Big Progress on our Tiny Office

 Post by Joe

I'm so excited to say that big progress is being made on the TO!  I have been working every available moment that I have had.  I've been extremely lucky that the daily rain has held off until the afternoon almost every day allowing plenty of time to work.  In the last post I had completed framing on 2 of the walls.  We now have 4 walls framed and sheathed.






At this point you can really start to get a feel for what it is going to be like inside the TO.  Its funny, because it is actually going to be a pretty good sized office, but to imagine living in a space that size is hard to do. 









The corner with the two windows will be where our desk will go (facing the lower one - which is at the proper height to see out when sitting in a desk chair), but in a real tiny house this half of the building would hold the bathroom on the left side and the kitchen on the right. 










After the walls were up I was able to frame up the gables and then put in the main beam that will support the roof. 







I wanted to take a little time now to talk about buying and using reused and salvaged materials because in this past week I experienced both ends of the spectrum.  The goal of this project was to build using 100% reused and salvaged items.  Thus far, I was able to do that.  Unfortunately, that came to end when I was sheathing the walls.  One of the first things I bought for the TO was a bunch of unused, excess plywood off of Craigslist.  Unfortunately, it was not enough.  I needed ten more sheets.  I have spent a lot of time in salvaged building material stores, and I rarely, if ever, see plywood there.  That's because plywood rips apart when you demo buildings.  It is very difficult to salvage in tact, and most of the time it is only being ripped out because it is rotted and unusable.  So I had to make my first trip to Home Depot to buy some new materials, 10 sheets of OSB.  It is important to remember that in a project like this you may not be able to find every single thing that you need used. 

On the other hand, I had one of the biggest wins of the whole project thus far at The Loading Dock earlier this week.  I went to get a bunch of 2x6 lumber for the roof rafters, which I knew they would have, but was also on the lookout for my main beam.  I wanted a single 2x8 that was 18' long.  At any big box store, you will not find any boards over 16'.  I could always special order a board 18' long, but it would be a lot of money, and not salvaged.  When I pulled up to The Loading Dock, sitting right out front was a pile of old salvaged 2x8 beams.  First of all, they were true 2"x8" beams.  Today's 2x8 beams are really 1.5"x7.5".  So these were beefier, which is good for a main beam.  Sitting right on top of that pile was one beam that was longer than the rest.  I measured it, 18'!  It was the perfect length, size, and salvaged.  And it was only $15!  So when shopping for reused and salvaged items,  sometimes you just can't get what you need, and sometimes you'll find something more perfect than you could ever buy at a big box store. 

The next step, the roof!

A note from Bonnie:
This "Tiny" Office is not looking so tiny anymore, huh? I have to admit, I had a bit of a freak out when I saw that the structure would be taller than our house! In all the discussion it never sunk in that we would be building a one story building, plus a loft, on a trailer that is already over two feet off the ground.  Having the structure placed directly next to the house is starting to feel a bit overwhelming, but we will have to wait until it's all done and see how it feels.  Fingers crossed!

Constructing our Tiny Office: Reboot

Post by Joe
 
For months now it's been so difficult watching the work I did last fall and my pile of materials sit, wait, and rot.  I was beginning to wonder if the T.O. was ever going to happen.  Between work, church, and life in general it turns out I just didn't have the time to work on a project of this scale.  I knew if I couldn't get it done this spring/summer, then it wasn't going to happen.  I would sell the trailer and try again another day.  Then one day while working on our work schedule, Bonnie picked a week and declared it the T.O. week.  This is that week! The Tiny Office has been rebooted.

After finishing up some other projects for work Monday morning, I made it to a few reuse stores to look for more materials, The Loading Dock and Second Chance, Inc.  My hope was to find 2x4 studs so I wouldn't have to take all the time to rip down the 2x10s I currently have.  No luck.  I did however get a great deal on a ton of used insulation. 

