SUPER FUNKY MICRO HOUSES

I DROPPED MY CAMERA AND NEED TO REPAIR IT, SO NO PHOTOS OF THE READING ROOM. INSTEAD, SOMETHING FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES (THANKS, MOM) 

MICRO HOUSES

READING ROOM - DAY SIX

ODD WEATHER TODAY. SUN AND RAIN AND PREDICTIONS OF SNOW. FINISHED FRAMING THE EAST WALL.

SNOW! (KIND OF, MORE LIKE THICK RAIN...)

I WAS PREPARED WITH MY 'CHILLY GRIP' GLOVES. LOVE THE NAME, AND THEY'RE WARM AND TOUGH.

FRAMED OUT THE SOUTH WINDOW AND HEADED FOR HOME.

READING ROOM - DAY FIVE

TODAY WE WENT VERTICAL. I SET OUT THE STUDS FOR THE BACK WALL...

...NAILED THEM TOGETHER AND RAISED IT. I PUT ON THE PLYWOOD AFTER IT WAS UPRIGHT, WHICH WAS A CHANGE FROM MY USUAL METHOD, BUT I THINK IT WORKED OUT BETTER (AND IT WAS EASIER TO LIFT.)

THE NEXT WALL HAD AN ANGLED TOP, SO FIGURING OUT THE MEASUREMENTS FOR THE STUDS CAN BE TIME-CONSUMING. AGAIN, I BROKE FROM MY USUAL METHOD. I DESIGNED IT ON THE DESKTOP AND USED THOSE MEASUREMENTS ON THE JOBSITE.

THE TWO WALLS CAME TOGETHER PERFECTLY. THE BACK WALL WILL HAVE A BIG DESK, AND THE SIDE WALL IS FOR THE BUILT-IN SHELVES.

READING ROOM - DAY FOUR

THE CONCRETE SLAB WAS CURED AND READY TO GO. TIME TO BUILD!

THE TRUCK DELIVERED MOST OF THE LUMBER FOR THE JOB, AND I SPENT SOME TIME PUTTING IT IN MANAGEABLE PILES IN THIS SMALL SPACE.

I PUT TOGETHER THE FLOOR JOISTS AND SQUARED UP THE WHOLE THING.

I WANT THE FLOOR TO BE WARM, SO I ADDED INSULATION.  WHILE I WAS DOING THIS, I KEPT THINKING ABOUT MAKING A GIGANTIC BED.

NAILED OFF THE PLYWOOD SUB-FLOOR AND CALLED IT A DAY.

A VIEW BACK TOWARDS THE TRUCK AND THE CUTTING-STATION TENT. SNOW IS IN THE FORECAST, SO THIS MIGHT GET INTERESTING...

READING ROOM - DAY THREE

JOHN DiBONA GOT THE DAY OFF TO A GOOD START WITH SOME EXCAVATING AND PREPARATION OF THE SITE FOR THE CONCRETE SLAB.

HE LOADED DIRT...

...WHILE HIS DOG SUPERVISED.

PEOPLE FROM CRAIGSLIST TOOK AWAY MOST OF THE WOOD, SO I HAD ONLY A SMALL LOAD FOR THE WOOD-RECYCLING PLACE.

 

MY FRIEND DAVE BARMON IS A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER WITH  FIDDLEHEAD, AND HE GOES TO 'WOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT' OFTEN. TOO OFTEN. HE'S GROWN TIRED OF THE GENERIC NAME AND HAS STARTED A ONE-MAN CAMPAIGN TO CHANGE THE NAME TO 'THE MAGICAL PONY CENTER'  

ADDING TO THE PILE AT THE MAGICAL PONY CENTER:

AFTER A FEW DAYS OF HAULING AWAY PIECES AND PARTS OF THE OLD CARPORT, IT WAS TIME TO CLEAN THE TRUCK.

READING ROOM - DAY TWO

I CLEANED UP EVERYTHING AND STACKED SOME WOOD BY THE CURB.

I PUT THIS ON CRAIGSLIST, AND A COUPLE OF PEOPLE CAME BY TO GET MATERIALS FOR THEIR OWN PROJECTS.

 

I SELECTED SOME OF THE BETTER PIECES TO USE FOR THE BOOKSHELVES AND DESK OF THE READING ROOM.

