The Turtle is in the News :)

The Orlando Sentinel did a piece on tiny houses and the reporter, Erica, contacted the Central Florida Tiny House Enthusiasts for some local perspective. I shared my story and the progress Austin and I have made on our Turtle project. Here's the piece:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-12-01/news/os-wee-houses-central-florida-20131201_1_home-sizes-permanent-home-small-home

I'm proud to be an advocate for living small and sustainably.

Deadline for Drying Her In Looms!!!

We got our "eviction notice" from Papa ... fruit is coming in so we have to vacate the packing house. Well, that was Thursday and we're still there. Thankfully he gave us another week to get more work done before we head of to Australia for my sister's wedding. Here's all the progress from the time here and there this week that Austin and I could spare:

Most of the pictures are self-explanatory ... the last one here is a small storage cabinet next to the front door, above the sitting bench (that hasn't been built yet!)

We're pulling a looooong weekend to try to get all the interior paneling up and the floors down. Then we're going to take a short break for our trip halfway around the world! 

Tongue-and-Groove siding should go quickly, he said...

Austin's dad generously let us pick through a stack of rough-hewn Cypress planks that were strewn, forgotten, under a collapsing shed. Austin picked out the best boards, trying to avoid the worst of the water and bug damage and sent them off to the mill to be planed and tongue-and-grooved. We paid $0.84 a linear foot. The resulting planks are phenomenally gorgeous.

Now, tongue and groove should be relatively simply, right? You just snap them into place. Voila. We envisioned just flying through the siding in one day and moving on to the roof in quick fashion. Um. No. Two days of labor and we only completed the two long walls. Obstacle #1: insect and water damaged boards. Many of the beautiful long planks had to be chopped up into smaller pieces due to damage. Obstacle #2: warped and bent boards. About 1,000 chop saw cuts, several colorful curse words, and two grueling days later, we have both long sides mostly sided ... minus the highest segment on the loft.

I'm gladly taking suggestions on coating ... I was thinking polyurethane. I don't want to stain ... I want to maintain the original color and beauty of the wood. I just want to add water protection and gloss. 

Progress! The walls go up.

So you may notice the long lapse of time in between my last post and this. Life has a way of throwing a kink in your plans ... I had wanted to finish the Turtle by August. Well, we actually didn't get any work done on it over the summer. Why? Because I'm pregnant! Construction just doesn't sound very fun when you're puking and a simple run to the grocery store leaves you whimpering for a nap. But I'm 4.5 months pregnant now and past all the first trimester tribulations and Austin has a few weeks before the citrus picking begins so we're going at it full swing. Now my goal is to finish this thing up by the time Baby PJ comes in January!

You may have noticed the change in venue. We no longer have the beautiful lake as our backdrop but we also don't have to drive 2 hours to the build site anymore ... now it is just 5 minutes down the road!

This week Austin worked on framing the walls in all by himself. He did an amazing job! I felt bad telling him there were a few placement problems. But we'll just work around them. (One window is very low and another is in the wrong spot on the wall, blocking where I was going to place a small built-in flip-out table.) Overall, he did a fantastic job and if I'd had to do it on my own, I'd probably still be working on the first wall section and it would look like a toddler was playing with Lincoln Logs.

Me helping .... notice the baby bump!!

Here's the progress from this week:

While in Virginia this summer, we found a beat up tiny door for sale at a boutique that does upcycling. The shop owner hadn't done anything to the door yet. It came from a house in Nelson county, VA ... close to where I grew up. The house was from the 1890s but not sure when the door was from. The glass is definitely old glass (wavy from gravity settling)

Step 1: remove the hardware that had fused onto the door. Seriously. I didn't know rust could be so strong. Step 2: sand it down and try not to breathe in what very easily could have been lead paint
Step 3: Realize the water damage on the bottom is beyond repair and without much forethought, bash it in (notice the hole in the middle panel....) I'm hoping Blake can fix that...

Arizona Adventures and Stalled Progress ...

After an exhilarating 8 day camping trip in the deserts and mountains of the American Southwest, I ass-u-me-(d) that i would make stellar progress on the Turtle. Well - here's what happened.

1. Mother nature has decided to water Florida a LOT lately. In two days, I only got in 3 hours of work. When it was sunny, I was at the home supply/hardware store. Arg.

2. Plumbing sucks. I had a well-meaning friend come help with the grewater drain lines. I realized at the last "build day" (rolling eyes) that I would have to undo his work ... he did not actually make anywhere for it to drain TO.

3.  also realized CPVC would be an awful choice for hot/cold lines ... one bump and those joints are undone and I've got major water damage to deal with. Switching to PEX.

