The Mod

It is somewhat typical in this region of the country to move into the basement before the house is complete. I am just not excited about the idea of living in an underground concrete space that is most likely half filled with construction tools and debris. So, since it is April and we have been too busy with other people's projects to concentate on our own house, I took it upon myself to experiment with small space building and living. There is a movement in some corners of this country toward tiny houses, evidenced by the website http://www.tinyhouseblog.com/.

I set out to design a tiny house that is constructed from modular units no larger than 8'-0"x 8'-0". I came up with an 8'-0"x 14'-0" floorplan with a 6'-0"x 8'-0" loft over the kitchen area. I pre-built the walls, floor system and roof parts in the shop. By using 2x3's for the framing lumber I saved on weight and cost. One of my goals was to utilize as many materials as possible that were kicking around the shop and to scavenge other materials where possible. I found some awesome used wood windows at the Building Materials Exchange in Lisbon that I painted and retrimmed out in my chosen color scheme.

After recruiting a few friends to help carry the pieces out to the site, I and one other person assembled the building ourselves. We then ran an extension cord from the basement to the "mod" --modern and modular-- and now have electricity. I am in the process of refining the interior- creating built-ins, looking for a tiny wood stove and a small propane cooking stove. Once we have these and add running water and a fridge to the basement, it will be a very nice living experience.