Now back to getting the rest of those wall boards installed!  We just kept on trucking with dry fitting, trimming, gluing, and nailing.  Our interior walls are getting higher and higher!

As we got to the last boards below the lofts, we realized we should have cut a bit more off the bottom of that first board right above the floor. We ended up with this tiny sliver of board that needed to go in right beneath the loft ledgers. D’oh!  Should have been a bit more accurate with our calculations.  Ah well.  Those last boards for the “first story” walls could have been a bit easier to install if taller, but we made it work.  Could be an interesting look once we install the trim…  As with so many things with this build, we shall see!

“First story” walls almost completed

The last board will be a tiny sliver — oops!

Final board below the loft was just a sliver

We realized, before we could move on to installing the boards above the loft, we needed to finish putting in the last bits of insulation in the loft walls.  We hadn’t put the final sheets of foam board insulation in the bays were the plumbing tubes ran yet, since we were testing the plumbing for leaks.  We got right on that so we could keep making progress finishing the walls.  We also decided to put foam board insulation in the ceiling bay where the plumbing tubes run, so had to put that in along with sealing up the insulation tube that covered up the actual plumbing tube.

Plumbing testing and adjustments

Final sheet of foam board insulation in the wall

Foam board insulation and insulated plumbing tubes in ceiling bay where plumbing runs

Eli checking out the view from the roof window

With that finally finished up, we could get back to the wall board installation.  We were getting so close!

Throughout all this, we were also back and forth to the barn sanding, painting, and sealing more boards as we made space and were ready for more to install. Our walls will have a lot more character than drywall, but holy crap, prepping the boards is A LOT of work!

As we continued installing boards, we had to work around the lofts, and then lots of windows!  And, of course, more outlets and switches, too.  The jigsaw was getting a lot of use!  We set up a work bench and “shop” on the back of our truck so we could do any modifications right outside the tiny house instead of having to walk all the way back to our main shop in the barn (the tiny house is sitting in our front yard, and our barn is in our back yard).

The boards that went on the walls of the lofts were great, as we could just sit and work in the lofts, but the boards that spanned the two lofts required some ladder time.  Not a big deal, but one more complication.  The really long sixteen foot boards for the long walls were definitely more of a bear to install than the nice short boards on the small walls.

First board moving from the first to second story

Boards prepped for installing in the lofts

First board in the lofts

So excited to cover that foam insulation

Boards in small loft

Boards around loft floor

Eli lovin’ work sitting in the loft

First board in bedroom loft

The truck “shop” for modifying the boards before installation

And, it continues…  sand, paint, dry, sand, seal, dry, sand, seal, dry, sand, seal, dry, measure, cut, dry fit, maybe measure again, cut, dry fit, glue, carefully place board, hammer in place, nail, hammer in place, nail, nail, nail, nail, nail… one board installed!  ……Repeat!

The angles around the octagon windows added some complexity, as did the roof angle at the ceiling – particularly the boards that had to be cut around an octagon window and had to get the angle for the ceiling.  But, it went quite smoothly with no errors (and therefore no trashed boards, which would have required more sanding, painting, sealing (repeat) to prep a replacement board…WHEW!!!  I’m glad we didn’t screw any of them up!)

Glue prep

Prepped boards

Jigsaw action

Cutting out a section for an electrical box

Installing board around an electrical box

Measuring for cut for octagon window

Progress!

Octagon window cuts made

Installing around octagon window

Barn shop

More sanding

Around another electrical box

Side wall finished!

Soooo close

And then, the final glue stripe was applied, and nail set, and – it was hard to believe – the final wall board was in place!!!  (Okay, well, except for the bathroom walls… we’ll tackle those in the near future).

Well, it took about 3 months of weekend work, but those walls are up!  And, oh man, are they lovely!!  We’re super stoked about the look of the whitewash.  It’s coming together!

Close-up of whitewashed boards