Construction Begins

This weekend saw the first full day of construction in our journey to convert this shed to a tiny house.  It went very well, starting after dinnertime and continuing into the wee hours of the night.  The first area of focus was the far wall.  Aesthetically the wall opposite the doorway will be a focal point as you enter.  Structurally, it needs to support the loft and two windows, so it has to be reasonably strong.  This meant adding a second "top plate", the long horizontal board at the top of the wall.  Studs were added where none existed between the wall's top plate and the rafters after framing the opening for the loft window.

Addition of a second top plate before adding studs above.

The old window shown was replaced,

and a second window added above it.

There was much this weekend to be thankful about.  Foremost was having the helping hand of my neighbor who likes this kind of work.  Physically he helped in the endless stream lifting, carrying, marking cutting, and attaching.  He offered a critical second opinion on countless decisions, both big and tiny.  He introduced me to new tools and techniques.  And, the conversation was enjoyable, at least when the power tools weren't blaring in our ears.  Unless you really, really like working alone, I recommend having a good buddy to assist with the important parts of your build.

After the loft window, we replaced an existing window on the same wall which hangs below the loft.  A third window, a larger one, went in the side wall before beginning construction of the loft proper.  Structurally, the loft is done, but we decided to resist installing the loft floor until after the adjacent walls are finished.  Also accomplished this weekend was the conversion of the double shed doors to a single "people door", as well as construction of the loft ladder.  Now the shed has significantly more light and airflow, and a much better view of its surroundings.

The weekend exceeded our expectations, in terms of getting things done.  Our arms are completely worn out, yet it felt good to move things off the drawing board and into the refreshing March air of the West Virginia outdoors with hammer in hand.  After several years of thinking about it, and a few months of planning it, my tiny house dream is finally becoming a reality.