My Walden

Interior Finishes

Starting to play around with interior finishes in Photoshop... wasn't sure about white windows, but they are much easier to find. Also wasn't sure about having all wood walls - thought it might be too much.  But so far I'm liking the look of this.

Roof Angle Change

After seeing another tiny home, and rethinking the site, I've decided to change the slope of the roof for the following reasons:

• it gives more useable space in the loft, with more headroom along the head of the bed, and allows for bigger windows facing the lake. 
• bigger windows upstairs allow safe egress from the loft to the porch roof, in case of fire.
• the slope now faces south if I ever want to add solar panels.
• if I ever haul it on the highway, it will be more aerodynamic.
• the short ends are now load bearing, freeing up the side walls to have more openings and bigger windows towards the lake without having to add thermal bridges in the form of double headers.
• I find it looks smaller when approaching it because we're now seeing an 8 foot wall instead of a 13 foot wall, which I find less intrusive on the site. 

I've also decided to have flush beams for the floor and use joist hangers, in order to facilitate rigid insulation wrapping the exterior from the walls to the floor with the fewest thermal bridges.

And I've made it a foot longer to allow room in the bathroom for a prefab shower stall.

Design is still evolving, but will have to be finalized soon... spring is almost here!

3D Model

Design Evolving

The design is evolving.  I've moved the cabin door to the side, so you now enter the cabin through the screened in porch.. so the door you see below is entering the porch.  Window size and shape is still being decided. 

I've also raised the roof a bit to allow for a better slope on the porch, and room for clerestory windows.

High Water

The level of the lake fluctuates a lot throughout the year.  A heavy rain can raise the water level by 6-8 inches, and it then takes a week or more to recede.  There are no dams that I know of, so I'm guessing there is a bottleneck where the lake flows out in the west branch of the La Have river.

The last time I went to the land, it was after a couple days of heavy rains, and the water level was the highest I had ever seen it, coming very close to the location of the tiny house.  See video below.

Although the water is incredibly close, I consider this the worst case scenario.  So, I plan to leave it where it is.  The fact that the land is so rocky gives me confidence that even if the land under the cottage becomes saturated the cottage foundation will remain sound.

And if not, it's a tiny house!  I'll just move it.  :)

Foundation

I'm back from vacation, and back at the lake.  This weekend I brought 6 Dek-Blocks to start leveling the foundation.

But first I took some time to appreciate the fall colours.

Arriving at the site and seeing the location we had staked out in August, I immediately felt that the cottage should be closer to the lake, so I've moved it about three feet closer, and tucked it further back to give more space by the front door.

With the rough location chosen, I began to excavate under the corners.  The ground is generally rocky, with a 5" layer of dead leaves and roots on top, making it quite soft and springy.  My plan is to remove the soil revealing the rocks below, fill the gaps with 1/2" gravel, and place the Dek-Block.

This method gives a surprisingly study base, with great drainage.  Still not sure how much heaving to expect as the lake freezes, but my plan is to build the cabin with a sturdy floor system so it can be jacked up and leveled without any damage to the interior.

The view back towards the boathouse is so pretty with a layer of leaves covering the path.

After a day's work I only got four blocks leveled, but I feel good about the progress.  I feel much better about this location, and the excavation has made me feel much more confident about the solidity of the foundation.