Aim for the Sky and You'll Reach the Ceiling

 Little spot of sunshine

 Jacob, Marie, and I finished painting the second coat of yellow. Jacob got the corner trim put up, and he caulked all of the cracks between the siding and the trim. He also got dug out an area under the stairs and put four brick stepping stones in to stabilize the base of the stairs. On that note, Jacob is also working on building new stairs! Right off that bat you'll notice there's three steps instead of two so it's much easier for those of us under 6 feet to summit them. We're eventually installing a clever hinge system that will enable the stairs to fold up onto the porch when the house moves.

 Marie finished applying the last coats of polyurethane to the ceiling panels and Jacob got them all installed! he and Marie worked together in the bed loft getting the panels up. We're eventually going to put trim up along the ridge beam to give it a finished look.

Jacob also got the back wall in the storage loft nailed in place and I will be painting it a light peach color that will be the color for the first floor walls.

Gypsy Sunshine

 We're one coat in on the yellow paint!

Jacob & Marie installed siding behind the fascia up close it gives a finished look. They evened out the siding in preparation for the corner trim. Jacob, Jeff, Marie and I have been hard at work getting the first layer of yellow on the siding. Marie mixed this color of yellow from some of the paints that we got from our neighbor. Jacob cut the corner molding, Jeff and I primed it so hopefully this week that will get put up.

Jacob sanded the bed loft ceiling plywood and Marie painted the back for moisture mitigation and applied varathane to the front. The last of the insulation was installed on the loft. The electrical wiring was also completed for the loft. This week Jacob and Marie should be able to get the ceiling in the bed loft installed. Jacob has also been working on a small wall nook that I asked him to customize as a bedside table replacement.

A Tiny Shed, for a Tiny House

 Welcome all who have seen this sign!

 We have been getting a lot of questions from passersby, neighbors, and strangers. Notes have been left in the screen door, we've been stopped while we're doing yard work, and a couple people have knocked on our door. I decided to post a sign with the web address for the blog and an e-mail address for anyone with questions. Feel free to e-mail Jacob or I at tinygypsyshack@gmail.com  

 Finally the last of the siding is up! Jacob and Marie worked very well as a team cutting, and nailing in the last of the siding. Next I'm going to spend a weekend painting the primed siding boards yellow and the fascia will be painted the pale blue color of the window trim. We are going to finish the corners where the siding meets with some vintage style corner molding that we found at Limback Lumbar Co. in Ballard. They also have the molding that we are going to special order for our interior window and interior door trim.  

Jacob used plywood scraps and new pressure treated 2 X 4 to build this little shed on the hitch of our trailer. We're going to put our tank-less water heater, propane tanks, and 220 volt electrical breaker box to meet up with the two 110 volt connections for on grid hook up in this trapezoid shed.  Doors to be added later with hinges and locks.

Tiny Shack Under New Management

 The siding is up!

 This last month Marie decided to search for new employment and is now zeroing in on being the gypsy shack's project manager. Thanks to her superior skills and experience the house is really kicking into high gear. Not to mention Jacob is totally worn out but very proud at the end of the day.

 The hitch end of Gypsy is the only wall that hasn't been sided. Jacob, Charlie, and Marie are hashing out a plan to put a small shed on the hitch to house our propane tank, tank-less water heater, our grid electrical hook-up, and our water hook-up. There was a slight upset when Jacob realized he had glued and screwed a 2x4 over our VIN (vehicle identification number) sticker. Without this sticker we are unable to get this trailer licensed or insured. Luckily Eagle Trailer company, with the help from Tina at Tumbleweed, was very understanding and are mailing us a new sticker that we can place in a convenient, visible location.

 Marie painted trim boards and Jacob got them all nailed into place. Our loft windows are so tall the window trim underneath the window had to be cut into triangles to fit between the peaks of the roof. After spending a day making a template and then cutting with the jig saw around the wheel wells, Marie and Jacob worked really efficiently as a team getting the siding cut and put up, Marie made cuts on the chop saw while Jacob got the boards nailed into place.

 While Jacob was working on things outside Marie was also cutting and puzzling the foam board insulation into the walls. We have our first layer of insulation completely done! We're using spray foam insulation to fill the small cracks.

The front wall of Gypsy is made up of 6x6 beams to help support everything. Because of this we decided to use fiberglass bat insulation because it will fill that space easier. I also made the request of having a porch light and an outlet on the narrowest side of the door so the fiberglass insulation will work around all the electrical work and fit in snug.