More Media for Tiny

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Ashlee Cunsolo

It seems like everyone is interested in Tiny, and where she ended up and what it’s like to live small. Recently, Tiny has been featured in a CTV National News story, and a BuzzFeed Canada story!

The CTV story weaves together clips from two separate interviews conducted by CTV Atlantic about Tiny.

The BuzzFeed Canada article covers living in Tiny, with a particular focus on the doggie elevator for the lovely Corgie, Shanti.

Matt has been fielding phone calls and emails from all across the country about building and living in Tiny Homes, and it is so exciting to see such interest. The Tiny Home movement is here to stay!

Tiny in the Media!

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Ashlee Cunsolo

Well, it’s been two weeks since Nicky Duenkel and Judy Pratt moved into Tiny, and they are settling in splendidly. There continues to be much interest in Tiny, and yesterday and today, Tiny was featured on two television segments for CTV Atlantic and CBC TV. It’s exciting to see Tiny in action, and so well loved and used.

Tiny is every bit the dream home that Nicky and Judy imagined, and as is said in the CTV Atlantic interview, they are “living small and loving it!”

Click here for the CTV interview.

Click here for the CBC interview.

Moving Day: Tiny Home on the Highway!

Posted on November 16, 2015 by matthewwillox

Well, we all know that all good things come to an end… but they also get hitched up to a tow truck and move down the highway to their new home! And that’s what happened with Tiny!

The official moving day went swimmingly. The winds were low, which is always a bonus when trying to move a home down the highway. Tiny was hitched up to a tow truck, hired for his experience in towing mobile homes.

The first challenge was getting Tiny out of the driveway, past some trees and under some power lines. But, it ended up clearing everything with no problem. Just a short drive up the road, and onto the highway, and Tiny was flying.

On the highway, we had to make a detour up and over a bridge, because the tow truck driver knew it was one of the lowest bridges in Nova Scotia, and it was likely Tiny would not have fit! Thank goodness for hiring a professional, or the results of that bridge meeting could have been disastrous!

Tiny did wonderfully on the highway. She rode smoothly, with little movement. She even got weighed along the journey. Matt was nervous about how everything would add up, given the trailer was only rated for 18,000 lbs — but, she came in at 14,300, which was a relief to all.

The last hurdle was getting Tiny up a fairly steep driveway and into her new home, but with some skilled manoeuvring, she made it and got settled right away. And as an added bonus, when we opened the doors, everything was still in tact and nothing had bounced around. Whew!

It was sad to have Tiny leave the driveway and the family, but so lovely to see her in her new home.

Getting Tiny ready to go on her maiden voyage

Here we go! Cleared the power lines and tree no problem.

On the road at last!

Looking good on the road

No issues with a professional towing company pulling Tiny

Looks really close but there was lots of room

On the scales. When we subtract the truck weight it came in at 14300 lbs.

Coming up the driveway

In place for the winter

Favourite Feature #5: The Doggie Elevator!

Posted on November 15, 2015 by matthewwillox

This may be the only Tiny Home out there right now with a doggie elevator! That’s right — a doggie elevator!

This particular feature arose out of the need to transport the clients’ Corgie from the bottom floor to the top floor, because the stairs are too steep and too hard on his back. With need, comes innovation, and so Matt innovated the idea to have a doggie elevator that moves up and down via a winch system.

As with everything in Tiny, this was completely custom made. One of the main challenges was actually finding the space where this dog-evator could drop down in between the stairs, the cupboard, and counter — all the measurements had to be precise!

The end result is a one-of-a-kind Tiny Home feature, that has the Corgie and his owners happy at the outcome! And as you can see, it has the smallest Howling Dog Construction crew member excited to try it out!

Testing the winch for the elevator

All the pieces waiting to be put together.

The Elevator joints had to be strong so everything was Rabbited

All the pieces dry fit together to makes sure they all fit nicely.

Making good use of the elevator.

Getting the winch ready to mount

Elevator box hanging in place, it fits in the space perfectly.

The winch in place

Favourite Feature #4: Crafty Cupboards

Posted on November 1, 2015 by matthewwillox

Cupboards are essential for any home; but in a Tiny Home, they are even more essential. Matt and the clients wanted to find ways to maximize every available space in the kitchen, creating a kitchen area that is not only spacious, but stores a surprising amount of items.

All the cupboards were handmade and custom built to space, out of plywood with a maple face, and finished with varathane to give a smooth, durable, and natural finish. Some of the interesting features of these cupboards are drawers at the bottom of each cupboard where the toe kick normally is, avoiding 4 inches of wasted space. The drawers feature full extension sliders, to easily access all parts of the storage space. The drawers were also specifically designed to accommodate all their kitchen appliances and pots and pans, ensuring that every item had its place.

The bank of drawers next to the desk function as office supply storage, with the top drawer containing an inner charging station to avoid unnecessary clutter from electronics.

