So somebody just hired me to replace their kitchen faucet, because the old one had a sticky switch (valve that turns it from spray to stream). They gave me their old one. I'll rebuild it & presto changeo a $100 faucet for what like $20 in rebuild parts?
Picked up some paint at Walmart the other day, $5 per 5 gallon bucket. Forest green exterior latex. Which interestingly enough is the color I envisioned this thing being.
Here's the free hot tub I got off Craigslist, still need to hook up the propane heater I bought, so for now, it's a cold tub...
And the humongous skylight, also free.
And a pile of double pane vinyl windows I picked up for $20.
Neighbor moved out & left his BBQ, needs wheels, but for free, I aint complaining.
Where I plan to build this, there’s a “carport” one end of which is
supported by a 40′ container, the other end is supported by an
unsalvageable mobile home. The area under the roof is about 28′ x 40′
I
plan to build the trailer against one end of this “carport,” so that
the entry is into the “carport.” Then enclose the other end, so I have a
large enclosed porch / shop, with storage unit attached.
Once I
move it, I have a 45′ semi trailer which will be the high side, I’ll
need to acquire a container for the low side, and build a roof, but I
like this arrangement, as it adds about 2000 sqft of shop / storage
space for cheap.
Thinking about getting a mid-range projection system off ebay. The
cheap ones seem a bit dim. The expensive ones seem a bit .. expensive.
I
already have a pretty decent computer, but it’s a power hog. I’m
thinking about putting together a Single Board Computer based Network
Attached Server. Something like a Raspberry Pi, which uses only a few
watts. The Raspberry Pi doesn’t have multiple SATA ports though. I’m
looking for either a SBC that has multiple SATA ports, or perhaps I
could get one with USB 3.0 & a USB to SATA adapter for each drive.
That’d do me for serving up movies & music. I have a 10″ tablet that
I could do most of my web surfing on, too. Only using the PC when I
only really have to would really cut back on my power needs.
I
have an 8 bay rack mount case that sits under the case my PC actually
lives in, which I plan to build this server in. I’m also considering
going with water cooling. I have a heater unit out of a bus that I could
mount under the trailer (where it’s cooler year round) that is more
than big enough to cool the cpu, grahics card, PSU & drives. After
I move, I’ll probably be sol for decent high speed internet. What I’ve
done in the past is: Unlimited cellular data plan. 3′ cellular antenna
($15-30, ebay). Wifi tether. The antenna brings a marginal connection,
up to a pretty decent connection.
I plan to build all the cabinets myself. All the cabinets outside the
central core need to be non-permanent. Which means the wall cabinents
need to actually be supported by the base units below them. I’m thinking
60″ to 72″ units, with 2x4s at the rear corners, connected by 2 1x4s at
about the height of the bottom & top of the wall cabinets, for them
to hang from. Maybe I’ll invest in some of those teflon movers glides,
too.
Multiple sources is always good.
2-20A 120V circuits from the neighbors, for now.
An
8KW onan generator, although the thought has crossed my mind that a
small 4 cylinder from a wrecked car would probably power it at a *much*
lower RPM, and be *much* quieter, and take up hardly any additional
space.
I’ve been looking at DIY solar panel kits (cells &
ribbon) on ebay for mighty cheap. I’m thinking a kilowatt would be nice
to start.
I have a xantrex 1500W continuous / 2500W peak inverter.
I also have a ferrups 3.1kva battery backup for a computer. I could just add 4 deepcycle batteries to that beast. Long term project, would be to put together a 1-2 KW wind generator & tower…
So I figured if anybody is reading this, you’re probably really bored,
so here’s some pictures of the bed I built a couple years ago. It’ll be
going into the trailer, until I can get a good deal on a California King
mattress, at which time I’ll rebuild it for that size. It’s currently a
Queen. Although I may change a few details, not too happy with the
overhead mirrors. Might change them to 9 big square mirrors, made into
sandwich panels that hang like a suspended ceiling.
Some weird ideas here, but stick with me.
Shower: The whole
room is a shower. I guess if I had more class, I’d call it a walk-in.
