small space and it will heat up and cool down relatively quickly.  If the floor gets cold in the middle of the winter, a rug placed in strategic areas would probably be just fine.  Another advantage of insulating after the structure is built is that I could more effectively seal the metal underbelly against the trailer frame with caulking and spray foam.  I would also have easy access to drill holes through the floor for plumbing and utilities.  Oh well.  Keep it simple and modifiable if you're an amateur.

Change of Plan

I've been making some exciting changes to the design of La Cabanita Chiquita lately.  I've been walking around my house with a tape measure like a crazy, taking measurements of windows, stools, tables, counter tops, doors; and my bodily dimensions while sitting, standing, taking an imaginary shower, etc.  I also had a very helpful session last evening with my roommate Amelia who gave me some valuable design insight.  I've decided to go with a symmetrical gable roof (who knew?!).  I've re-arranged my windows.  I've even made some changes to the floor plan.    

Friends:  I'm taking feedback before I start cutting boards.  Bring it!  Ask me questions if something looks bizarre.  

Green transparent parts are the loft (7'3" long x 4'6" wide) and a ceiling above the shower.  Sleeping happens perpendicular to the length of the trailer.  There is a shorter 6'2" tall ceiling below the loft.   Notice the overhanging counter and space between the couch and kitchen cabinets; I'm borrowing a favorite feature from my friends' airstream and placing a mini bar with a bar stool in that space.  Thanks to Jacob for taking a short, urgent call and providing the dimensions for the mini-bar (I was experiencing a moment of divine design inspiration and couldn't wait a moment longer). 

 The door will swing in to the left, leaving the pocket to the right as a mudroom (2'x2.5' interior dimensions).  The bath across from it has the same dimensions.

The skylight sits above the loft.

Small window on right is bath, to the left is kitchen window and left of that (long skinny window) is positioned for someone sitting at the mini-bar to enjoy the natural light and view to the outside.

What say you?

Redesigning the Loft & Roof Line

I've been busy trying to firm up my design and draw up a framing plan on Google Sketchup.  I'm trying to frame as minimally as possible without sacrificing structural stability so that I can lighten the load on the trailer and avoid purchasing and using unnecessary materials.

Green building organizations, both governmental and private, are trying to change old framing methods that tend to use excessive materials.  Using more materials than necessary can increase the cost of construction projects significantly, as well as place a burden on natural resources and waste facilities.

A few of the tenants of advanced framing include laying out your design in 24" increments to make efficient use of lumber and 4x8 sheet goods; using engineered metal connectors (like header hangers and sheet rock clips) to replace trimmer studs and backing boards; and framing studs on a 24" on-center layout when 16" OC layout is not required.

In the process of re-working my design, I decided my loft was cramped and impractical.  Originally, I designed my loft so that I could sleep perpendicular to the length of the trailer (because the short ceiling that a loft creates beneath it would be reduced using a perpendicular orientation).  I thought that a gabled roof would mean that if I sat up in bed I would always bonk my head on the ceiling; therefore a shed-style roof was my best option.  But after doing a study of how someone of my particular dimensions lays down in bed, I realized that a gabled roof would actually work quite well.  To be sure, I built a couple quick mock-ups to actually FEEL what the space would be like and observe the aesthetic of gabled roof options.  This was a very valuable exercise and I'll post my new design shortly.

Big thanks to my architect-friend Captain Steven for his feedback on my framing plan.  Also thanks to my friend Amy for testing out my mock-ups and lending her brain to help me process the decision.

House Party!

The deck went on today, but only temporarily.  I decided not to fill the floor with insulation quite yet because I don't want it to get wet.  I caulked the metal underbelly, so if water did get into the insulation at this point it may have a hard time getting out, which would be a very bad thing.  I wonder if I should install some vents in that area in case moisture ever gets trapped in there...

The flat deck will be a handy surface to frame my walls on.  Once I get all the walls framed, I'll wait for a day or two of good weather to take off the floor, stuff it with insulation, re-place the underlayment, and then raise the walls to support a temporary roof (tarp) to ensure the floor stays dry.

I took advantage of the deck to layout my tentative floor plan with tape.  Then I invited my roommates to my first house warming in hopes of getting some feedback on the final design before I begin framing the walls.  It was a bring-your-own-chair event, so we all marched out to the trailer and had a seat on the "couch."  I sat on the "composting toilet" in the bathroom.  There was a brief dance party in the "living room."  

Next up, I need to finalize my floor plan and framing detail on Google Sketchup.  I also need to finish acquiring my windows so that I know how large to frame the openings.  Then I'll head over to Sustainable Northwest Wood for more 2x4s and get to framing!