Bob's caboose build

[Philip]

Glad you got it in.

It wouldn't have scared me. I worked a couple of decades as plant maintenance. You wouldn't believe some of the jobs I have gotten tied up in.

[bobhenry]

YEP it's in !

[ParTaxer]

That will definitely open up the inside to more light and feeling of openness

[godskid]

Plus, it's gorgeous! And I see that the side panels open, so you can get fresh air too. Lovely!

[bobhenry]

It kind of reminded me of the hips on the caboose that the brakeman utilized to watch the train for trouble.

The first couple in this string have the observation ports on the side......

[bobhenry]

Well the outside is a couple hours from being complete a couple pieces of batten boards and a halo trim around the new garden window and it is done !

The zip panel green is gone.









The insulation that was removed to install the window has now been reinstalled and ready for drywall.





OH BY THE WAY ! Important info Rustoleum now make a liquid and a spray rubber compound very similar to Flexseal. The Flexseal was almost $14.00 a can and the Rustoleum is just under $8.00. That is what I used to match the rubber roof on the rear of the cupalo. Worked great !

[bobhenry]

Well Friday was heavy trash day in Podunkville so I went for a cruise. I had been toying with a canopy over the side door to protect the entry from the elements. I found a couple scraps of this and that but nothing I was really sold on. As I surveyed the available trash and treasures I found a discarded arched top garden arbor. I passed it by and went on. A bit later the little light went on so I returned and rescued it. If I cut the rounded top into a quarter circle I would have my frame for the canopy. It was 14" deep and 36" wide with bolted in stretchers so if I paired the 4 hoops, two right, and two left, with a 14" space in the middle it was 42"+ wide. All I had to do was put a bottom and top rail on the quarter circle and screw the top rail to the caboose sides. I drilled appropriate sized holes and pinned the tubing into the 1" x 1 1/2" trim with small screws. I had some Thermoply left over from the house in a house build so I used it for the covering and screwed it onto the wood finals. The heavy rains Saturday proved the worth of the canopy. It still needs a little caulking where the canopy meets the siding then it will be bone dry underneath. It was a bit bitter sweet as it kinda takes away from the caboose look a bit but it sure make a great improvement in the entry. And as usual total cost ZERO if you don't count 16 drywall screws Update a couple weeks late......

[bobhenry]

Went camping with the Hoosier group this weekend . After I got back I put in a few hours on the Caboose. I re-caulked the garden window a last time before installing the 1x4 halo trim around it. Monday I was able to figure out the final threshold for the side entry door.



Water intrusion had been the big problem as there was still a inch and a half gap under door to the sub floor. Once the 3/4 inch parquet floor and a 3/4 threshold is added inside the gap will be gone but it has been a longstanding problem that has led to degradation of the floor not to mention critter invasion. I selected a piece of 5/4 treated deck board (left over from the tractor barn door construction) and cut it to width then added a 2" rip of t-111 ( also left over from the tractor barn siding) to give the threshold a 8 to 10 degree slope away from the door. Between the 5/4 board and the ripped t-111 strip I placed a double folded length of the EPDM rubber from the roof. It makes a rounded rubber gasket for the door to close onto. I also added a long length of EPDM under the entire assembly to direct water away from the wood members and siding under the door's exterior. I raked the immediate yard around the caboose to get the leaves, fallen sticks, and construction waste, away from the house to avoid any fire threat. I tossed it all in the rocket campfire ring for a good campfire later. I had the huge heavy S.O. cord that powers the house routed under the door so it had to also be relocated. I drilled a hole in the bottom wall plate directly under the junction box and disassembled the power delivery cable and re routed up thru the floor thru the newly drilled hole and properly restrained it thru the junction box and re attached all the power leads. Heck, I even found a strain relief fastener for the cable to box connection. ( It was left over from installing the breaker box in the tractor barn.) Again total cost for the projects was zero ! All materials were reclaimed or leftovers that were on hand.

[rebapuck]

My father always said that Mom could take a dollar and make it look like two. I believe you have her beat by a mile.

