Stay-cation

About a month ago I scheduled with my brother to stay with Mom for a weekend so I could have a little break.  I then proceeded to make plans for that weekend.  Unfortunately...or fortunately, every plan I made felt really "meh" and I wasn't terribly excited about any of the other ideas I had either.   So I finally asked myself what it was I really wanted to do more than anything.  The answer was to work on the Bungalow.  So I decided to have a little stay-cation which has resulted in quite a few firsts.  I'll list them for you: first time to write in my journal while sitting in my living room, change my clothes, walk barefoot on my floor (I really liked it), use my composting toity, smash my finger with the hammer (amazing that I've gotten away with no smashed fingers until now), write a blog post while sitting in my loft, watch a movie...and those are just the Friday firsts.  Saturday firsts include eat breakfast, sleep on my new mattress, and pound with the hammer until 10:30pm (I usually quit WAY before that).  

Here is the stuff I finished while on my little stay-cation: inside window trim downstairs (I have a tendency to forget that there are windows in the lofts because they haven't been in the line of sight so much until now, loft windows are still on the list)

Before...

Starboard after

Port after

Bathroom after

Port kitchen (poor little window didn't get finished when the other one did)

Also finished the wall and loft trim with braided rope.

This braid in the kitchen is my favorite. :)

Put the backing on the kitchen shelves next to the sink.

With shelves...

Full perspective ...

And a little wooden flange (with a lot of caulk) for the propane pipe outside (still needs blue paint).

Made a trip to IKEA (danger zone) on Saturday (delicious meatballs and lingonberry dressing) and got a few items like a mattress (quite comfortable) which has actually inspired another new item on the to-do list: storage boxes on either side of the mattress to use loft space well.  Some table runners to make into blinds, lighting ideas, light bulbs, a few kitchen items and of course a chocolate bar or two for Mom.

I also spent quite a bit of time at the hardware store purchasing the parts I need for my propane set-up.  I should be able to fill my propane tank, and then cook and make hot water.  I briefly put it together to make sure everything fit, but the regulator and hose that look like they fit, didn't quite thread properly.  I'll clean the threads and then see what needs to be done.  Also while at the hardware store I bought the rest of the waste water parts I need to finish the plumbing.  I realized that I'm procrastinating a little with the plumbing.  So, back to my motto of "The best way to finish something is to simply begin."

Thank you Mike, and thank you Kristie!

Yehaaa! Very productive weekend!

Window trim - outside

This warm weather has been too good to pass up the opportunity to do a bit of outside painting. Got the outside window trim finished except for one piece!

In the beginning...all the pieces cut

On the first day...painted one side and started painting the other side.

On the second day...painted the trim with a second coat of paint in the morning, then put up the trim in the afternoon.

Starboard side...done.  

Port side kitchen window done...

Port side both windows done...

Tongue side bathroom window...almost finished.  I need to rip the bottom piece or get a narrower one.

So there you have it.  One more thing crossed off the list.  I also painted the porch posts which you can see on the starboard side picture.  The whole porch roof needs another coat of paint yet.

Oooh, aaah!  That makes for two blogs posts this week.  Hope y'all are feeling spoiled.  

Pantry/bathroom door

This week I was determined to get the pantry, which is also the bathroom door, all finished.  So I began with putting the backing on.  I used the same laminate flooring that I've used all over the house.  I  was going to paint it white on both sides, but both people who have seen it liked the wood on the kitchen side and white on the bathroom side.  So that is what I'll do.

Bottom couple of rows started...

Back on all the way up.

There are casters on the bottom, but the other ideas I've tried to make it glide straight out and back haven't worked so my next option was to put the whole pantry on a closet door track.  Whoa, more than I bargained for!  I needed to take an inch and a half off the top of the pantry for the track to fit on the ceiling, so I took the top rail off and cut the sides down by that much.  PS I love my jigsaw!  

Cut on the middle line please!

After much maneuvering I finally got the rail up, the wheels attached to the backing and in the track, and then put the backing back on the pantry.  What a mess, but it finally got done!  Didn't get back out tonight to test it all out, but I'll do that on Thursday, as well as oil the casters so they don't squeak. Yay, bathroom blinds and a door all within two weeks.  Movin' on up!

More little stuff...whew!

I can no longer use the excuse that it is too cold outside to work on the Bungalow. We have had record high temps. It is very pleasant.  So here's what I've been up to.

This little brown piece has been on the to-do list since I put the siding up on the door end of the house.  Well this morning I was putting something away in the shed and noticed the piece which already had the correct angle (I knew I had this piece, but thought I'd have to look a bit harder).  So I grabbed it and started with that. Now I can finish the trim around the door (need to buy a 1x6). 

Next, I was getting up into the loft to get the laminate flooring that I had intended to cut today, and realized that I could put up my bathroom blinds because the window had been trimmed!  So, I got the blinds out of the loft and cut about an inch off the rods and they fit perfectly!

Daytime shot...

Nighttime shot...

Outside shot of the blinds

Here is the laminate I'll be using for the bathroom walls.  I want to test out my water connections before I put the wall covering on, but I figured I could cut the pieces so they are ready when I am.  

This is the wall that needs some covering.

Also thought I'd give some welding a try...solvent welding that is.  I still need a tailpiece for the sink plumbing before I can put this all together, but it is coming along nicely.  

I also made a list of the trim and plumbing pieces I need to finish up those things and I'll probably go purchase them on Tuesday when Mom's senior companion is here. 

A note about the waste water.  I've been looking into gray water systems, and it seems there are some states that consider kitchen waste water as black water because of the food waste that ends up going down the kitchen drain.  Since I don't really know where the Bungalow with be planted eventually, I thought it would be a good idea to separate my bath drain from the kitchen drain.  So, my plumbing plan changed a little, but it is actually easier to plumb it the new way.

Deep thoughts (not by Jack Handy)

The only thing that got finished on the tiny house this week was the plastic pieces on the bottom of the drawers in the trunk, which will make the drawers slide easier.  I also swept the floor. WOW!  Anyway, I'm having a small dilemma.   Should the Bungalow have an adventure in April or not?  The Kyocera Earth Expo is happening in San Diego.  I've already committed myself to being there, but the question is should I take the house with me?  It sure would be fun to have a tiny for tours and display.  I've looked at pick-ups to rent and they aren't as expensive as I thought they might be.  By April the house should be liveable.  I'm planning to finish the plumbing this week and after that everything is just cosmetic...until I save the money to finish off the solar components (after which I'll probably hire an electrician to make sure I don't electrocute myself or anybody else, or burn my house down).  So that is the question...which I need to decide in the next day or two, so I can commit to the organizers.

Oh, one more decision I've made...another dilemma has been chairs for the dining table.  I've looked at about a bazillion chairs, mostly the folding type.  Of course the designs that I like the best and that fold the flattest are the most expensive and WAY out of my price range.  So I decided to take a different route.  Since my table will have drawers, why not put my chairs in the drawers.  Before you try to visualize what I might be suggesting, I'll just explain.  I've decided to use exercise balls as chairs.  I've done this before in a work situation because of a nerve/hip injury and it worked quite well.  The beauty of it is that when nobody's coming over for food and beverages, I can deflate the balls and store them in one of the drawers.  Then when company is expected, I'll just spend a few minutes pumping them up.  Voila! Chairs!  I'll leave one inflated for me to use regularly and when I'm not using it, it can go in the sleeping loft...or the bathtub.  The best part is that they are in my price range!  So there you have it!  

Sorry no house pics, but here is one of Nellie and the firepit.