Author: Daniel

Some months ago, I commissioned an artist to paint a mural for the T.H.R.O.N.E. Room ceiling. The theme was to be royalty from the animal kingdom — you know, because throne. Today, I took delivery of the mural, as rendered on 5 pieces of plywood. Five? Yeah, five. Why? That was the smallest number of … Continue reading The T.H.R.O.N.E. Room Ceiling

There are really just two ways of doing something: right and again. Today was a day of do-overs. Just in case you somehow thought that I was getting all this way-finding right the first time… nope. Mistakes happen. Plans change. And sometimes, a thing I think is gonna be fine, isn’t. So it goes. This … Continue reading Two Ways

As the seasons turn here in formerly-sunny New England, outdoor projects have a tendency to go on hiatus. The HomeBox is no exception. The house itself, now fully dressed and insulated, is certainly capable of being kept warm enough to work inside, but the place where all my power tools are, the structure I affectionately … Continue reading Getting Colder

Time for another test-fit of the tub in the bathroom, now that a bunch of plumbing and conduit have been installed. As promised, the curvature of the tub just skirts the lift pump (white box in the shadows, right). I actually stood in the tub and am pleased to report about an inch of clearance … Continue reading Totally Tubular

In a conventional home, the supply plumbing job starts at the municipal inlet (water meter) or well head and then gets distributed variously to the points of use throughout the dwelling. In my tiny home, the plumbing, like so many other aspects, happens mostly backwards. While it is true that I ran the pipe for … Continue reading Water Supply Begins

There’s something sweet about typing “home” in my browser bar and being brought directly to this blog. That’s the nifty thing about having the domain “HomeBoxLife.com” — autocomplete is happy to take me there just by my typing “home”. This weekend’s activities are largely invisible, but Very Much Work has been done. Allow me to … Continue reading Shellac, PEX, Hearth, and Home

I’m not exactly sure what compelled me to sand the interior wall planking by hand . . . maybe it’s all the hand work I’m doing in my woodworking class. Maybe I just didn’t want to kick up so much dust into the air that a power tool would do (in a small, enclosed space). … Continue reading So. Much. Sawdust.

Now that the interior finish walls are moving quickly along, it’s time to return to utilities. I know, I know, this is kinda backwards from the way conventional houses (and many tiny houses) are built, but if you know me, you also know that while I can put on a decent show of it, I’m … Continue reading Here Comes The Sun

It’s been a while since I’ve posted pics of the big picture rather than just close-ups of specific parts I’m working on. So, I present to you, the front, as of today. What’s new? Well, the Propane Porch has had some work done. Those little gray boxes are for solar hookup (left) and well pump … Continue reading Another Step Back

Lots of progress today, though most of it doesn’t look like much. A few things figured out. A few things tidied up / finished. Nothing particularly picture-worthy in that regard. One thing I’m going to need soon is crown molding for the bathroom. Ideally, I’d like it to be made of cedar so it blends … Continue reading More Molding From Scraps