Well, winter has officially set in and we're starting to see balmy -20C temps and never-ending amounts of snow.. This has pushed me indoors to start on the interior projects like the plumbing and electrical. I made a few post's on Instagram about closing up the floor but I'll go into detail here.
Before closing up the floors the plumbing drain pipes had to be put in. The best part about having a small space is the close proximity of everything! The bathroom sink, shower, kitchen sink and the washer/dryer are all within 8' of each other meaning less material needs to be used. If I remember correctly all the drain lines including elbows and glue cost about $40.
I also had to seal all the holes and add vapour barrier before the plywood could go down.. Don't worry, insulation came next!
For the floors I chose Roxul Comfortbatt R22 and then covered it with 5/8" T&G plywood. I used PL premium and screws to hold everything giving us a squeak-free floor.
After the floors were finished I started to frame and insulate the wheel wells, I took extra care and used probably 4 tubes of silicone between both wheel wells ensuring an air tight seal
After finishing the floor I shifted my focus to the electrical and plumbing in the walls.. My next major goal is to get it insulated and retain some heat from the "life-saving" space heater!
The electrical breaks down into 4 major zones..
Loft - (outlets/lighting)
Bathroom - (outlets/lighting)
Kitchen - (outlets/lighting)
Living Area - (outlets/lighting)
To start, the Loft consists of 5 outlets (2 for either side of the bed, 1 bonus, 2 for half-wall entertainment system). All 5 are run on one circuit as none require high load and will be used for basic electronics (charging phones, alarm clock, tv/sound bar, etc.) The lighting in the loft will consist of two parts, main lighting and accent lighting all on one circuit with about 8-10 LED's.
The Bathroom has 3 outlets and a fan (2 for either side of the sink and 1 bonus). It's worth noting that the two outlets by the sink and the bathroom fan are GFCI protected and run with 2/12 wire for higher loads. The two GFCI's and the fan are all on one circuit and the last bonus outlet is an addition off the refrigerator outlet as it won't see much use. Only 2 LED lights for the bathroom with power coming off the kitchen light circuit.
The Kitchen is where we start to get a little more complex.. Totalling 7 outlets, range hood fan, HRV fan, main lighting and accent lighting
ALL COUNTERTOP OUTLETS ARE GFCI PROTECTED.. I can't stress this enough as I've seen way to many DIY builders skip GFCI's altogether.. Just because there is no code on tiny houses doesn't mean we throw common sense out the window! GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) should be used anywhere there is a chance for water to come into contact with an appliance i.e kitchens/bathrooms.
Rant over..
There are 3 countertop outlets on one GCFI circuit, 2 in-cabinet outlets on one circuit (higher loads anticipated), washer/dryer on one circuit, range hood and HRV system on one circuit and the fridge+one (bathroom) on one circuit. Most electricians opt for the fridge to be on a dedicated circuit like the washer/dryer, however the fridge we chose draws very little power and as I mentioned the +1 outlet in the bathroom shouldn't see much use. There should be 4 main LED lights and various under cabinet lights.
Finally, the Living Area consists of 4 outlets, 8 LED lights and a fan in the centre of the room. There are outlets surrounding the couch with a bonus by the front door all on one circuit. The lights are on one circuit as well to simplify everything should I ever need to troubleshoot problems in the future. I'll be putting the fan on a separate circuit with the outdoor light although it could easily be put on the light circuit.
That wraps up the electrical with the exception of the outdoor circuit I'lll run when the weather warms up! As of right now I still have finishing touches and a majority of the lights to mount but the project as a whole is moving along nicely!
I'll leave you with some in-progress electrical photos with more updated after I'm done
Thanks for reading!
