Beginning Floor Joists and Deal Shopping

The past few weeks have been busy with clearing the trailer rails for the tiny house. It took a lot of patience and hard work but it is finally done! We have come from this...

 To this...

But first I must mention the change in our plans. When measuring to find out how much flashing to buy we realized the actual living space of the trailer is only 26 feet.  The whole trailer from the tip of the tongue to the back bumper is 32 ft. So our living space will be smaller than we once thought but cost of materials will go down. It was kind of a downer but we will just need to get rid of more stuff! 

 Now the fun begins! Before putting anything down on the rails to begin the build, my husband reinstalled the leveling jacks.  These seem to still be working smoothly and will come in handy when we need to level the house on the new site.  Currently, the floor is being built in the yard where we rent because we are working through getting an address, temporary power and other things before moving the build to the new site.

After some research online for the best type of flashing to use on top of the rails I came across this...

I saw a blog or video, I honestly can't remember, but they used this before the floor because it adds R-value to insulation, resists mold and mildew, keeps out little furry critters, light weight, and lasts a long time due to being metal on both sides.  Its like bubble wrap between two thin pieces of aluminum.  We bought two rolls and they covered nicely.  Each roll is 4'x25' and the extra pieces around the wheels will finish out the last 2' at the end of the trailer.

Taping the seam with aluminum tape

 After adding the aluminum tape down the entire center seam we added a 2x4x8 to each end to hold it down so the wind wouldn't blow it away. 

Aluminum insulation stapled to bottom of 2x4x8

 Our son's request was to put the first nail in for our new home.  

 Joist hangers are installed and attached to 2x4x8.

Cutting out for wheel wells

This piece will be attached later

I have been deal hunting as much as possible to help keep us within or under budget.  We went to a local transfer station and found 2 exterior doors.  They said we could have them because they were just going to get crushed anyway.  Now we have our two doors for free! I will sand them and paint them the color I want later before we install them.  The top of the green door I want to put a quote. I will either paint it or woodburn it.  We have an idea of what we want but still deciding.

 Here are my latest Craigslist finds.  The potbelly stove will fit nicely in a tiny space and I will put some black woodstove finish and it will look 100 times better. I got a great deal of $50 for the woodstove.  Earlier, we found the solar panel kit on Craigslist from a person that was moving and needed it gone.  It has only been used for about 6 months and comes with solar panels, battery, and a meter.  Originally she had a sticker on it for $175 but marked it down to $75.  Now we have some heat and a little solar electricity.   

Currently, this is what the floor joist system looks like... bolts are going to be added to anchor down to the rail system.  Enjoying the sound of hammering as I type....

Its been a great few weeks and we hope to have the trailer moved to the new property soon.  God has truly blessed us and we are forever thankful.