You guys...blogging is hard. I have every intention of blogging each week or at least every other and then a few months go by (or more) and I start to question doing it at all. I feel I need to tie the bow on the Tiny Shop build. If you are following me on instagram, then you got to see the build progress, complete and function in its first season. I wanted to give you part 2 of the build and some scenes from the shop.
We left off in February of 2020 with the tiny shop all framed out, wrapped in Tyvek and draped in tarps to weather the winter. We decided to let it thaw a bit before moving on the the rest of the exterior before we could move inside. I believe it was early April when my dad returned, as did the delivery of windows, doors and roofing. Over the next two weeks, we installed the metal roofing, windows, doors, flashing, electrical work, cabinetry, counters and siding. Our kids went back to school in person, so time was freed up and we were busy, busy. I cannot emphasize enough, how hard my dad works. Like a legit work horse! Right through lunch, with no breaks...ok maybe a brief snack and a Coke Zero. I made sure to feed him a feast each night at dinner! Seriously...read through that list of all that got done - the time just doesn't add up and yet, it got done!
My dad returned to Maryland with the plan to come back at the end of the month to help me finish the shop so it would be ready for a May 1st opener. Over those next couple of weeks I spent nearly all of my time inside the shop insulating the ceiling and walls and then began installing ship lap. We used quarter inch, primed, tongue and groove ship lap for the walls and then used a half inch natural pine for the ceiling. It was quite a process and I learned so much along the way. My goal was to have the interior as finished as possible for my dads return. Andrew even got the flooring laid. I picked a hickory vinyl plank flooring for its durability and its weight. When towing a tiny house, you have to consider the overall weight of the house for the sake of what my truck can handle towing. Every little detail adds overall weight.
With my dad back in town at the end of April, we were ready to rock the last details: trim work around all doors, windows and floors, installing light fixtures, ceiling fan, signage, painting walls, finishing the ceiling and coating it in polyurethane and finally...setting up the shop for a dry run. Now we were able to get to the good stuff and the really fun part of turning the tiny house into an actual tiny shop. Andrew and I even took the shop out for a maiden tow (which was terrifying and I wasn't even the one driving). This project was our biggest one yet and definitely our most fun and rewarding challenge. If you got to see the tiny shop in person and shop - Thank you!! I truly hope to bring the shop back in 2022 for a second and fuller season.
