Gathering the nerve to cut into Flemming’s irreplaceable counter tops took a lot of thought. A lot of thought, a lot of measuring, and a lot of ‘you can do this’ talks with myself. But all went well, and I also drilled holes for the faucet behind. Somehow everything just barely fit in the tight space.
The faucet was presumably designed for a thinner counter, so I had to chisel down about 3/4″ between the knobs on the underside to make it work. I know the router would have been faster, but I didn’t want to risk it going all skully wompus on me and, in memory of Flemming’s approval of hand tools, I spent the time and did it the old fashioned way.
I ended up with a lovely stainless steel sink (16″ outer rim to rim) from Opella. The plan to use an old brass jelly pot fell by the wayside as it turned out to be just a little too small, so I bit the bullet and bought a proper one. Probably for the best though, because it came with a seriously nifty cutout template.
I’ve been slowly compiling my light fixtures for the last few months (the wonders of ebay), and it’s so exciting to see them all up! I have 6 lights on the inside; 1 from the ceiling, 1 over the window seat, 1 in the kitchen, 1 for the pink room, 1 for the bathroom, and 1 in my sleeping loft. I found the cheapest source of well made, solid brass fixtures (I adore brass) to be little, clear glass lantern types intended to be used outdoors. It cost $54 for all 4, and they make me think of fairies 😀
They are meant to be turned on and off by switch, but since I only have switches for the ceiling and window seat lights, my neighbour put in little pull chains through a hole drilled in the back and they now operate brilliantly at the source.
The main ceiling light/chandelier from hell was the hard one. The amount of space available at the ceiling peak is pretty narrow, and it was clear upon looking there was no chance the 5″ wide ceiling connect-y bit that is supposed to cover the workings was going to cut the mustard. The solution came in some kind of copper cup thing from the plumbing section at Home Depot that happens to match the fixture perfectly. My awesome neighbour rigged it so that it’s securely attached to the ridge beam and contains all the crazy wiring up there.
It certainly wasn’t easy though. I had idealistic plans of removing it every time the house goes down the road, but I can assure you that after the time and trouble that little shit gave us, I’ll just be taking out the light bulbs and wishing it luck. Guess I could bubble wrap it or something.
What a beautiful change to have all the lights up! It looks more and more like the space I want to live in with every day. And really, you pull a cord or flip a switch and the things just turn on. I like to think it’s magic 😀
littleyellowdoor 
Look how that sink shines in the sunlight!
It leaves the most beautiful scattered reflection on the wall during the day. I’ll have to put a picture up! 😀
That is really cool! Not sure if I could have cut Flemming’s counters. I’m so sorry for your loss of such a great friend.
As scary as it was, I figure it’s meant to be used. Now I can wash my dishes looking at his beautiful work!
Yes, if it doesn’t have a purpose, why have it? How do you plan on using the grey water? Sorry if this has been answered.
A neighbour was so kind as to give me a little grey water tank, so I’ll probably be using that. There’s a tube thingy I got from an RV store that connects the drain pipe to the tank under the trailer, and the tank has wheels so I guess I’ll just move it somewhere and empty it when it gets full. My mom lived for a while in a tepee she built though, and she said that she made a little drain field in a hole with gravel that worked really well. I guess it will depend on what is best for the situation I find myself in.
Putting in the lighting makes a home look so cozy! Congrats!
Janet
Thank you!
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Hi Ella, It’s looking beautiful. I hope you are going to make the part you cut out of the sink into a stool or something. I’d hate for it not to stay in your house?
I thought originally to use it as a cutting board, but a stool is a good idea too! Whatever it becomes, it will certainly remain in Little Yellow 😀
Looks beautiful! I’m having such fun following along. For the chandelier, maybe a bunjie line down to a pick point for during travel?
That’s a good thought!
It’s looking so amazing! I’m so excited watching everything come together.
Yay! Me too!
That sink is tiny. Do you have to go to the toy shop to buy dishes?