4. Gnats. I *%$!#@& hate gnats. Do they serve a useful purpose on this Earth??!!??

On the less-annoyed-more-pleasant side, my desert adventures included coyotes, the best view of the Milky Way I've ever seen, the very cold Colorado River, Saguaro cacti, and nervously watching my boyfriend rescue Aussie women about to make a choice that would certainly lead to a 100+ ft fall to their deaths. Here are a few pictures :)

Build Day 1: Frame the subfloor

After a few design changes, we finally got started on the actual construction of the Wandering Turtle! The first hurdle - where to place the water tanks so that they would not be exposed below the axle but still distribute weight evenly. After playing with it, we straddled the axles with the tanks. All that was tricky to figure out since the tanks haven't even been delivered yet. (Should be here tomorrow!) Blake made the first cut and my heart soared. My dream is coming true!

Once we got the framing done, we opted for Tyvek house wrap instead of aluminum flashing. I know it may need repairs in a much shorter time frame than aluminum sheathing would. But...Blake made a good point. Tyvek will make it so much easier to access the plumbing in the subfloor should anything need repairing. Cutting out the aluminum or ... even worse ... tearing out the hardwood flooring to access the subfloor for repairs would be a nightmare. 

What a lovely day for a build! The next build event will be two days. Our goals: 1) install plumbing in the subfloor framing, 2) lay the plywood subfloor, and 3) frame out the walls. Yikes! That means I need to find the rest of my windows PRONTO!

The long, long trailer

The long-awaited phone call arrived! My custom trailer from B&G trailers in DeLand is finished!!

7ft wide, 18ft long ... dual dropped axles (10,500 GVWR) with custom fenders to minimize intrusion into square footage.

I'm so thankful for Austin's help in getting the trailer towed up to Hawthorne (Thanks for letting us borrow the truck Grandpa!). And such a beautiful place for a build! (Sorry, my camera died so no pictures yet...) Blake's workshop is nestled in rural Florida right against the beautiful Poore lake! He didn't tell me we would have such a spectacular backdrop...

I get butterflies thinking that Blake and I will start construction in two days!! Many more pictures to come. And now it is time to re-watch a classic:

Feelin' Rich

Well, I got my tax return AND I got paid. So, feeling rich, I made a few big purchases for the Turtle.

I will be using the Rainwater HOG tanks for potable water storage built into the floorboards.
http://rainwaterhog.com/

I ordered two tanks. I plan to hook up to well water at first and eventually move to rainwater catchment ... where these lovely tanks will be crucial. The sales rep was incredibly friendly with an Aussie accent that made me miss my sister! (Not that she has the accent - but she moved to Melbourne over a year ago!)

The second purchase was a mini-split heat/cool/dehumidify system. I was a bit reluctant to pass on the radiant heat floors. The idea of toasty warm toes. Just makes me smile to think of it. But I'd still need an AC for the dog days of Florida summer. So I decided to splurge on this beauty:
http://www.thermospace.com/ductless_split/ksil009-h119.php





Construction starts in UNDER THREE WEEKS!!!!

RePost: Simply So Good: Crusty Bread

Simply So Good: Crusty Bread: I must begin by saying where the recipe originated, if in fact it originated anywhere...really.  I think bread has been baked for c...

14x14 Solar Cabin

I stumbled across a great site today with videos and information on solar and wind energy. The site also has wild food recipes, food storage, and natural remedies.

http://thehomesteadsurvival.com/build-14x14-solar-cabin/#.UVIlQxx1SSo 

Radiant Heat Floors

Living in Florida, heating isn't usually a huge issue. But I long for Asheville ... so I want to make sure I can stay warm (especially since I'm sooooo acclimated to Florida winters!!) I cannot sacrifice a hearth in my home so I will be using the amazing miniature cast iron wood stove my Mom found for me. I have no idea where she found it but she has a real knack for finding awesomeness at flea markets and yard sales! ($5 bread maker? Yes, please!) But the wood stove will require tending & tinder and carries the risk of fire. With just 150 sq. ft., one mistake and I'm cooked! So, I've settled on radiant heat flooring as my primary heat source. Here's the run-down of what I've learned:

There are two major types: Electric and Hydronic. I personally didn't give much consideration to hydronic systems. The system is thicker, taking up vital space in my house AND I can just envision the nightmare scenario where one of the pipes burst and there's moldy, soggy devastation everywhere. No thank you. (Apparently leaking isn't much of an issue these days because of PEX ... I still don't want to risk it.)

The electric systems are supposedly easy to install. I'll let you know if that's true in a few weeks. But for now, we'll assume it is a snap.

Pros:

• super duper energy efficient
• doesn't make a peep during operation
• kind to your nose: avoids blowing allergens around & doesn't dry out the air
• heat rises! and warm toes
• less drafty

Cons:

• a breakdown in the system likely requires extensive work to access it (i.e. ripping up the floors)
• electric heat is not the cheapest method (I'm curious how a solar set-up would handle the draw of an electric system ... if using the Hydronic system, solar heating is quite efficient)
• more expensive than traditional forced hot air (electric system is ~$6 per sq. ft for materials but very inexpensive labor/install costs)
• not all flooring is compatible with radiant heat (wood expands and contracts with humidity)
  Post coming soon: flooring choices when using electric radiant heat

As a chemist, I got a kick out of this description I came across...