I finally finished my work for the day and arrived home just in time for dinner.  Then with no time to waste, I went out started working.  Unfortunately, the first step was to demo all the work I did before.  After getting wet all winter, everything was rotted and falling apart.  At least I was working on it though.  

Tuesday's task was to complete the demo and start rebuilding.  I managed to get everything torn apart and cleaned and a new subfloor installed.  Now I was back to where I started, but not rotted, and ready to continue.

 Wednesday I finally got to start framing!  It felt so good to finally start building the actual structure, and now it was really starting to take shape. 

The goal was to get the main framing done, but then the rain came.  I didn't mind though.  I now knew that this was going to happen.  Nothing will stop me from finishing this Tiny Office!












You can follow my progress as I post photos on Instagram as ChestnutPinesContracting. 

Budgeting for a Re-Use Project

Post by Bonnie.

Setting a budget for the T.O. project was very simple.  After Joe shared his grand vision, I simply said "Ok fine, if you can do it all for less than $1,000 then go for it."  Of course, I never dreamed he would actually be able to stick to that, therefore the project would be done before it began.  Little did I know, Joe was very dedicated to making this thing happen!

I could have said $500. I could have said $3,000.  I could have looked at our finances and determined what we could actually afford.  That's all in the past now, and we have rallied around the $1,000 number, making it more than just a budget.  It's a goal.  It's part of the adventure. It's...a challenge.

Planning any sort of project with primarily reclaimed, used, re-purposed materials can be extremely difficult.  You never know what sorts of deals you will find, which items you can find for free, and what you will have to end up purchasing.   

Don't give in. 

It is so easy to run up to Lowes or Home Depot and get brand new lumber, lighting, windows, etc. etc. etc.  But if you are committed to building responsibly and creatively, then take the time to do the research, check back one.last.time. on Craiglist, and wait.

Some of the amazing deals we got because Joe was patient and thorough include:
- A beautiful 15-light glass door w/ jam salvaged from a project just last week
- Over 30 leftover 2x10's from a construction site, found by a good friend
- Free pallets found all around town!

Unfortunately, since we were unable to get the T.O. enclosed for the winter, the progress on the floor has been damaged and will have to be redone.  The good news? Joe didn't spend one penny on those materials. And he doesn't plan to spend a penny on the replacement materials.  Did it cost us in frustration and grumpiness? Perhaps.  (But who can budget for those things...)

Tips for how to stay in budget:
- Barter. Trade your skills, or even something you own, in exchange for what you need for the project.  Joe was able to barter several hours of construction labor for the garage doors we are using for the TO roof.
- Research in advance. You have to be realistic about what you think you can find for free, and what you will have to purchase.  Research how much things cost, don't just guess! For example, in the TO we are purchasing insulation from The Loading Dock.  Instead of thinking it would be "around $__", Joe did the calculations (cost/sq.ft. x sq.ft. needed) so we know exactly how much it will cost.
- Ask. You would be shocked at how much STUFF people have laying around their homes that they are just dying to give a handy, crafty person such as yourself!

Good luck!

4 Months Later...

Post by Bonnie

I absolutely cannot believe it has been 4 months since our last post, and 5 months since our last post about the actual T.O. construction! We have many good excuses.  Here are the three most legitimate:

#1 - This winter was much too cold for Joe to work on the T.O.
#2 - The business has been thriving, leaving little time for Joe to work on the T.O.
#3 - It was winter and we were hibernating.  :)

But with warm weather and summer right around the corner, we are beginning to discuss the plans for resurrecting the T.O. project!  It has been sitting like this for 5 months:

Oy...

Not very exciting, we know. But it will be!

The business continues to be busy, and to be honest Joe will probably not be returning to the T.O. until (gasp) mid-June!  But we are excited to see this through to the end, and we will definitely be better about keeping everyone updated on the progress.

