The horror! Yesterday was a good day and a bad day. I'll start with the good because I need to be positive.
We put in the breaker box yesterday, it's not wired yet, but it's on the wall. we had to cut the sheetrock to put it in the place I wanted it, which is where my Closet/Laundry room will be. So that is a giant step in the right direction. My sister's Fiance, Tim, cut the wall and installed it for me. He had gallbladder surgery over a week ago and insisted on doing it, now he's in some pain because the vibration of the saw he used to cut into the sheetrock.
I'm hoping today we can get a little more wiring put in.
We've had rain and flash flood warnings for a few days now. I went outside to check my seeds and I was amazed...my seeds are now little plants. I had tall plants that were growing roots from the bottoms of my planting cups. I found a spot and attacked the dirt. Super soft dark dirt that I think my plants will like. I started pulling them out when I realized every seed in every cup I planted had germinated. The seed packs said to put 2 to 3 seeds in each cup but I was having to pull them apart.
Where I thought I'd have 3 corn plants I now have 7 and where I thought I'd have 3 squash plants I now have six and so on. The little plot I dug up today only allowed me to plant the corn, beans, and squash. If it's not raining today I need to get the peas, okra, onions, carrots, and cauliflower in the ground. I didn't expect to get this much.
There was a random pile of wood on my sister's property in the bushes and when I pulled it out to take a look at what it was, it was a trellis! In some rough shape but I can fix it and put it to good use in the garden area. I totally plan on utilizing that and making it awesome.
I really wanted a canner and a dehydrator but I don't think that's going to happen this year. I did notice all the wild blackberry plants also have flowers on it as well so in a few weeks we will have enough blackberries to do whatever we want. :D
Now on to the sad news that is driving me crazy...
When we cut into the sheetrock we discovered what I thought was insulation was not in fact insulation. There is NO insulation behind the sheetrock which means in order to survive a winter I will have to find a way to insulate it without pulling the walls down. I have 3 options and 1 of them is extremely expensive. As it is it's going to take me 4 months to buy the insulation before I can move forward with putting in walls, painting or anything of that nature.
Option 1: Spray insulation. You can get this spray insulation at Lowe's and it's not that expensive but the sprayer is. You can't buy it, I can't even find a place around here that rents on. I can purchase one online for $4k but that is so far out of my price range I can't see straight. Basically what I would have to do is cut a hole in the top of the walls all the way around and stick the pipe in there to "fill it up" and I don't even know if that would work.
Option 2: The rolled pink cotton candy looking stuff. I can cut a hole in the top of the insulation and try to wiggle this stuff down into the hole. I'm not sure if this would even work because you have to push it in to stay and I have a feeling it would bunch up pretty badly and not make it all the way to the floor unless I cut a hole in the top and in the bottom, wiggle it down and staple it. This option would cost me around $200, but I'm not sure how feasible this really is.
Option 3: Foam sheets. You can get insulation in the form of a sheet. These are typically harder and have a reflective surface to help reduce heat and air loss. I found a gentleman who sales this stuff at $15 for a 3" sheet. So I would need $225 worth of this stuff before I could even start and I'm not even counting what I need to go on the ceiling. This would be easier to push into the holes I have to cut at the top of the sheetrock.
Yes, I know the holes will be a mess to clean up and hell to patch, but I'd rather patch some holes then rip it all down and have to come up with about $600 to replace it.
Several weeks ago there was a gentleman who was selling insulation at $10 a pallet, I didn't have the money to buy it then and since then he has sold it all so I'm bummed about that. So here is the checklist that I have to meet before I can even do the fun stuff like Paint.
1. Put in all the electrical through the house on the walls. Light switches, Plugins, etc.
2. I purchased a caulk gun so I can now start to glue my floor down but I don't want to do that until I have cut the holes for the insulation because that would be hard to clean up out of the little grooves on the hardwood.
3. Build some kind of critter barrier around my garden.
4. Find the best option for insulation.
5. Win the lottery.
My first building payment will be at the beginning of June and I'm looking forward to getting that paid as it's such a huge step. This project is going to be costly but satisfying. I'm basically building the home I plan to stay in. Something that is wholly mine that I have carefully designed to use every space I can. I've had some pushback from some friends but I've also had some amazing support.
Amy and Claire were so kind and generous and sent me housewarming gifts that will really help warm up my house. :) These two women are the ones that helped me purchase all the pieces necessary to get the electrical installed, this has saved me not only money for them helping, but also time. Every big project is going to take months in the planning. I have to save money for those things. I have a very small income and after paying bills that tiny budget for the Tiny House has to be carefully thought out.
With Claire's gift I was able to purchase the breaker box and the light fixtures. After combining coupon codes and the beautiful $100 gift card she gave me I was able to purchase the breaker box and over $300 in light fixtures that I found on clearance for super cheap.
Amy sent me a beautiful housewarming card and a $25 gift card that helped me purchase all of the remaining electrical items I needed. Combining coupon codes with that gift card I was able to purchase the 220 wiring, 4 15-amp breakers, a new doorknob, the little blue electrical outlet boxes for the ceiling lights, little connector things and a temporary light fixture for night time work. I spent $21.60 out of pocket.
I am super thankful and appreciative of both of these ladies. They were able to be so incredibly kind and extend a beautiful gift that I will be incredibly grateful for the rest of my life.
Thank you.
And thank you to all the people that encourage me and have confidence that I will get this done as well. There have been so many times I've thought this was too much work, it would be too hard, then I get a comment from one of you that brings back my fighting spirit. My mom taught me that. Don't give up, keep fighting, it's not over until you are done.
So that's my plan. Keep fighting, keep salvaging and keep trying.
Tiny House Purchases this week:
4 Ceiling Electrical Blue Boxes (.98 each)
4 15-amp breakers ($4.25 each)
1 ceiling fixture that is temporary ($1.39)
1 10-count package of electrical box connectors ($2.98)
1 25ft spool of 220 wire ($18.27)
1 Doorknob with key ($8.97)
1 30oz caulk gun ($10)
1 pink wall panel (got this from Wish, I wanted to check this out for possible use) ($3)
Tiny House Purchases this week:
4 Ceiling Electrical Blue Boxes (.98 each)
4 15-amp breakers ($4.25 each)
1 ceiling fixture that is temporary ($1.39)
1 10-count package of electrical box connectors ($2.98)
1 25ft spool of 220 wire ($18.27)
1 Doorknob with key ($8.97)
1 30oz caulk gun ($10)
1 pink wall panel (got this from Wish, I wanted to check this out for possible use) ($3)
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