Wood - a hygroscopic and anisotropic material

Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a block of wood from an elm tree. At top is a transverse section and at bottom is a longitudinal section. Xylem vessels (larger tubes) transport water and mineral nutrients from the roots throughout the plant. Its thick lignin walls also provide structural support for the stem. Due to woods cell structure a change in moisture content results in a change in dimension. 

Image credit: Andrew Syred/Science Photo Library

First Degree Pinstrosity :/

One of the perks of working in academia - Spring Break! I've spent a lot of my break in the kitchen. And I just committed a first degree pinstrosity.

What it should look like: (http://food52.com/blog/4717-homemade-tootsie-rolls )

Nailed it!

I think putting the powdered milk through a food processor would have reduced the graininess. Tastes great. Looks like poop. 

RePost from The Couple In A Camper

My friend Amelia posted this earlier ... I used most of these sites in my planning process too. So, for those of you stumbling through the internet for inspiration on your own tiny home, check out the info here!

The Couple In A Camper: How We Got Started. Part 1: Learning: I know that many people are yearning for an alternative lifestyle, but don't really know how to go about rearranging a lifetime of habit...

Crowded Kitchen...

Well the boxes keep coming in ... the replacement toilet arrived in just over 24 hours. I find that rather impressive considering the first one took two weeks to arrive! Here's the new beauty:

But I can't throw out the busted one. UPS has 14 days to decide if they want it. So here's what my kitchen looks like at the moment:

Notice there's not much room. But there is lots of citrus. Yum!

Puppetry

Admittedly, I'm not tech savvy. The prospect of doing a promo video for my Turtle made me panic. I'm not being dramatic. But, with the help Tori and Cuc, I now have a brand new promo video :P

http://igg.me/at/wanderingturtle/x/2612279

Thank you, United Parcel Smashers...

I've been anxiously awaiting the delivery of my most recent purchase for the Turtle ... my new toilet. Here's what I got ...

Fortunately the customer service at FaucetsDirect.com is spectacular ... a replacement is on its way. Unfortunately, I do have to hang on to the smashed one for 14 days in case UPS decides it wants it. I didn't need to be able to walk through my kitchen anyways...

On the bright side, I scored four double-paned transom windows for $10/each!

First Blog - Here goes nothin'!

I am very new to this world of blogging so please forgive my ineptitude as I learn! So I guess I should start by introducing myself ... I'm Em :) I am a curious and passionate adventure chic! My list of hobbies include kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing, aerial silks, spelunking, slackline, geocaching, live music, yoga, mud runs, crafting, and cooking. I love to challenge my mind and my body. 

To my mom's dismay, my adventurous spirit often leads me on solo excursions. As a science educator, I am fortunate to have a ridiculous number of days off each year, including 2.5 months in the summer! Last summer I was bouncing around Australia. 

I also daydream about a thriving homestead where my food supply is completely self-sufficient and I am free of fossil fuels (obviously, that is an ideal as the manufacturing, packaging, and/or shipping of 99.999% of commercial products involves fossil fuels. (I obviously made that statistic up ... you get my point though.)

So how do I balance my wanderlust with my homesteading mentality? Why, with my Wandering Turtle! Throughout the last four years I have been quietly collecting tidbits of ideas and inspiration for my dream home. I spent a fruitless three days of looking for the price of an Ofuro (Japanese style compact tub) from an obscure South Korean company. An entire weekend disappeared into the customer reviews of tankless hot water heaters.  Countless moments have been devoted to its design … every cozy 150 square feet of the off-the-grid cottage house-on-wheels I lovingly refer to as the Wandering Turtle. I want to share my journey - from picking a flatbed trailer to sinking the first nail to the first night in my home.  I hope to show the world that you don’t have to sacrifice a full life in order to live with less. With rainwater catchment, gray water system, solar energy, and a homesteading mentality, I will declare my self-sufficiency.   

I have been saving what I can for two years to purchase the trailer and building materials. To raise money, I have also been creating jewelry and crafts to sell at farmers markets. I have already been able to purchase stabilization jacks, a low flow tankless toilet, a sink, four windows, and a tankless on demand water heater with money I raised at the market. 

You might wonder where I'm going to park this thing ... I'm pleased to say that I just found a beautiful piece of land in an orange grove. The farmer is providing me space in exchange for the care of his flock of hens. I had to relocate my hens when I moved so I am happy to have feathery fowl friends again! My hens Bodhi, Anitya, and Karuna were so dear to my heart and it was hard to have to relocate them when I "moved" to Australia (obviously I didn't stay ... I was offered my dream job just after embarking to Oz ... and the job was just two hours away from where I had lived before moving to Australia!) 

So ... my plan for this blog is to share my experiences for those of you who are interested or are thinking of doing something similar. Learn from my mistakes instead of making them yourself! I'm sure I'm going to sprinkle in tidbits from all my non-Turtle adventures too :P