ON THE JOB...
How Janene built her Tiny House from the bottom up:
1 Janene covered the base of the trailer with aluminium sheeting and then built a wooden frame for the floor. The opening in the frame was filled with Styrofoam panels on which the 22mm plywood floor rests. 2 Each wall has a wooden framework that was attached to the trailer’s steel sides and floor with self-tapping screws and L-brackets respectively; Janene left openings for the door and windows. The steel sides of the trailer are only 1.7m high, so she raised the roof with wooden beams, creating a ‘loft area’ that can accommodate a single bed. 3 Using a staple gun, Janene insulated the roof with Sisalation sheets. The window openings were cut out to match the gaps in the framework. 3 In June 2017, a major storm struck the Cape and Janene had to wrap the entire house with Coverland’s Undertile Membrane, usually used in roofs. This product keeps moisture out but allows moisture trapped inside to evaporate. After that, she also covered it with a thick plastic underlay. 5 In November 2017, contractors installed the windows and front door and in December the roof sheeting and wall panels were added. 6 Contractors installed the plumbing and wiring, then Janene insulated the walls with 50mm Isotherm, after which the frame was covered with 6mm plywood. “Once again, I had to mark where every window, plug point and plumbing pipe was positioned and then cut that out with a jigsaw.”
7 Then painting could begin – with Nina’s help! The bathroom and kitchen walls were covered with the same wallpaper as the floor. Janene built the bathroom cabinet and attached the top bed’s cupboard with Marine Silicone. “I worked through the night to install the shower panels and ceiling. All the gaps and any uneven bits were filled with PVC Adhesive and in the shower I used white bathroom silicone.”
8 Janene couldn’t find a supplier willing to make her a shower bowl, except for one who quoted R12 000. “So I made one myself with plywood, but then drilled the outlet hole in the wrong place! Luckily, I was able to simply fill it in. With the help of YouTube, I applied a fibreglass finish. After that, Nina and I installed cupboards, shelves and my homemade blinds and curtains. Voila!”
By the time ‘Waentoe’ reached roof height, I had to sit on the roof of our house to work, and I suffer from vertigo! – Janene