New Site = New Design

After moving the build site back away from the water, the design had to change.  The main difference is the placement of the entrance, which will now be double garden doors facing the lake.

New Site

After some initial obstinance, I eventually conceded there was little choice but to move the cozy cottage back away from the lake's edge.  It was difficult for me to give up the idea of sitting on the bench by the window, looking directly out at the lake.  With the new location I'll be quite a bit back from the water, and it only makes sense to have to door facing the lake, which means no window-bench.  But in the end it's more important to make sure the structure is safe and sound, away from any potential water or ice damage.

 The new site is about 15' back into the woods, and slightly diagonal to maintain the same basic view out the length of the skinny bay.

I was very lucky to have help from my Meetup group.  Above is Al, cutting up 2x2s so we can mark out the new foundation.

Here is Anne, hard at work trying to dig through tree roots, rocks and clay.  The soil here is much more difficult than the initial site, which made it even more frustrating to be having to repeat all that hard work.  But luckily my helpers were so positive and happy to get their hands dirty that the whole day was great fun!

Me and Esther digging holes and clipping tree roots.  She told fabulous stories of her adventures building her own home in the woods, and had great advice for living sustainably.

Beth, Jared and the kiddos were great at clearing brush and keeping the fire going all day!

 I'm a very happy lady!

Setback #1: Spring Flood

Meetup: Spring Builds 2015

At our latest Meetup I had a great discussion about my plans with John Hattie from Atlantic Home Designs.

His drawings are so clear and his understanding of construction details has been so helpful to me.

This drawing is showing the "hot roof", which will allow me to have all kinds of insulation (in the form of rigid EPS "TrueFoam") while still leaving the rafters exposed.  We discussed the details of how to insulate and air seal properly at the connection of the wall and roof.  It will be built so that the option to spray foam the rafters on the inside is still possible without causing any moisture issues.

Next Step:  Windows!  Once I buy windows I can finalize the wall framing plans.

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!