Reclaimed Drawer Front & Knobs Project

(Post by Bonnie)

In some ways, this project feels like a pregnancy.  (Not that I've ever been pregnant, but since 99.99% of my friends either are currently pregnant or have been in the last few years, I feel comfortable using the analogy).  I know the T.O. is coming.  I know it's slowly growing, and that though it feels like it's taking forever, it will be here before we know it.  The last few weeks have seen very little progress on the T.O.  Chestnut Pines has been busy - which is a great thing! Then came the Christmas season, now it's New Years, and then winter continues with freezing weather and various precipitation.  I'm not quite sure when construction will resume, but I know that it will, and then we will have a Tiny Office - and it will need to be decorated!

Everyone I know that's been pregnant has started planning the layout and decoration of their child's nursery WAY before the baby was going to be using it.  So that's where Joe and I are - expecting parents that are planning some of the smaller, cozier details while the labor is on slight pause.

Here is the first completed project for inside the T.O:

A coat hanger made from a drawer front and drawer pulls!

Joe used a reclaimed drawer front for this extremely simple project.  He first filled the holes left by the previous drawer pulls, since they were not in the right positions for our needs. 


He then roughly sanded the entire thing, so that it would more easily take the paint.


After that he applied a light coat of paint with a chip brush.  A chip brush is a really cheap brush, and the bristles are spread out so there isn't complete coverage.  This is great for the antiqued look we were going for.


The color we chose only required one coat of paint, but depending on the color you choose, you might want to add another.  Then he did another rough sanding, which created the weathered, worn look.  Joe has built and refinished several pieces of furniture in this style, so he's gotten quite good at perfecting this look.  (I tried it once though, and it is definitely harder than it looks!)


The final step for the drawer front itself was a coat of stain.  This gave it a glazed look, and made it look more natural. 

We also made additional for Christmas gifts. This picture shows the original drawer, the drawer painted w/ the chip brush, and the drawer with the stain.

For this project, we ended up purchasing new drawer pulls instead of reusing.  This is mostly because I found a few knobs I adored at Hobby Lobby, and thought they would be perfect.  We definitely recommend using knobs you find, though, since they can really add a lot of character.  We chose to have 3 knobs on this, but really could have done 4 if we found smaller options.  Joe simply drilled the holes and screwed the knobs in. 

Adding simply picture hangers on the back completed the project.

This will be used to hang scarves, light jackets, dog leashes, etc. once we hang it in the T.O. 

We have a few more projects on the way while the building is on pause.  Thanks for caring about our project!

Bonnie (& Joe)

Week 1 Construction Complete!

Post by Joe

Last week marked a huge milestone in the Tiny Office project.  I began the actual construction!  I took the whole week off work so I could focus and get a lot done.  Last Saturday I sat down and made a priority list and schedule of tasks for the week.  Here is the schedule I laid out.

A cliche in construction is that if you take the cost and time to complete a project and double them, you might be close.  In my own business, Bonnie and I have fought hard to be an exception to that rule by developing accurate estimates for our clients.  Unfortunately, that was not the case with the T.O. last week.  By the end of the week, I got as far as Monday's tasks.  As expected, even while focusing on this project, life still has to happen.  I still have to go to physical therapy twice a week.  The dogs still have to go to the vet.  It still rains.  I still get sick.  I still have to drive to Westminster to get a Baugher's apple pie for my family Thanksgiving (which I did not regret...yum). 

Things don't always go according to plan.  This was evident right from the start last Sunday night.  The plan was to hook up the trailer, pull it up alongside the house into position, and get it leveled up.  I knew I wanted it about 30" away from the side of the house.   Now I pride myself on being pretty good with a trailer.  I haul one just about everyday with all my tools for work.  But I'm not quite used to hauling one this big, that's missing a wheel, on soft, sloped ground.  So I pulled it up and started adjusting it to where I wanted.  For some reason it kept getting closer to the house despite what I was trying to get it to do.  Pretty soon I ended up with this:

This was a little closer than I wanted it.  Now I had the challenge of moving it without tearing the house apart.  And remember that soft ground I mentioned earlier.  My truck was now stuck and unable to move the trailer.  Now I was getting pretty embarrassed and upset.  I didn't want Bonnie to see what was going on so I sent her this message...

