June and July Build Update

Hello! It’s another double month build update, not by design but by necessity as we have been working hard to make this tiny house more of a reality. June saw us work on our kitchen cabinets while we wait for the professionals and buying an HRV system, and July saw us getting all our insulation done! We watched many hours of Tour de France and as Lys writes this the Olympics is on in the background, so we are feeling very inspired watching others achieve their goals. Let’s dive right in!

June: Diving, Riding and Cutting Back into the Build

June went by in a blur to be frank, almost as if we had just stepped off the plane from Indonesia and immediately jumped back into our tiny house project. The month was largely dedicated to designing and constructing our kitchen cabinets, which as always is a lot harder than it looks. There is good reason why kitchen renovations are expensive, top quality finishes are hard to achieve without practice and patience. Even an IKEA kitchen is over $2000!

We found ourselves watching countless YouTube videos to grasp the finer points of cabinetry. Specifically, we also drew inspiration from Scott Brown Carpentry’s plywood kitchen video (which you can watch below).

Our kitchen is unlikely to look as nice as his (for one, he is not looking to minimise weight at every turn) but it is wonderful inspiration. We have found overall, it’s an intricate process, requiring a whole new level of detail, very different to building the frame and the like. If building is the broad brush strokes of the canvas, then building cabinets is the final detail work, with the small brush. One of the challenges we faced was how easily plywood scratches. Drop something on it — it scratches, Lean on it — it scratches. Look at it — it scratches. Unfinished plywood is such a stressful material to work with.

Some positive things though, Lys became more adept with the circular saw cutting the plywood to more manageable pieces, and Erny had the bright idea to make a fence to speed up our long cuts. There was something immensely satisfying about cutting down those large plywood sheets into neatly squared pieces.

We then started with the sink base cabinets, taking care to ensure everything was perfectly aligned. We are doing some funky work with the table saw, cutting notches into the sides of our cabinets for the bracing pieces. Hopefully it will work — we are still not 100% sure. Next, we moved on to the stove base cabinets. Each step was a learning experience, we have changed the design a little for these to be more robust. It has been a journey, from understanding the structural requirements to the aesthetic considerations of upper kitchen cabinets. Finally, we designed and cut out the upper kitchen cabinets, as well as an alcove for the fridge.

July: Electrification! (Sort of)

July brought with it the expertise of our sparkie, James, who came over on a fine weekend to lay out all the wiring. Watching a professional at work was a revelation; he moved with more speed than the two of us combined. It’s surprising how quickly things can get done when you know what you’re doing. Working with a professional challenged us to make concrete decisions. When it is just Erny and Lys, decisions can be flexible, changed and re-moulded to suit us as we learn. With someone who is contracted to complete a set piece of work, the ideas need to be defined, parameters set, definition of done understood by all parties. This is a pretty big shift in workings style for us, and we are still learning 😄. While James worked, Erny took the time to trace all the circuits, ensuring we knew exactly what was connected where. This step was crucial, especially as we prepared to cover the walls with insulation and internal house wrap.

James’s efficiency meant that we could start insulating the walls sooner than expected. Using the same glass wool insulation as in the floor, we tackled the task with all our PPE gear on to avoid the scratchiness and fine particles in the air. Initially, we had planned to host an insulation party with friends, but we quickly realised that too many people in a tiny house made the space feel cramped. So, we decided to press on ourselves. Then, while Erny took a break to play Frisbee, Lys continued with the insulation. It was sweaty, dusty work, but immensely satisfying to see the walls and ceiling filling out and providing more space in the loft.

One unexpected benefit of the insulation was the sound dampening effect. Lys didn’t notice at first, but once the insulation was in place, the outside noise was significantly reduced, and there was no echo inside. And, it is actually warmer than the outside when the temperature has dropped! This allows us to work longer into the evening and highlights how cosy the tiny house will be once we are finished. Now, we’re left pondering what to do with the scraps of insulation. If anyone has any creative ideas, we’re all ears!

In addition to the insulation, we started putting up the house wrap. Lys was struggling quite a bit using the hammer, so high near the ceiling, and the wrap was proving to be ungainly. Our friend Charlie came to the rescue with a practical tip: using a domestic stapler instead of clout nails for the ceiling. This method proved much easier and efficient, we don’t have to hire one for the weekend (even though we love the tool library) nor do we have to purchase one new. Erny became quite the master at installing the house wrap, climbing up and down the ladder and working at precarious angles to ensure everything was perfectly secured.

As we conclude July, we find ourselves reflecting on the journey so far. A huge thank-you goes to James for his expertise and for teaching us a bit about electrical work. With all the wiring done, walls and ceilings insulated, and the house wrap nearly complete, we’ve achieved quite a bit. We are actually all coming down with colds (Erny’s nose is running like a tap and Lys had a 4-day migraine) so hopefully we can move at a sustainable pace. Looking forward to an equally productive August 🤞

Catch ya later, Lys & Erny