When Framing Becomes Walls

Today we put plywood sheathing on the walls. This is a pretty easy, straightforward task. It took three of us a few hours. The hardest part is getting the first piece of plywood up. It was important that this one was perfectly straight, otherwise the pieces would have kept getting more and more crooked as we went.

Holding each sheet of plywood up at the right height while someone else puts in a couple of screws, is kind of awkward. Once we get the hang of it though, it went pretty fast.













We put subfloor adhesive where the edges of each sheet would land and then secured the plywood with screws. Most people who have built these things recommend some kind of adhesive and screws. Screws are a lot harder to pull out than nails (as you probably know) which is good thing when you are driving down the highway.  ;)

The windows were cut out last with the sawsall.

I love the way I can get a sense of how the house feels inside once the plywood is up. I even moved a camp chair into the living room-to-be and hung out for a while, imaging where things will go when I'm done. Before it was time to head in, I spent a few minutes leaning on the windowsill enjoying the sunset.

The Adventure Begins

We finally started building today! It is amazing how quickly things happen with four people working. We got the whole floor in!

 My trailer has kind of an unusual design which presented some challenges putting the floor in.

 We covered the deck with pressure treated plywood, then screwed the plywood down with wood-to-metal screws. I could not get the hang of putting them in. Luckily, the rest of my family did. I caulked all the seams while they screwed.

  

The next step was to bolt 2x6's the whole length of the
trailer. This proved to be difficult as well, because it meant
drilling through metal. I wanted the weight of the house to
be on the main frame, not the lighter metal that was only
tack-welded on. (you can see what I mean in the first
picture) Hence the extra work of bolting on 2x6's.

 Next we laid down 2in foam board and hung 2x4 floor joists off the 2x6's.

 All those hangers were good hammer swinging practice. Efficient hammering really is an art!

 This is a good picture of the finished subfloor. It also shows how we framed the outside edges.












Next up was the insulation. We used Eco Batts fiberglass insulation. Fiberglass is nasty (even if it's "eco"), so we're wearing long sleeve's despite the 90 degree weather.

 

The final step was to put down another layer of plywood.

A big thank you to my family, especially my dad, for giving up their weekend. His building expertise is making this project possible.

An Introduction

Several years ago, my dad brought home Jay Shafer's Tiny House Book. I was struck by the practicality and coziness of living in just enough space. Plus, they were really cute. I couldn't get the idea of building one of these houses out of my head. I started drawing plans, and more plans. Long story short, I decided to build one of these houses for my senior project. When it is finished, I will sell it and put the money toward college. So I've decided on my plan, bought a trailer and begun. I hope to use this blog to document my progress and spread the word about what I am doing.
Enjoy.