technē and poiēsis

When I visited a collective of Tiny House builders earlier this year, they recommended that I sheathe my structure with wood fibre boards. Though they are made from pressed wood fibre, they have a different texture than OSB or MDF. They are lighter, 'fluffier' perhaps. And according to the manufacturer's website they are entirely compostable- no chemical glue. They provide extra insulation, regulate humidity, and are wind and rain-tight. They have a tongue-and-groove structure that interlocks the panels- although my surfaces are so small that I couldn't really take advantage of that! One big question which I hadn't resolved in the design was how to make these panels go around the curved part of the structure. I ended up making saw cuts to half the depth of the panel and then bending them. It worked, although I think that compromised the wind-and-rain tightness... To fill in the gaps, I mixed the leftover fibre with water and glue and used that as a ...

I knew I wanted to insulate the Carabane with sheep's wool. It is non-toxic, renewable, has good thermal and acoustic insulation properties, and it regulates humidity. One website quipped 'Wool is terrific insulation: ask any sheep.' It makes me think of the sheep I saw in Iceland in October- the snow on their backs didn't even melt because none of their body heat was escaping! And as we know from merino clothes, it is warm and it breathes. This is just as important for walls and roofs as it is for shirts. If the humidity in the air is above 65%, wool will absorb moisture, and if it is below, it will release it. Moisture control is a key issue in construction (interiors tend to be hot and damp while exteriors cold and dry, resulting in the migration of moisture through walls and roofs). So the key is finding materials that allow for the free movement of this vapour, in order to prevent mold and mildew building up inside the walls. After searching for a while I foun...

The trailer base was delivered to my workshop on Friday. It is made in the Netherlands but the importer is based in France. This is the part of the caravan that fulfills all the legal requirements for transport on the road: brakes, lights, etc. The permitted total weight is 3.5 tonnes and the weight of the trailer itself is 570kg. That means that my construction can’t weigh more than 2.9 tonnes. But it won’t. I’ve calculated the weight at around 1.8 tonnes. And the importer said that most tiny houses that are 6m long won’t go over the weight limit- even if they have two mezzanines. So I had the trailer, and I had the walls. Now, to put them together… I invited my friends for an old-fashioned 'barn raising' party. I provide music, tea, and snacks, they provide the extra arms! We lifted the walls onto the trailer and put up the roof beams. I had pre-installed joist hangers on both walls to support the beams. Now it's starting to look like the model! Tha...