Finally, to allow two people to easily work together in the kitchen, a custom fold-up countertop was designed, maximizing the working and chopping space in the kitchen.

Kitchen cabinets

In production

Looking more like a kitchen

Fling cabinet and charging drawer

Kitchen is looking good with all the faces on

When more counter space is required this leaf just swings up and locked in place.

when more people space is needed in the kitchen the leaf drops down.

lots of storage, including in the toe kick.

Spice rack

Toe kick drawer, can be opened with your toes!

The Circuit panel hidden at the back of the pantry.

File drawer with hard wood rails to hold file folders.

This is the charging drawer. The end of the charge cords sit in the slots and the unsightly mess of wires hangs out of sight behind the drawer.

Working on installing the cupboard doors.

Faces drying in the sun

Favourite Feature #3: The Stairs

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Ashlee Cunsolo

Next up on Matt’s Favourite Features of Tiny: the stairs!

The stairs are a central part of the overall design of Tiny and, like everything else, have to incorporate maximum storage, functionality, and aesthetics. These stairs took a lot of planning and consideration, and were one of the first things designed in the planning process because of their importance, their centrality in the home, and the space they take up.

The treads are made from maple, and the base is made from high-grade plywood. The handrails and trim pieces are reclaimed and repurposed wood, salvaged from various places and sources. The stairs have been finished with oil, followed by two coats of varathane for a smooth and durable finish.

Since the stairs go up to the sleeping loft, which, due to the height, requires you to be on your hands and knees to enter, the last tread before the loft is extra deep. This allows for a comfortable transition from the stairs to the sleeping area.

One of the hidden storage compartments under the stairs. No space left unused!

These bottom three stairs are not only storage, but are designed to be removable to get the fridge into the kitchen.

Cubby under the stairs — much needed storage space.

Side profile of the stairs, showing additional side storage.

From above, looking down.

This is how the stairs fit within the overall entrance design.

Looking up from below.

There’s an LED light on the wall on the left, to illuminate the stairs at night time.

Finally finished building the stair doors, now they need oiling.

One Big “Tiny” Update!

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Ashlee Cunsolo

Well we are back with another Tiny House update, and we must apologize for the rather lengthy delay in getting more pictures up. Matt has been burning the midnight oil, so to speak, trying to get Tiny done and ready to head off to its new landing site in a few weeks’ time. It’s been a busy time here at Howling Dog Construction, but the effort is paying off, and the results are looking amazing.

This post will bring you up from our last update a few months ago, to what Tiny looks like now, today, on this fine Thanksgiving weekend.

Tiny Updates!

Since the last post, all the interior walls and ceilings have been completed with tongue-and-groove pine, and it’s beautiful. The ceilings have been left natural, but with a clear-coat for protection and to bring out their natural richness. The walls have been painted to add colour and vibrancy, and create an overall atmosphere of warmth and comfort.

The next step was to complete the plumbing, running all the pipes and waterlines along the inside to protect from freezing. Because of the small size of Tiny, there were a few challenges when trying to keep everything compact and minimize the exposed plumbing throughout the home. For example, the main water supply and filter has been contained within the bathroom vanity to keep it hidden. In order to get water to the shower and on to the kitchen, Matt needed to run pipes along the interior walls. To keep them hidden, he designed the couch and baseboards to cover them up. The result? No pipes are visible throughout Tiny!

Once the plumbing was done, it was time to move to flooring. One of the first things the owners purchased for Tiny was Ash hardwood flooring from a local company that was shutting down. Honduras pine was used for the loft flooring, which looks amazing from both above and below, which was important, because it is exposed on both sides, and is the kitchen ceiling. The Honduras pine was finished with a natural oil for protection, and it has become one of the favourite features of Tiny.

Once the flooring was complete, it was time to move to the interior features, such as the stairs and custom couch. Although the stairs were pre-designed when conceptualizing Tiny, each stair was custom-designed for the space to maximize space and storage capacity. The bottom three steps are removable, so that there’s room to get the fridge and other appliances into the kitchen. They are also storage containers themselves, with opening stair treads. The couch area is actually an integrated unit, containing the couch, a folding table and desk, storage units, and a shelf. It was custom built in the garage, and then installed in Tiny.

The kitchen cabinet boxes and drawers were an exciting feature to add into Tiny, as it really gave a sense of the kitchen, and defined the area. These were all custom-built to take advantage of every bit of usable space and to ensure that all of the clients’ kitchen implements would fit.

Once the cabinet bases were complete, it was time to install and finish the solid maple countertop. This is a gorgeous feature of Tiny, and was finished with BioShield Oil, which gives it a beautiful golden glow and a silky smooth feel. Everyone loves the countertop!

And then it was time for hook-ups, including propane for the appliances and heating and electrical. It was exciting to get Tiny all wired up and ready to go, and we are really happy with how the lighting levels have turned out. Kudos to Flux Electrical from Middle River here in Cape Breton for making this happen, and all the hard work it took to wire up Tiny — no easy feat!