One day soon you will stand there and look around looking for the next thing to do and realise you have finished. You have spent a night aboard yet?
I think my sink is perfect, you might notice my house is rather on the tiny side too 😀 I remember a similar feeling when I first got out of college. It was wonderful, can’t wait for it to happen with the build! I’ve only slept out there once when the roof sheathing wasn’t even on, and I’m waiting for move in day now to get the full experience 🙂
I’ve never worked with wood before. Aren’t you worried about it expanding/contracting or warping?
I suppose that’s part of the nature of wood, but it’s not really as bad as all that. Properly cared for and finished, the chances are lessened and I think that even warped, old wood can look beautiful. I’ll swing with whatever happens 😀
I think he means an expansion gap around the sink.
Ah, yes I’m really hoping nothing goes weird. Good wood thoughts!
I noticed you have what I would call candle shaped incandescent bulbs in your light switches. You may want to consider LEDs or CFLs simply because they don’t give off as much heat and you’re in a tiny space. I know the LEDs can be pricy but they pay for themselves in the very long term. For comfort of not heating up your tiny house they may be worth it right away.
Another thought, how many vent holes do you have and what type of fan do you use? I attended the DC Tumblweed build and one of the small house builder recommended having the fan vent further back towards the window in the loft. She said it would pull more air past you as you sleep in the loft. Rather than leaving it at your feet.
The trailer for my Fencl just was delivered on Monday. Now the real work begins. How many hours would you say you and your dad have invested?
I’m looking into getting LEDs as I’ve heard mostly good things about them, another thing to buy… I don’t have any vent holes in the house, but I do have 10 windows so I suppose I’ll just have to see how it goes with that. If ventilation becomes a big issue I’ll rethink!
Ah, trailer delivery day! I remember it well 😀 I don’t think that the time and effort spent on my house can be calculated in hours, and if it could, it certainly wouldn’t be an encouraging number. Months are more like it since it hasn’t technically been long enough for years; I started the second week in September on weekends, progressed to where I could do most things alone in January (therefore working more weekdays) and am still cranking along at the end of July. There’s definitely been some off time, but when I’m around house it doesn’t seem like there are that many hours in a day when I’m not either working on, planning for, or worrying over something Little Yellow related.
The real work for you begins indeed, but congratulations on coming this far! The planning and pre construction work is equally important.
Very cool. I’ve enjoyed watching your little Fencl come together. I’ve added that Kreg Jig, lots of clamps and biscit joints to my notebook for things to remember.
One thing they talked about a lot at the DC convention was how to vent the place. They suggested using a little computer fan in a vent hole to keep out the excess moisture. If later on you find you need it, I’m sure it would be pretty simple to add.
What a wonderful job you have done, not counting the memories and job experiance. I hired a young woman, because she and her dad had restored a Mustang. Do you have a spreadsheet of cost you can post? Keep up the good work and keep us all posted? What is you next project?
It has been such a ride, can’t say I not glad it’s almost over though! I have a terrible spreadsheet that is in dire need of updating. Shame on me! I think my next project will have very little to do with carpentry, at least for a while!
http://shakespeare-online.com/biography/wordsinvented.html
Apparently 1500 words come to us from Shakespeare. But ” scully wompus” is not among them. Can we thus credit this term to your good self?
I got it off my sister, who says it in such a manner that makes me think she got it from someone else. Regardless, I find it to be an excellent adjective 😀
I wonder what the brass jelly pot would have looked like. Last year I build a tiny two-piece bathroom (32″ x 40″) and I used a meatloaf pan with a custom modified drain for the sink. It would have cost over $300 for a proper porcelain sink and it still would have been to big for the room. I think it looks pretty good. And it saved me $291.
Great blog btw. Love the house. And your sink is incredible with the light from the window. You must smile every time you wash something 🙂
Possibly? Probably? Can’t seem to find the picture you’re referencing…