Framing the Walls and a Great Deal on Decking

We finally made it to framing the walls! It seems like it has taken a while to get here but when I look back at the older pictures where we started from I can see why the process was so lengthy.  We had some rainy, hot, and humid days recently so building has either been slow or none.  What we have realized is the Northeast has 1 to 2 weeks of hot and humid summer then the nights cool back down and fall is knocking on the door!

Wall framing took longer than I expected but I have zero experience building any type of building so there are lots of small details that I didn't consider.  I am fortunate that I have a husband that can put all this mess together and make something out of it.  There is lots of measuring, cutting, gluing, hammering, planning, planning, and.... more planning.  We are pretty much re-designing the shed style plan that we looked at previously online.  Our windows are not small so my husband has went with using Google Sketch-Up to help the planning process.  Here is a link if you would like to check it out: Google SketchUP of Kozy Kottage Build  It really helps to visualize how it is going to look as a 3-D image.
**I was told that if you don't have a DropBox account or don't want to sign up for one, you can simply close the javascript sign in/up window and click the download button a second time and it will download. **

The first wall was our "Yahoo!" moment.  Raising a wall is not an easy thing to do. I had never raised a wall so it was a little nerve wracking for me.  I just knew it was going to fall over but it didn't.  We put cleats around the edge, had side bracing, and my husband's brute strength.

 

Pondering how we're going to make this work

1-2-3 Go! 

So happy the first wall is going up and not falling!

Side Bracing

Bottom of bracing to hold the wall up

Top of the bracing

First wall is up! Taking a moment to enjoy our accomplishment.

First side wall is up on the left and half of the back left wall

Wheelwell header

First left side wall with window opening

Last wall up! Door opening framed.

Now that 4 walls are up and braced we have to build and finish putting in large window headers, framing around windows, checking level, and getting the house square.

Left Kitchen window above sink area.

3 windows framed. Top left is our loft window. Bottom is a kitchen window.

Back window for bathroom. Left window kitchen window above sink area.

Large window in living area without the header or framing above

Time to take a break :)

Making the BIG window header

Putting in the last window header. Yep that's going to be a big window!

Throughout the last few months my son has been learning important academic and life skills. Homeschoooling doesn't need fancy textbooks or expensive curriculum.  My son has been learning carpentry at a young age instead of waiting to take a class in high school or college.  When we go on Craigslist trips to pick up supplies we always go together as a family, (1.) because of safety and I haven't met anyone yet that would seem harmful but it's better to be smart and safe (2.) to travel and meet the amazing people and landscapes of New England.  My son is getting to meet people and talk to adults frequently about our Tiny House build. We met a lady the other day and she said something that I really didn't think about and it really has hit home with me lately.  She grew up in a household with a carpenter but never learned the skill.  She thought is was an amazing thing that he was learning the skills and he could talk to her about window headers, framing language that I don't understand, the reason for bracing, types of insulation and what we are using, proper use of a miter saw, joist hangers, our experience of tearing down a camper, and so much more. Think of the generations before us that had amazing skills of welding, carpentry, engineering, wood carving, entrepreneurship, etc.  Are we really raising a generation of "intelligence" by putting kids in school 8 hours a day then riding a bus for about an hour, quickly eating dinner, running off to a sporting event, doing homework, and then bed.  What skills did they learn today from other adults in the community or more importantly, from you as a parent?

We have been pondering how to build a small deck area over the hitch that will be an entry for the front door. Of course, I put an alert for decking on Craigslist and last week I got an alert for FREE decking that was in our town.  Super excited about it being local because most of our Craigslist pick-ups have been at least an hour away and this was only 10 minutes! It is in great condition with no rotten boards so this will make a super cute deck.  I love our little trailer that we built for less than $500. It has more than paid for itself!

We got all of it to fit!

Decking materials to build a small deck

I hope you enjoyed this post! We have also picked up a on-demand hot water heater and the gentleman gave us a shower drain and a small bathroom sink that we really like better than the other free sink.  I will post it on the next blog because I forgot to get pictures.  As always, feel free to follow my blog by clicking on the "Join this Site" button! Have a blessed day!