Finally, Matt has been working hard on all the finishings, including storage shelves and racks in the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom, ensuring maximum storage space, even when living small. These are looking great, and it’s amazing how much storage can be designed into a tiny space.

Tiny Open House

On October 17th, 2015, we are having an Open House and Goodbye Tiny gathering at our house. Matt is busy doing finishing off the house, with this week bringing the cabinet faces installed and the completion of the much-anticipated doggie elevator!

Leading up to that exciting day, we will be releasing a new post a day, highlighting some of Matt’s favourite custom-made and custom-designed features in Tiny. Each day will bring a new insight into how to design “Tiny”, so keep checking back!

Starting on the Tongue and Groove pine.

Burning the midnight oil

Making progress

Soon to be kitchen

Soon to be Bedroom

Main for incoming water

Running water lines inside to protect from freezing

Kitchen cabinets

In production

This bathroom vanity used to be a bedroom dresser

Looking more like a kitchen

Beautiful Solid maple counter top

Fold up section to add more counter space if needed or fold down to get more room for people in the kitchen

We Have lights!

Lots of light to work with

Bedroom with storage shelves and lights finished

The hole in the floor is where the doggie elevator will go!

Tiny Home Featured on CTV Live at Five

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Ashlee Cunsolo

We are always happy when others are interested in learning about the process behind building — and choosing to live in — a tiny home. Today, we were happy to share with Ryan MacDonald from CTV’s Live at Five.

Ryan came to film on location, and featured Matt as the contractor, and Nicky Duenkel and Judy Pratt, the Tiny Home owners. This segment was broadcast throughout Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick to over 220,000 viewers.

It was great fun working with Ryan and sharing the story of Tiny with the Live at Five audience.

To view the clip, click here.

Here are some pictures of the filming.

CTV is on location.

Starting the tour with Nicky Duenkel, Tiny Home owner.

Interviewing Judy Pratt, Tiny Home owner.

Getting ready for some ‘aerial’ shots from the loft.

Checking sound & settings.

Getting mic’d up.

Matt talking Tiny House design & construction.

Thumbs up for Tiny!

Filming the final segment.

Adding the Siding

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Ashlee Cunsolo

Well folks, this is the last in a series of five posts to get everyone caught up with where the Tiny Home process is at. Today we are featuring the beautiful Cape Cod siding, sourced and purchased from a Nova Scotia company, Cape Cod Finished Wood Siding.

The clients chose this company because of the local connection, the beautiful high-quality products, and because of the opportunity to order the siding finished in any colour that you choose. The siding is made from lodge pole pine.

This has been a great product to use. It goes on easily, and it comes with custom nails painted to match the colour of your siding, as well as extra paint to touch up ends or any nicks. And, as you can see, the colour is rich and vibrant and really pops next to the white trim, lending to the sense of happiness and celebration that surrounds Tiny.

You can also see in some of the pictures the cedar shakes that will be framing all the dormers. Once the siding is complete, Matt will begin finishing the cedar shakes, and then it’s on to the inside finishings!

While our next updates won’t be on a daily basis, we promise to keep them more up-to-date as the process continues. Stay tuned, stay posted, and check back soon!

Putting up the cedar shakes that will line the dormers.

The first of the siding begins.

Everyone needs a helper, and Nuna the howling dog namesake is always there to lend a hand.

The finished end. Look at that beautiful colour!

Moving to the side.

Matt surveying the work so far. Very satisfying to see this colour go up.

Cutting the siding.

Touching the ends up.

Hammering it on with the special painted nails.

The ever-present coffee mug. Can’t build Tiny without fuel!

Going Live (Almost) & Keeping Warm

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Ashlee Cunsolo

We are learning that when you build a Tiny Home, things take longer than expected. Working in a small space means that you have to slow down and take great care with every action and decision.

The electrical work was no different and, as with everything else, took longer than we all expected. One of the main reasons for the extra time was the sheer amount of planning that went into the electrical layout. Matt was lucky enough to work with Brandon Nielsen from Flux Electrical in Cape Breton, who understood the importance of getting it right the first time, and minimizing the number of holes drilled in the structure in order to run the wire.

Overall, the wiring process went very well. It seems like a lot of wire for a Tiny House, but every circuit has its purpose. We also had to run some 12 volt circuits to support the winch for the dog elevator (everyone’s favourite feature), and for the on-demand water heater control.

Next steps with electrical: once the house is finished, the final lights, receptacles, and switches will go in, and then Tiny will be ready to be hooked to a power source!

Once the wiring was done, it was time to insulate the inside. Once again, we used spray foam for its high R Value and air sealing abilities, as well as to provide further structural stability. Before EcoHome Insulation could spray though, all the Douglas Fir had to be covered up to avoid getting foam on it. It was challenging for the installers at times, because there were a lot of small spaces to fill, which are difficult to fill evenly. But the results are great, and all this work should help to keep Tiny nice and cozy.