She promptly came out to check on me.  She was very encouraging and knew I could find a way to fix it.  So with some fresh confidence and a few deep breaths I went and got my dad's truck and pulled it out from the other direction.

Success!  Not that I had accomplished anything but the trailer was back where I started and only very minor damage to the house.  So now using my dad's 4 wheel drive truck I hauled the trailer into position.  It took a few passes but it went much smoother than the first time.  It was finally in position.  So I went inside, grabbed a beer, and went to bed. 

The next morning I finally got to do some actual work.  The first step was to get it jacked up and level.  All this took was a jack and some cinder blocks.   Before long I had a solid, level work surface.









The next step was to strip off the existing decking so I could start fresh for the new construction.  This was not an easy task, especially since every bolt holding it down was rusted in place.  A few saws and a big hammer took care of the job.

Time to build!  But how?  This is not a straightforward project.  There is no manual on how to build a house on an old, used trailer, and specifically this trailer.  I ended up deciding to lay the bottom panels first, cutting around the wheel wells and getting the basic footprint laid out.

 Then I was able to begin framing the floor on top of that, gluing each board and then screwing it in from underneath.

A little insulation so we don't get cold feet in the office.










Glued and screwed the subfloor down and now it's turning into a more standard building project.  I've got an 8'x16' blank slate to create our T.O. on. 

I was hoping to get a lot further this week, but like I said, life goes on.  The project has begun and nothing can stop it now.  The next step, walls!

(A note: This blog is meant to be honest and detailed, not a polished, edited version of how the project is going.  As every contractor knows - as well as every contractor's spouse - projects tend to go much differently in their own home than in a client's home.  My professional projects are quite a bit more on schedule, and quite a bit less destructive to the property! Just to put your mind at ease in case you are in need of my services in the future...)

Our Tiny Office Plan

Post by Bonnie

Since construction is beginning, I wanted to give a brief overview of the building plan for the Tiny Office (T.O.).  It is being built on a used landscaping trailer, 8' wide by 16' long: 

We bought this beauty for $450 from a local landscaper.

We are building on the trailer so that it can be moved in the future.  Mobility is one of the most unique and important aspects of the tiny house movement and, as we mentioned in a previous post, one of the reasons we are building the T.O.

Inside, the space will be divided into three "rooms."  For now we will use furniture to distinguish some of the spaces, but in the future Joe will build partitions should we convert it to a house.

The T.O. will have one door in the front, two large windows in the "front room", three small windows in the "back room", and one small window in the loft area.  This will be a very bright space!

On our property, this will be the east facing wall.

Though we will not be using the T.O. as a house at this point (thankfully!), we have designed the layout to be converted to a proper tiny house in the future.  The framing and window placement, as well as the loft area, are the main things to consider at this point in preparation for a future bathroom and kitchen.

View of inside the T.O. from the front door

There are many ways to layout a tiny space, and this is what we believe works best for this trailer, for our purposes. 

Let the construction begin!

Re-used Resources

Post by Bonnie

For our Tiny Office project, we've committed to using as many used materials as possible.  This includes lumber, roofing, interior walls, flooring, and more.  Joe and I have been heavily involved in the world of reuse for over 5 years at the non-profit we help run in Baltimore City, and we have learned that there are a lot more resources out there than people realize!  Here are some great places you can find used items in the Baltimore/D.C. area, as well as around the country:

Baltimore/D.C. Area:
 
Baltimore Free Store
www.baltimorefreestore.org

This is the organization Joe and I have been volunteering with for over five years.  They take donations of household goods, clothing, small furniture, shoes, and much more.  Everything is given away completely for free to whoever wants it!  The tricky part is that items are accepted/given on a monthly basis while the organization looks for a new storefront.  This is a great resource for small, interesting items that could be turned into unique decorative and craft projects in your space. 

