Sunday, January 2, 2011

Changing Plans and Starting Construction

 As I got past the end of 2010 which was a exciting year for me, I am steadfast in my focus on building my Mini Mobile Cottage. It looks like January 15th is going to be the day we start putting lumber together. The first part of the project is to build a foundation sandwich as seen in my previous post. I wanted to add some stability to the foundation so I bolted treated 2x6's to the I-beams of the trailer.My brother Bob and his son Jordan assisted in the project, pleased to have their help.


Since I have had too much time thinking through all the aspects of the project I came to the conclusion that to put a porch on the trailer and lose 2ft of living space was pretty foolish. I changed the plan. I will be building a deck off the back of the trailer that will be 4ft x 8ft to replace my little 2ft porch. While this modified my interior plan it also allowed me to revisit the door and how I was going to address putting two windows on either side of the center door. I priced windows at a Pella show room and proudly walked our with a quote for $900 per window and I need two...Yikes. I paid $600 for ALL of the other windows (6) brand new Pella Impervia's. After pondering that for a week I found a mini house that I liked with a similar layout to what I was looking for. I am going with a single door on left hand side of the wall and a single window. So here is where I am at with the layout. I reserve the right to make more changes but I am getting very very close to locking down the plan.
Hopefully the next post will show something with sheets of plywood!

5 comments:

  1. Your site has been very helpful. I've been considering a design similar to Tumbleweed's Fencl model, but prefer your design because it makes better use of space and eliminates the too-small-to-be-useful porch. I assume you still plan to have 2 lofts, so what's supporting those lofts? If I'm not mistaken the fencl lofts are supported by the "pop out" and wall separating the bathroom and kitchen.

    Thanks for blogging and helping people like myself.
    Andrew

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andrew,
    Good question. Actually there are two issues with the loft that need to be considered. First I do not believe in an 8 foot span you are going to have much of a support issue as long at you run the cross members on 16 inch centers a 2x4 on its edge along with a good strong floor should be structurally sound. I am going to use 3/4 inch fancy plywood for my loft floor, it will be screwed and glued. Jay Schafer uses 5 inch T&G pine that I believe is a half inch thick. This helps in two ways. It provides structure to resist twisting and helps in load bearing. If you have a concern that the 2x4 are not robust enough use 2x6's. I do have walls that will also support the sleeping loft. From my drawing you can see that is 3 walls and shelf structure that will also be load bearing. I weigh 240 and don't expect a issue.

    At this point I am not putting a loft on the door end of the house. I am putting eye bolts in the walls for traveling purposes that I will put cables on and tighten down during transport. I will remove them when I arrive and boom a lot of clear empty space! I reserve the right to change my mind but from what I am told the loft at this end of the house does not add a lot of value. I would rather have the open space. That being said, I have talked about a 1 foot shelf for plants. Time will tell. Your thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're right, I could use 2x6's just to ensure it's secure (I'll probably stick with T&G pine since I like look). I should preface this by saying I have limited building skills which is why I really appreciate your blog and comments.

    I will probably keep the door-end loft b/c I will need the storage and b/c it seems like almost dead space anyway above door. I should add that I'm hoping to figure out some way to incorporate a sliding glass door as front entrance...

    Andrew

    ReplyDelete
  4. CPC Consulting specializes in Construction Planning],
    Project Controls Consulting, Construction Scheduling], Construction Project Controls]
    providing clients with detailed quantity and pricing for all project phases.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello friends
    Today I would like to mention the top app gadgets in 2018. Android app store. IOS Store application. Sam Sung Store Application. You can refer and leave comments for my items. Visit my page to add an app extension here: https://iplaystoredownloadfree.com/

    You can install and follow the instructions below as the top 3 download stores:

    - Google Play windows phone
    - Play Store for PC
    - Play Store for iOS

    Your feedback will help me improve the app store. thank you!

    ReplyDelete