SHELVES and WALL-WORK AS ONE? A Space AND MONEY-Saving Building Idea....

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So here's a quick shot of a cabin we worked on at my last workshop, one I designed. This photo won't do justice to how this little cabin will eventually look, not how it even looks today, but I wanted to share the simple idea/concept of dual-purpose wall framing.

"A LIBRARY POD"

"The Bookshelf Wall"- Pre wall and door trim.... The building process has been slow as I've been working in 20 degree (F) conditions....

     This little cabin, a 6' by 8' solar cabin, greenhouse, art studio, or whatever, will not be insulated (it could be heated with the very smallest of electric heaters) so I've employed a technique called "car siding" (as they did on old train cars), where the exterior siding IS the interior wall too. To do so, I use good quality tongue and groove wood, silicone seal EACH junction (the tongue to the groove), generously waterproof or paint the exterior, and that's it! The result, while lower in R-value, is a better looking, easier to erect, wall. This works very well for off-grid building applications as its less to carry deep in the woods- one set of wall planks, as opposed to double that. Its certainly a money saver too.

Now beyond that, as you can see in this photo, instead of framing the walls in a vertical-stud manner, I not only flipped the wall work horizontally, but framed this wall with two-by-SIXES, and not mere two-by-fours. By doing so, my wall is now also a large array of book shelves. I've additionally saved time, money, work, and space, by doing this.

Above: You can see that one HUGE front window (almost 4' by 6') a large window in the door, AND the clear Tuftex polycarbonate roofing, brings A LOT of light into this small space, making it seem larger.

Now you may be thinking, "But Deek, won't the shelves sag?". Yes, yes they will...but barely....that's why I'm adding natural wood brackets (simply de-barked vertical supports cut from maple tree limbs) to prevent this from happening. I'm working on whittling and polyurethaning them right now. These supports, in the end run, look great, cost just about nothing, and add a slight natural and rustic element to an otherwise very modern looking micro cabin/tiny house.

This cabin, ultimately, will be for sale, with a charity tie-in, for about $2000 or so. Its HEAVY DUTY, and would make for a great weekend escape, or backyard studio. More on that soon, or kidcedar at gmail.com if you might be interested. 

Also, with the holidays around the corner, if you want to support me/us- check out my book! Thanks!