Interior Framing

The interior walls are pretty minimal.  

 This shot shows what it was like to work on foam blocks in order to avoid blemishing the adobe floor.

The floor was too soft to screw into, so the bottom plates are not screwed in yet.  As a result, I have diagonal bracing that keep them aligned.  After the top plates were fastened in, the wall were quite secure and those diagonals were removed.

Ready for the rough-ins!  The bathroom is on the left, and the utility closet is on the right.

For some reason, I'm really excited by the attic.  I guess I just gravitate toward quirky, intimate spaces.  (That may explain why I enjoy camping in tents and cruising on small sailboats!)  It was unnaturally gratifying to cut out the hatch to gain access to the attic.

On day three, the crew made quick work of the remaining rafters and started on the "ladders" that form the overhangs at the gable ends.

Test fitting the outer board of the "ladder"

Ladders ready to be screwed in place

Today they installed the rake trim and the fascia boards.  Check out that compound bevel where the two meet!  You can also see that the rafter extensions combine with the ladders to create a plane that wraps around from the soffit to the underside of the rake: this will be filled in with bead-board.

Just a few more panels and the roof will be fully sheathed.

Going Vertical

After two days of framing work, R. A. Mears have made huge progress on the framing.  Now that I can stand inside the stud walls, with the I-joists above, it's possible to get a good sense of the space in this tiny house.

So the logical question is, "does it seem big enough?"  Answer: Yes!  Actually, it feels pretty much as I'd pictured it in my mind.  With the rafters going up, tomorrow I'll get to see if the same is true in the loft.

A nice tight sill plate: a sign of experience and skill.

While designing, I was a little worried that it would be hard (or a pain) to frame the walls without having a sub-floor or slab in place, as with most other houses.  It didn't phase them at all.

Starting to get a sense for what it will look like.

I-Joists for the ceiling.  I'm still trying to decide if it's a good idea to go with my initial design idea, which is to insert ceiling panels that sit on the bottom flange of the beams.  It seems cool, but I wonder what the electrician will say about the ceiling fixtures.  Stay tuned....

Now you can really start to feel the space.  And with shade, I should bring in a hammock so I can take a siesta during the heat of the day!

Now you can start to see the overall mass and shape of the building emerging.