So close yet so far! Well it seems that we are no longer continuing construction on the tiny house. We are selling it.
​There are a few reasons that this is happening. One reason is we don't have a place to locate it now. My folks have changed their minds and we can't stay on their land now. Second reason is we want to grow our family. Anyways, it's for sale.  Also here are some recent pics.  I don't think this will be our last attempt. We really like the philosophy of living simple, living green and sustainable living. These concepts have not been lost, in fact they were probably strengthened during this whole project. Thank you everyone for your support :) 
Here are links to the listings.

http://houston.craigslist.org/for/5526208667.html

http://tinyhouselistings.com/listing/santa-fe-texas-12-tiny-house-in-texas-on-wheels-unfinished-and-ready-for-you-to-customize/

Unforturnately the tiny house construction is on temporarily hold. The reason behind this is because I am working a unit shutdown at the refinery where I work. The unit shutdown will last anywhere from 7 to 9 weeks. I am working nights so I will be sleeping during the day. I will need peace and quiet while resting so I have decided to sleep in the tiny house loft during the shutdown. I will bring in a mattress and get to test out the accomodations. Luckily, it is nice and cool during this time of year so i should be super cozy buried under blankets up in the loft.  I will be looking forward to getting back to the construction of our tiny house.  I will post the latest pictures very soon, so be sure to check back periodically. Thanks :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are so thankful for so many things and so many people in our lives. We don't take anything or anyone for granted. We love all the positive vibes and feedback and it helps to encourage and motivate us even more. Thank you friends and family! 
Here are some more pics. We are inching towards our goals. 

 It's been a year since actual house construction started! I did spend a bit of time demolishing and frame prepping prior to house construction.  95% of the time this is a 1 man show so the construction is slow. These are mainly interior shots that I took tonight. Man I wish I didn't work so much so I can finish this project! If you have comments, questions, or suggestions feel free to leave me a message. 

Here are some recent pictures. That's Ashley giving me a hand. I will try to take and upload some interior pics tomorrow. Check back tomorrow evening. 

We are still progressing and building. I do want to apologize for not keeping you all up to date on the build progress. I will upload some pics in the next 48 hours. I am beat from helping my friend Ashley with her tiny house build. She is building one about 8 miles from ours but it is not a tiny house on wheels, it's a shipping container tiny house! You can visit her build at her blog, 

http://ashleystinyhouse.weebly.com/

I have always had an interest in building a shipping container house, so it's super cool that I get to help her out with hers. Go check her blog if you are curious about the shipping container option. She's just getting started so it's a great time to see the developments as they unfold. 

Please check back for my pics that I promise to upload. I'm too tired to upload them now :(  LOL

Hello. We are still here. We are progressing ever so slowly. We are trying to stay focused. We are still motivated. It is hard to get out and work on the build when the temperatures are 98 degrees and the humidity is the same. I need to get the electrical to the house. I have to run some wires from the shop and to the tiny house service panel. Then I can install the mini-split air conditioner that I haven't even bought yet. Then I can work inside the tiny house without dying of heat exhaustion. I have been working overtime everyday at my regular day job so it's hard to get the energy and motivation to go into the "sweatlodge" and work some more after work. Still, we need to make progress. It is a journey and I'm sure this is kinda the hard part. I'm not whining ( I hope) I just want to get this thing completed. Stay tuned. I hope to have some pics of progress in the near future. 

So where I work was directly affected by the United Steel Workers Union strike that started the beginning of last February. I am not a steel worker nor am I in a union but my employer decided that they would not allow any contractors to work while the strike was in progress. So in effect, I've been laid off for the past 3 months. So I either have time or money but seldom both at the same time. This really slows things down for me as far as construction goes. However, I still try to plug away at the things that I can control. Here are some pics of the wall insulation that I installed recently. Ideally I would have preferred to have sprayed in foam insulation but we scored a bunch of fiberglass insulation for less than half price on Craigslist. Next step will be getting the beadboard and painting it prior to installation. 

Sorry I have not updated in a few weeks. We had some crappy weather again lately. It rained over 5 inches one week, which made the place a muddy, swampy mess and totally screwed with the septic system. So that had to be addressed. Then we went out of town for about a week. 
Plumbing is what has been happening lately. It is kinda slow-ish going. Mainly because of planning, or lack thereof. I'm not super experienced with plumbing and this is a total DIY project for me. I have the water lines in. I have to do the drain lines next and then I have to do the gas lines. I will have learned a lot after the plumbing is done. After the plumbing will come insulation and then interior walls will go up. Yaaaaa! 

Electrical pics from the past few days. I wish James, my brother-in-law, was here to help run some electrical. That way I could have him crawl on his hands and knees and scoot on his back under the trailer. LOL he's a hoot! Anyways, here are some pics. They're kinda boring and exciting at the same time. I wish I was done already. I want to move in. I know Jodie and Gabby do too. A little bit at a time adds up and soon we will be done. Chipping away daily. 
Btw, there is a picture of my construction site compost toilet. Every construction site has a bathroom. Mine is better because it doesn't smell, AT ALL! This is my first experience with a compost/sawdust toilet. I've read The Humanure Handbook and I have watched many YouTube videos on them. I was really intrigued but at the same time skeptical. They are remarkably not stinky. Not even a little bit. I was amazed. Stop pooping in your drinking water! 

Since all the rafters are up, the next step is to install the roof decking plywood. We chose to use radiant barrier OSB sheathing. It is 7/16" thick and one side is covered in a reflective foil material. This foil provides a radiant barrier and reflects back radiant heat which helps keep your interior space cooler. From what I've read, it can keep attic spaces up to 30 degrees cooler.   I think this will come in super handy in the summer, especially in the loft areas. Surprisingly, according to the manufacturers, the foil is supposed to be installed facing inside.Below are some pics of this weekend's progress. 

Extra Special Mention goes out to our new friends Ashley and Mike! They came over and volunteered their Sunday to help on the Tiny House construction. These folks are AWESOME!  They were kicking major ass and were a joy to work with and be around. Ashley even hung out past sunset to help put away tools and cover the Tiny House with tarps. It is forecast to rain tomorrow. Love you guys! 

I know some of you are wondering what it costs to build a Tiny House and that's why I post what we have spent so far on our build. Back on Nov. 1st the total so far was $2180. We have spent an additional $375 for 6 windows (we still need a few more) and $325 for more lumber and Simpson Ties (framing brackets). The grand total so far is $2880.  All the labor was done free, gratis, munificently and very much appreciated! 

It was a super productive and very enjoyable holiday. Good times with friends and family is what it's all about :) Thanks again Ashley, Mike, and my cousin Josh. Below I have some pictures finishing off the awesome Thanksgiving Day Weekend. 

 My cousin Josh came over on Friday after Thanksgiving to help out and get some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers, a couple beers, and a cigar. Well deserved cuz. We were able to get up the last wall and connect them. Here are more pics for you to see.

Happy Thanksgiving Day! 
Yesterday Jodie found some brand new dual glazed (pane), single hung, vinyl Pella brand windows on Craigslist for a really really good bargain. We had to drive about 1.5 hours each way to get them but it was well worth the $500 savings had we paid retail for the same exact windows at Lowes. 6 brand new Pella windows still in the factory packaging for $375. I forgot to take pictures of them so I'll post them tomorrow. 

I did make some headway on the framing today. Below are some pics.