Wall Framing: When It Starts To Get Real
After building the crazy subfloor and endlessly drilling through steel, we were SO excited to get to the framing! All of a sudden, we went from flat trailer to walls. Real walls! At each new step after the subfloor I've tried to prepare myself for everything taking longer and being way harder than I expect. But the framing was actually not that bad. As long as you follow the basic principles of framing, you'll be fine. (Tumbleweed's video on this step great!) After drilling into steel for days, nailing wood into wood is pretty great.
To Nail Gun Or Not To Nail Gun?
We did most of the wall framing without a nail gun. When we started to wrap up the walls and think about the roof framing, Tom's dad highly recommended we buy a nail gun. We got a Milwaukee model and plan to resell it after the tiny home is done. I would very much recommend doing this at the beginning of the framing process! Nailing by hand is a valuable skill, but after a while, it's not the best use of your time. Get a nail gun and air compressor ASAP and resell them later to get most of your money back. Remember, time is currency, and if you're trying to build a house while working full time, you don't have a moment to spare.
Yay Minivans!
If you're anything like me, you are probably tad bit cynical about minivans. (I'm not anymore.) When we started this process and decided not to buy a truck, we knew we'd be borrowing my parents' minivans often. This turned out to be a great money saver. We'd simply leave our small sedan with my mom or dad and let them drive it if needed while we used the minivan for a few hours. And minivans are freaking awesome! With the back seats folded down, they can carry so much lumber.
Tarps And Other Coverage
We spent some nervous nights listening to thunderstorms raging, knowing that there was a chance of our tiny home getting wet. Each time we left the work site, we made sure to cover it with the a tarp the best we could, but sometimes high winds would rip off the tarp. Once or twice it got a but wet, but thankfully the spot we're building in also gets lots of sunlight at midday and it dried right up.
Right now we're working as hard as we can to get the roof on! We're just a few steps away - a tiny bit more sheathing needs to be attached to the framing, then metal straps and tie-downs to make everything a lot more secure, roof framing, roof sheathing, over roof layers...and then the Onduvilla shingles! This system snaps together so that it can't get ripped off while we're driving out tiny home to new locations. We've heard great things about their roofing for tiny homes, so we can't wait to let you know how the next step goes!
