When is a House Finished?

I haven't written much about Tiny House lately because it is discouraging. It's been 3 months since we officially moved in and the house feels about 90% done but that last bit is detailed and difficult to complete.  However, each time a bit gets finished, we are so happy! And we have a moment of satisfaction in seeing things come together - a little bit more of the dream realized. 

We definitely had that with the insulation.  While the inside feels mostly finished (minus some paint, light fixtures, closets and toilet), the outside is still clearly under renovation.  There is scaffolding on the walls and piles of construction materials and debris surrounding the house and in the driveway.  It's a bit discouraging coming home from work and having to make my way through the muck to get to the door.  So on the day they completed the first plaster and our house looked more like a house I felt a little bit of relief - could the end be in sight?

The insulation was expensive and difficult but we are really pleased with the result.  It hasn't been too cold yet here on the Riviera but it's cold enough and we haven't needed any heat.  Our home, even at night and during the awful rain, is staying in the mid-60s.  Unlike insulation installed on interior walls, the exterior insulation required several discrete steps - gluing the insulation to the existing wall (directly on the old plaster) [photo 1 and 2], covering the insulation in a fiberglass net [photo 3] and at the same time bolting the net and insulation to the concrete wall below to insure it doesn't move over time, and covering the entire surface with a plaster-like glue to seal it in [photo 4].  The final step will be to plaster - yet to be done.

 

Comments

[RFScherrer]

Referring to the insulation (pre-fiberglass net): how simultaneously weirdly wonderful and awful-looking!

[kathleen]

cool