TOOK THEM OVER TO MATT McCALMONT'S STUDIO, TO KEEP THEM OUT OF THE WEATHER AND GET THEM READY FOR THE NEXT STEP. 

MATT'S GOING TO MILL THE WOOD AND PUT TOGETHER THE SHELVES AND DESKTOP. HE'S GOT A FINE EYE FOR DETAILS AND A GOOD SENSE OF DESIGN. I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THESE OLD BOARDS LOOK LIKE WHEN HE'S DONE WITH THEM!

THE READING ROOM - DAY ONE

I SPENT THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS DESIGNING A "READING ROOM" FOR A COUPLE WHO ARE CONVERTING THEIR HOME OFFICE INTO A NURSERY (!) AND NEED SPACE FOR A RARE BOOK COLLECTION AND A LARGE DESK.  THIS IS THE DESIGN WE CAME UP WITH:

FIRST, THIS CARPORT HAS TO GO. NO CONSTRUCTION WITHOUT DESTRUCTION... 

I REMOVED THE ROOF, AND DISCOVERED A COUPLE OF THINGS. SOME OF THE WOOD IS IN GOOD SHAPE, AND LOOKS LIKE IT'S OLD-GROWTH FIR. I'M GOING TO SEE ABOUT RE-USING IT FOR THE DESKTOP AND SHELVES.

AND I FOUND THIS OLD SCRAP OF NEWSPAPER STUFFED IN THE RAFTERS. IT SEEMS THAT 43 YEARS YEARS AGO, THE HOMEOWNER SPENT HIS JULY FOURTH WEEKEND BUILDING A CARPORT.

ALL GONE. 

LAUNDRY NOOK

AS PART OF A BASEMENT REMODEL, I BUILT THIS ALCOVE UNDER THE EXISTING HEAT DUCTS, WHERE THERE WAS LIMITED HEADROOM. IT'S A PERFECT PLACE FOR A LAUNDRY TABLE.

A SIMPLE 2X4 FRAME, NAILED TO THE WALL STUDS.

A SHEET OF MELAMINE CHIPBOARD, NICE AND SMOOTH.

TO FINISH THE EDGE OF THE CHIPBOARD, WHICH WAS ROUGH AND SPLINTERY, I USED IRON-ON BANDING. IT WAS PRETTY SIMPLE TO USE AND NICELY COVERED THE ROUGH EDGE.

ALL DONE, AND I CAN JUST LEAVE THE IRON WHERE IT IS...

WEEKEND PROJECT

MY STUDIO WAS A COMPLETE MESS AND I NEEDED A GOOD WORKBENCH FOR INDOOR PROJECTS, SO I CLEARED AWAY SOME OF THE JUNK AND STARTED BUILDING BRACKETS.

PUT IN CROSS-BRACES FOR STRENGTH AND USED SCRAPS OF PLYWOOD FOR THE SIDES.

THIS ROW OF BRACKETS SUPPORTS THE WORKBENCH AND DIVIDES THE SPACE BENEATH INTO CUBBIES FOR TOOLS AND SUPPLIES. THE BENCH 'FLOATS' ABOVE THE FLOOR, SO THINGS CAN BE STORED UNDERNEATH IT.

A THICK PIECE OF PLYWOOD FOR THE TOP OF THIS 14-FOOT BENCH.  I MOUNTED VISES AND CLAMPS AND STARTED ORGANIZING TOOLS.

I WENT 'OLD SCHOOL' FOR HANGING MY TOOLS, USING METAL HOLDERS FOR THE SOCKETS AND BOX WRENCHES.

FOR A TOOL RACK, I USED AN OLD METAL BAR WITH A ROW OF HOLES. IT LOOKS KINDA COOL AND HAS A LOT OF SPACE FOR SCREWDRIVERS, PLIERS AND OTHE HAND TOOLS.

THE WINDOW GOT COVERED WITH A SHEET OF TRANSLUCENT PLEXIGLAS, WHICH ALLOWS IN LIGHT BUT OBSCURES THE VIEW, SO MY NEIGHBOR DOESN'T HAVE TO WATCH ME MAKING A MESS OF THE PLACE!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

A TIP OF THE HAT FOR A JOB WELL DONE. (AN IMAGE FROM AN OLD PACKET OF SANDPAPER THAT I FOUND WHILE CLEANING THE STUDIO.)