But anyways, 4′ X 8′ probably multiple showerheads. I’m thinking a
couple regular heads, a massager / wand head & a rain head (I’ve
already got most of that) To keep the pressure up, I might have to get
creative, been thinking 3 or 4 - 55 gallon drums with a booster pump
& some kind of auto fill mechanism…
Regular elongated toilet, Hoping to get a good deal on one of them bidet seats I’ve seen on ebay.
Hot
Water: I’ve got a tankless water heater from an RV, but it’ll have to
be rebuilt, it’s been in a box for 30+ years. It’s a Rabbit brand, not
sure what the specs are. I’ll edit this when I find it. Supplemented
with rooftop solar, probably coils in a box.
Hot Tub: Yeah, the
shower is in the room off the bathroom, but that’s also where I plan to
put the hot tub. Why? Because I think outside hot tubs are a stupid
idea. Talk about a waste of energy. Inside, in its own insulated room,
makes more sense. Plus the neighbors won’t have any unexpected full moon
sightings…
Got the tub for free off Craig’s list. Heater is
dead, which is OK, as it’s electric. Picked up a propane heater off
Craig’s list for $35. A little prest-o change-o, & I’ll have a nice
little tub. It’s about 6′6″ square.
I picked up a big (like 3′
X 5′)skylight off Craig’s list for free, it’s going over the hot tub,
so I will still be able to enjoy the night sky. It’s single pane, but I
think it’ll be pretty easy to add a flat panel to the inside, along with
an insulating curtain, for when not in use.
Sewage: Definitely
seperate the grey & black water. Black would dump into a sump tank
with a “trash pump” which chops everything up, making it easier for a
small septic system to deal with. While grey would be used for
irrigation.
I’ve aquired quite a stash of building materials for this project, as I go along, I’ll talk about them.
For
starters, I’ve got a Coleman furnace I snagged out of a 35′ 5th wheel.
It’s propane, 45K Btu, and the fan can run off either 12v or 110v. It’s
set up for forced air. I plan to have it’s winter path be: Floor
registers with ceiling ducts recycling the air. During the summer, I
plan to use its fan to suck air from the area under the trailer (nice
and cool), blow it out the floor registers, suck it out the ceiling
vents (after the room has given off its heat to it), & carry it out a
vent just below the roof peak, possibly using a solar powered booster
fan.
I also have a small wood stove, which will go just outside the bedroom door. It’s about a foot wide & 2 feet long.
What I’ve got in mind. Just figuring out how to use ChiefArchitect.
Ok, so I’m poor. I’ve wanted a place of my own for a long time. I’ve lived in a couple RVs, I’ve done a couple bus conversions. Some day, I know I’ll have my own little piece of land. But, what to live in when I get it? I need to either pay rent while I build, or be homeless while construction takes place. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way this is going to happen, is if I can somehow build a place & move it lock, stock & barrel to a piece of property. I’m not to impressed with store bought RVs, or with bus conversions. So, I’ve decided to build an “RV” based off a mobile home frame.
I’ll be using a bunch of techniques I’ve learned in my years in construction, and from my 2 bus conversions. Quite a bit of it will be applicable to tiny house construction. Some of it won’t.
I’ve bought an older mobile home, a 10 X 52. I’m in the process of stripping it down to the floor deck. Then I plan to cut it to 8′6″ in width. Then it can be towed without a permit.
Once I get that done, I plan to build a much bigger unit on top of it. I’m leaning towards DIY Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). Because they’re light enough to handle easily. I plan to be able to break it down from its final size (24 X 52) into a core center unit(8′6″ X 52′), and a pile of floor & roof panels, that can be hauled separately. I want to keep in this in mind while designing & building it, as I feel that being able to tear it down to towable size rapidly, grants it its status as an RV.
I also plan to build it so that the center section raises from 8′ at the outside wall, to 12′. This allows me to use the same walls, whichever way it’s set up, and keep a reasonably pitched roof. And when fully set up, have a cathedral style roof.
As I progress (which may be slow, in addition to being poor, I’ve got some health issues), I’ll post my progress, and lots of pictures. Right now, it’s mostly ideas, so I’ll post lots of those.