Community Forklift
www.communityforklift.com
4671 Tanglewood Drive, Edmonston MD 20781

Community Forklift takes donated, salvaged, and surplus building materials, and re-sells inexpensively to the public.  Joe discovered Community Forklift this year, and it has quickly become his favorite place to look for supplies.  They are a project of Sustainable Community Initiatives.  Community forklift is big but not overwhelming.  The people that work there are very friendly and helpful.  They have a great selection of used, usable items, and even a section of really cool antique items.  It can be a bit tricky to find but well worth the visit.


The Loading Dock
www.loadingdock.org
2 North Kresson Street, Baltimore, MD 21224

The Loading Dock is "a building materials reuse facility, offering great deals and interesting finds to people who need inexpensive building materials and are interested in keeping materials out of the waste stream."  We have used them multiple times over the years, but less so recently.  You pay a $10/year membership to shop there, and are a little more expensive than some of the other places in the area.    

Second Chance
www.secondchanceinc.org

1700 Ridgely Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

Another resource in Baltimore, Second Chance is enormous.  Multiple warehouses house thousands of building materials, pieces of furniture, and so much more.  If you've got some time to spend walking around and looking through items, you can find a lot of what you need here.  It can be a bit overwhelming if you've never been before, so be sure to ask for help finding items. (And be prepared to get lost inside). 

Anywhere:

Freecycle

www.freecycle.org

Freecycle is "a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns."  Anyone is welcome and encouraged to sign up to receive updates about what others in their area are giving away - for free - through the Freecycle network.  If you're quick, you can get some really great things on here. Signing up is completely free.

Craigslist
www.craigslist.org

You can find pretty much everything on Craigslist!  Similar to Freecycle, you can see what people in your area are giving away for free, as well as selling.  Many people use Craiglist to sell things that can be useful for a building project, including lumber, tools, and windows.  For our T.O. project, we got our "roofing" and lots of lumber from someone on Craigslist.  It's free to use, but you've got to be quick, and unfortunately there are more than a few scammers on there.  But definitely worth using!

ReStore
www.habitat.org/restores

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are located all over the country.  "ReStores sell new and gently-used home improvement goods, furniture, home accessories, building materials and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price. The proceeds are used by our local Habitat for Humanity affiliates to help build and renovate more homes and communities." 

Yard Sales
It's not just hipsters and thrifty moms who can benefits from yard sale finds!

Additional Ideas:
- You can often find unwanted pallets outside of restaurants and stores.  Be sure to ASK if you can have them...often stores will return them for reuse.    *Not all pallet wood should be used to build with.  Look for Joe's tips on using pallet wood in a coming post*
- You might be surprised what resources your own neighborhood and family might have.  Don't be afraid to ask! (For our project, we are siding the entire building with leftover siding from a project my dad was working on).

We'll be sure to let you know about every reused item that makes its way into our T.O.!

(This is by no means a comprehensive list.  Please feel free to list additional resources in the comments section, and we will get another post together in the future!)

What is a Tiny Office?

Joe posting

"But Joe, what IS a tiny office? And why are you building one?!"

Before I can get to that, we need to talk about tiny houses.  My first exposure to a tiny house was on last year's season of HGTV's Design Star.  The three finalists were challenged to design tiny houses.  I thought it was a cool concept but didn't think much of them at the time.  Since then, I seem to keep coming across them and have grown more intrigued over time.  So what is a tiny house?  Its exactly that, a TINY house!

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com

Tiny houses range from a mere 65 sq. ft. up to several hundred sq.ft.  In that tiny space, they manage to pack in everything you need in a house: a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living space.