[bobhenry]

Now I went and done it I found a deal I couldn't turn down ! A P3500 GMC step van. Yep it is a giant potato chip or laundry type chassis. I spent a large portion of its life as a U.S. Military supply truck on a base somewhere. Later turned loose somewhere along the way it was given a new long block overhaul. The current owner and I estimated 80,000 on the new motor +/- . Good tires and runs out great. Now it gets better...... Ambulance inverter that will run about everything but a welder. Motion sensing led light fixtures inside front and rear. Insulated and white corrugated steel siding walls brighten the interior and ceiling. It also has an on board compressor system and a 5000 LB class 4 hitch. The caboose has a towing buddy if ever needed. Mean time it will be my flea market fliver. A mobile warehouse and thanks to onboard 120 volt AC it can be an on site work shop as well. Once the part time retirement becomes full time I can start the flea market circuit with my wood projects and beer and wine lamps for sale and make a few extra bucks.



OH the best part $2600.00

Hell I may take it over to Frankfort and camp out in it on the property just to upset the zoning czar who ran me and the caboose off of my property. You can park your vehicle on your property can't you ????

[pchast]

Sounds like a great deal.

[bobhenry]

Well I got a bit done this weekend. A new mini deck /back porch/steps for the land lady and 7 hours on my rent payment.







The old rickets steps were a bit tired !


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I went up the hill and finished out the garden window with trim. Added the missing battens


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and took down the white lantern porchlite and painted it to match the trim

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Raked about 2 truck loads of leaves from around the caboose and burnt them a safe distance away. I always worry about leaves stacking up around any home but especially the caboose as it is a good distance to a water source.

[kludge]

Bob,

My wife and I visited the Tiny House show this weekend in Indy.

We talked briefly to one of the local (Indiana) builders of tiny houses and asked how to do it legally in Indiana.

His answer was that the trailer was registered with the BMV as a cargo trailer. They don't care what is on it - it's cargo. However he said, you can't live in it on your own property, you have to park it and live in it on someone else's property.

It seems like his answer mirrors you situation. Yes? No?

[bobhenry]

I don't have an answer. I never registered mine with the BMV. It is a tiny house not a cargo trailer and not an RV. I have a letter from the building and zoning boys let me see if I can find it......

Mr. Henry,

The tiny house that the Purdue students built is being done on Purdue owned land. As such, state owned land is not subject to local zoning or subdivision regulations. I checked with Lafayette, West Lafayette and the County Building Commissioner. Lafayette told me that they have Housing Standards in the City Code that include Occupancy Limitations, Section 13.03.010, Section 404. This lists minimum room sizes as well as required bedroom square footage per occupant. Based on these standards, the City could not approve a tiny house to be built within the city limits. A person in the City Engineer’s office talked to the student in the article and he was told the project could not be allowed within Lafayette.

West Lafayette had not heard anything about this, but they also agree that it would likely not be allowed within West Lafayette. According to the County Building Commissioner, Mike Wolf, the state has building code regulations that would also most likely prevent a tiny home from meeting state code. I think that this would have to be addressed before any locality in Indiana could permit a tiny house.

I hope this answers your question.

John Burns


John Burns
Area Plan Commission
Tippecanoe County
765-423-9242 Office


So it goes further into size of unit and size of rooms If you want to really fog your brain look up Indiana zoning statutes Section 13.03.010, Section 404. Indiana is just not tiny friendly. Despite what you heard you will play hell placing a tiny on a habitated piece of property as an auxiliary building.

[bobhenry]

Still trying to get the tiny house on wheels underpinned for the winter. Well on the way home Wednesday before Thanksgiving I stumbled over a litter bug's trash pile. Seem some damn fool decided to get rid of some of the parts of his dismantled deck in a side ditch. Now me, not being too proud just pulled over and loaded up the pickup, took it out to the tiny house and spent about 20 minutes pulling nails.





I now have 28 feet of 2x6 treated sill plate and 50+ feet of 1x6 5/4 board to utilize as vertical studding or as doubled up plate as needed. About $85.00 of treated lumber as a gift from some unknown litter bug. Thank you LB !