It’s been a month of a thousand tiny chores and a few big ones. I just wanted to share where things sit and whats coming up. We have been trimming and sanding and getting everything ready for the next two steps in the build; roof and siding.

My friend Larry came around on Sunday to help me install the eaves on the house. Once the eaves and soffits are up, we can start installing the roof that I got from Eagle Metals in Ladson SC. We chose a dove grey standing seam metal roof that will stand up to 160 mph winds.

Very nicely packaged roof panels from Eagle Metals. This one crate is enough to do the whole house and is rated to last 40 years.

When it comes to protecting the outside of the house , it comes down to a combination of materials and coatings. We were lucky enough to get Cypress siding donated from The Timber Shop and we are going to protect with with  a protect called “Australian Timber Oil” from Cabot. Its a nice blend of oils that is designed to last quite some time and gives a nice golden color to the house(which lends itself  to the name for the house “The Golden Elephant“)

 Cypress with a coat of Australian Timber Oil.

We had a bit of an incident since the last update..while mowing the property the house is on, a big stick went through the mower and punched a hole in the side of the house. Glad I wasn’t standing there! Some quick patch work and it was as good as new.

Building a  quality tiny house is no tiny task, the past few months have been made possible only through the help of my friend Bill Kahler of CCR Engineering.  Bill does machining and industrial prototyping among his myriad of other skills and has helped me solve several of the more complex problems. He also rents us the land on which we are building The Golden Elephant.

Here he is milling some ventilation holes in a piece of trim for the front cantilever of the house, to allow the wall to breathe properly. Which is important because you do not want moisture to build up in the walls. This is the kind of attention to detail that makes for a well made, long lasting home.

Beveled edges add a nice clean look to the ventilation slots.

Bills amazing shop on John’s Island outside of Charleston.

Here is the house as its sits right now.

 

Coming up later this week, we will install the front door, begin the siding and the roof and start making all the pass-thrus for the fans, air conditioning and the vent hood for the stove. I will try to provide details photos and descriptions and I am always willing to answer any questions you might have.

Until next time,

Zach