PRIORITIES

Prior to starting my build I had looked at some books and websites. If you want to know ANYTHING about the creation of and dwelling in a Tiny House, just google, it’s there. The effort that people have made to share knowledge is astounding (plus, they’ve monetized it, which is fine by me). I started out looking for ways to use recycled materials, visiting ReStores and combing Craigslist. I found an oak kitchen cabinet set that was advertised as ‘solid wood’. What a find! Now I could design around the cabinets and their layouts.

But, fairly quickly, my focus shifted. At 64, I realized that a top priority was minimal maintenance and quality products. I am a utilitarian pragmatist at heart. My Tiny House was not going to be a work of art; it would be super functional, clean, crisp, and simple. So my choices were based on no painting, no replacing, no rusting, no rotting, no leaking.

I was also inspired to put my past LEED Green Associate certification with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to good use. In a small space like a Tiny House, indoor air quality is crucial. There are so many building materials that are laden with toxic chemicals and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). For more and more people these chemicals are causing discomfort and illness. I have loved ones who suffer from that sensitivity.

So these were my two goals: low maintenance and low/non-toxicity. Luckily, it is entirely possible to achieve these goals with some research and a small additional upfront cost. You may end up, as I did, educating lumberyards and hardware stores about what’s available. Indeed, Home Depot was a surprisingly good source for non-toxic materials, even though their pro desk personnel weren’t aware that they were. Let me share with you the products I found.

• ·      Columbia Forest Products Purebond birch plywood is formaldehyde-free using soy-based glue. It’s also FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. It’s not exterior grade so I had to be careful about keeping it dry as I built (no small task!). I used ¾” for the subfloor and ½” for the wall and roof sheathing. But I also used it for the finish paneling of the interior, and it’s gorgeous. (Available at Home Depot in the store)
• ·      Eco-Bond panel adhesive has zero VOCs, no smell, no petroleum base and earns points in LEED certification. I used it to glue down floors, roof sheathing, window casements, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot online)
  



Cousin Jeff assisting with the non-toxic foam insulation.





• ·      Foam It Green is a spray insulation with zero VOCs and a good R-value. I used it to fill in gaps in rigid insulation for floor, walls and roof. I found it worked great the first time but was very runny the second time I used it.
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• ·      Foamular extruded polystyrene insulation has an R-value of 5 per inch. It is certified by GreenGuard Environmental Institute as a Low-Emitting product. There is no formaldehyde used to make it. I used this rigid insulation top to bottom- 3” in the floor, 4” in the walls and ceiling. (Available at Home Depot in the store)

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• ·       Cork Interlocking Floating Flooring- This ‘highly sustainable’ (the cork regrows in 9 years) flooring earns 4 LEED points: (1) EQ4.3 (Indoor Environmental Quality) Low Emitting, (2) MR 4.1 (Materials and Resources) Recycled Content, (3) MR 6-Rapidly Renewable Materials, (4) ID 1-Innovation in Design. It’s great underfoot. (Home Depot online)
• ·      Vermont Natural Coatings Polywhey – I coated my birch plywood walls, couch bases, shelving and window casements with the satin non-toxic, neutral scented, quick drying finish. The cork flooring received the semi-gloss for higher durability. (Ace Hardware carries it.)
• ·      Paint- Most name brands of paint now carry a no-VOC type of paint. I used Behr for no particular reason.

  

  KathKath helping me install the steel roofing.
  The ProtectoTape can be seen around the
  Fibrex windows.

• ·      Protecto Super Stick Building Tape 'is a greener, cleaner building tape solution that offers no VOC’s, HFCC’s or CFC’s. It is non-toxic and non-allergenic. No off-gassing  is produced during the manufacture or installation of this product.' 

• ·      Enameled Steel Roofing- For longevity, for potential  water catchment, and to receive solar panels in the future.
•      Fibrex Anderson Windows – These wood and pvc double-paned, e-glass windows are an alternative to vinyl, wood or aluminum. They are imbued with the color, never needing painting. They won’t rot or warp and don’t degrade over time.  

                                                      

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  Fiberglass door and NH pine siding 

  Fiberglass Door- It won’t rot, rust, warp or need painting. And it isn’t off-gassing polyvinyl compounds.  
•      New Hampshire grown pine and ash- My buddies Dylan and Russel provided me with the vertical pine board and batten, and the ash interior finish trim. All harvested within 10 miles.
•      Miscellaneous-   Latex mattress for the couch cushions, cotton curtains, butcher block countertop with milk paint and tung oil.   

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The biggest almost-failure in my mission was the discovery when I picked up the kitchen cabinets,

Oak cabinets during installation.

months after buying them, that they were NOT solid wood. There was pressboard and luan hiding behind the solid oak drawers and doors. I almost wept with the disappointment of compromising my efforts. But the cabinets had been made over 25 years ago. When I researched how long it takes for pressboard etc. to outgas, it’s done in about 10 years. So I decided that my effort at using a recycled material had worked after all.

My cousin Jeff is my true test. He has severe chemical sensitivity. He came over multiple times to help me for a day or two. At each phase he sniffed and walked around and then relaxed into working. He gave me the Jeff Seal of Approval.