So what's the point?  Tiny houses aren't about size, they are about simplicity.  It is not just a new, cheap way of building, but a rethinking of the way we live in today's society and culture.  The tiny house movement is about stripping down to the bare essentials of living.  There is no excess stuff or wasted space in a tiny house... there can't be!

Most people look at a tiny house and see a cramped, uncomfortable, confined space.  But I think I get it.  The movement is about freedom - freedom from stuff, the unnecessary stuff that seems to take over so many of our lives.

The more I research tiny houses, the more I want one, but I'm not sure I want to live in one, and I am definitely sure Bonnie does not want to live in one.  But I still wanted to build one.  I started thinking about our house and our life, and how a tiny house could benefit us.  I needed a reason to make this project a reality.  In some respects, we live in a tiny house already.  We have a bedroom, a bathroom, a laundry room, and then one big room that serves as our kitchen/dining room/living room/office all in one.  95% of our lives are spent in this one room.  The worst part of it has always been the office.  We've had a desk tucked away in the corner and no matter how we have rearranged it, that part of the room has just never felt right.  Since we have started our business and Bonnie has transitioned to working almost exclusively from home, the desk tucked in a corner is simply not cutting it any more.  We need an office.

We need a tiny office!  (Or, as we affectionately refer to it, a T.O.)  We need an extra room, we want the desk out of this room.  Without knowing what the future holds, we don't want to build a permanent addition on this house (remember: it's a converted barn on my parents' land).  And if I built the tiny office on a trailer, one day that room could go with us wherever we go.  I knew this sounded like a crazy idea, so I kept it to myself for weeks.  (Well not really, I just kept it from Bonnie for weeks).  I was waiting for the right moment to tell her my brilliant idea.  When I finally sprang the idea on her, she laughed in my face.  I was not deterred.  Over the next few weeks I continued to bring up the idea.  Then one day Bonnie was telling me how she really wanted a change in the house, a drastic rearrangement.  "You know what would do that?" I said. "A tiny office!"

And the dream was born.    

(Especially once she realized it would make more room for a larger Christmas tree in the house).

Welcome to our Tiny Office dream!

 Hello, and welcome to our blog!

We are very excited to share our Tiny Office journey with you. 

We are also excited to share about what it takes to  

build responsibly, build creatively, and build with quality. 

 But who are we?

What is a Tiny Office?

And why does it deserve a blog?

We will start with the first question...

Joe = mac & cheese + beer

Bonnie = hummus + coffee

We are Joe and Bonnie.  

We live in Howard County, MD with our two dogs in a converted barn on Joe's parents' property.  Our perfect 800 square foot, one bedroom "cabin" used to be the family's sheep barn, until it was converted in 2005 for Joe's brother & wife.  Three years later they bought a brand new home, and we moved in to the cabin.

Growing up in the type of family that turns barns into awesome houses, Joe has been involved in construction pretty much his entire life.  His parents' 19th century farm house, along with the 6 other buildings on the property (including a fully functional outhouse!) have been a great hands-on education for Joe since his early years.  

Bonnie also grew up around power tools - her father built their family home (just 7 minutes away from Joe's family home...so cute) and continues to work in the construction field.  Living among projects and sawdust didn't quite give her the skills of her father or of Joe, but it did give her an understanding of the construction field. 

In 2011 we started our own home improvement company (more on the reasons why in a later post) with a focus on sustainability, creativity, and overall responsibility.  The business has been growing steadily...it's been quite an adventure! 

The next step on our adventure is to build ourselves an office.  But not just any office...a Tiny Office!

Throughout the process, we will be sharing tons of:
 photos and how-to's of our project
resources for how to get reusable materials
creative ideas for re-purposing the most unexpected of items
insight into the drama thrill of working with your spouse (!)
and much more!

"But I have no idea what a Tiny Office is!" you may say.  More on that in our next post!

A note about our blog: With the exception of this post, we will each be posting individually, and will sign each blog so you know who is who. (A good bet is that anything related to actually doing work will be from Joe...)