Okay, okay. I haven’t written a blog post for over 2 months. Here’s what we’ve been up to: For the Felton House We finished revamping the bathroom, which involved tearing the old shower out, leveling the floor, installing new backer board, tiles, faucets, tub, and shower door. Our original tub had a crack in it,… Continue reading Whirlwind Work
Author: Robin
Tiny House Has Arrived!
I just returned from Independence, where I received our new home! It is lovely and well constructed. I spent a lot of time measuring for furniture we’ll make and curtains, but I also would get distracted by how pretty it is and find myself just staring and daydreaming. Here are some more photos. I forgot… Continue reading Tiny House Has Arrived!
Bumps in the Road
It has been a couple months since my last post. Let me catch you up. I’ve been driving back and forth from Felton to Bishop and Independence so often that I’m starting to remember most of the huge, car-swallowing potholes, dips, bumps, and rough railroad crossings along the way. I’m not as nimble when pulling… Continue reading Bumps in the Road
Independence
Happy Independence Day! You know how I wrote at the end of the “Delay” post, that I did some brain storming with Ziggy on how to get to Bishop sooner? I thought to try renting an RV/mobile home spot in Bishop for the Escape Tiny House trailer. Bishop has quite a few mobile home and… Continue reading Independence
Utility Trailer
We bought a utility trailer! I’ve been renting utility trailers from Uhaul whenever we buy lumber too big to fit in our cars or need to take big stuff to the dump or green waste. Uhaul trailers are super heavy, don’t always have a jack, and have chains that are very difficult for my tiny… Continue reading Utility Trailer
Delay
Oh dear! I read the County code and thought all this time that we could work on the temporary power, water, and septic before we had a building permit from the Building Department. Septic is approved by a different department, Environmental Health, and it isn’t spelled out that we can’t get started on that stuff… Continue reading Delay
Perc Test
We need a percolation test and soil profile in order to apply for a septic system permit. As soon as our property closed escrow, I contacted the local geotech company and scheduled the tests. I drove out to the property to observe because excavating holes feels like more tangible progress than reading code and therefore,… Continue reading Perc Test
So much Code!
Planning for our dome is apparently our latest hobby. Jon and I have been spending many hours studying the California Building Standards Code, so we can correctly plan and build our dome. Actually, to quote Dennis Johnson of Natural Spaces Domes, “If you build a house to code, then you just built the worst house… Continue reading So much Code!
Virtual Dome School
As I’ve written in previous posts, we’re working with Natural Spaces Domes to design our house and garage. They provide kits and construction manuals and building support. They also provide Dome School twice a year. Jon and I traveled to Minnesota in 2017 to attend Dome School in person. It was great to have hands-on… Continue reading Virtual Dome School
Site Plan
Jon and I discussed where we want the buildings, driveway, and solar array and I drafted a site plan. We like the idea of having the house and detached garage in the middle of the lot, so we can have a buffer from our neighbors. I also want space to create a fire break along… Continue reading Site Plan