Elf Cottage interior build/renovation

[Martiangod]

Well your makin headway, aint it fun working in the cold and cramped spaces, some days I wanna find a bridge and .....
Other days its A-OK

[PcHistorian]

Yeah, the 120 is pretty much in. One cover to go when I get the wall put in around it. I should be able to start in on the 12v and led lighting soon. I have a duplex 12v "lighter type" outlet to put in once I get that wall surface on.

Almost everything else is going in the walls/cabinets.

I do have two glass cabinet door handles I'm going to be using, and I plan on putting led's behind the handles to light them. :-) Now if I just knew what color I wanted the lights? White, green, yellow, red, ... There is a faint green tint to the handles. "Each" (all) colors might seriously undermine the door... I do have some white/green/red lights, but the configuration is totally weird to have to adapt.

[PcHistorian]

YAY, right side cabinets 4, 5, & 6 have paneling outer coatings and doors attached!
(looking forward from the rear, start counting at the front, to back.)
Left side only needs #3 door'd yet. As soon as I figure out the fold-up sink and get all the hardware I'll be able to finish the door.
left 1 = 12v control cabinet, #2 is window, #4 & 5 are the "Den" fold down desk with storage underneath, #6 is the 120 volt primary distribution closet.
Right side still needs 1, 2, & 3 done. 4 is to be tools, 5 -first aid, 6 - poles, tarps, stakes, ropes for fly.

The left and right #1's are about 3/4 width, the #6's are less than half width.

Ceiling and entrance ways to go.

If I get some warm weather over the weekend I'll do another progress report, cuz I'm going to work in the 12v cabinet doing wiring, a battery shelf and a switch installation surface. (after putting on the other doors, I have sawdust everywhere and the vacuum is 12v.) I still gotta put springs on several doors. (most of the doors that are getting them, the paneling-cut-out doors.) And I still have to put the magnet latches on the rest of the doors.

[PcHistorian]

I think I'm going to just load up the picture album with pictures as I go. Keep the personal build forum for snags. Keep up the documentary page (google) for reference.

[PcHistorian]

left side interior as of feb 21st


I want to reload a spring loaded shade with vinyl screen to have a pull down screen, and mount it just outside the triangular brace piece here.
right side interior as of march 13th.

[PcHistorian]

latest hose design information for the solar ceiling water heater. (beware the shingle nails!!! ) It will all have to be removed to reshingle. cut off nails inside before mounting hoses.

[PcHistorian]

current plan for the fore and aft ceiling triangle contents. I may respace the depths here to allow for the hoses for the solar water heater. Granted more heating is going to occur on the sides, but there is morning and night if I angle differently. I'd like the whole thing to be automatic (for the misses... or is that mrs... ;-)

[PcHistorian]

back on the web for a bit, getting ready to upload pics and progress.

I think I got the wheel well woes figured out. I put a cut in the wheel well at the back and against the trailer, then pulled up and flaired the wheel well where it was rubbing. (I had done a "Max load test" on my first time out... rubbed a bit, and actually broke two welds and sprung one of the wheel wells off. Which I didn't mind as a solution was majorly required. There was no protection of the foam walls inside the wheel wells. The walls actually opened to the road when the foam flapped in the wind. couldn't put anything in the bottom of those wall compartments, cuz water would splash up from the road or the things would fall out.











Little flare on the wheel well hides a world of problems. I get to keep my "stardard size, heavier load" tires and the original wheel well system, AND got the under foam sealed to the weather and outside (no vinyl under there, was just foam insulation). I also did the bearing while I had the tires off. (best excuse to get gooey in the world, wheel bearing repacking. :-D)

Also got sealer for under the floor, glue for the foam insulation attachment. Fender washers to go on top of that.

I do have the portable "mid-amperage" batter finally placed, and it won't be in the ceiling as I would have needed to make deeper shelving and a whole engineering project. As it is I just put it in the "bedroom, left closet, top half." which is right next to my 12v utility closet. The tongue battery box will be just the other side of that forward wall. :-)

I also think I have the ceiling/roof/ducting/venting figured out. (I want to use the heat on the roof to heat water and the interior(in cold weather) but I don't want the heat inside in the summer, just to heat the water. So I had to come up with a ventilation routing and fan scheme. I did find latching solenoid 12v valves for the water heating system. and someone here gave me the info on the water pumps. 12v low wattage. The soffits are open but I am going to reduce those opening to just where the fans are and put screens on those. Gotta come up with an easy way to do fan replacement/oiling. (computer power supply fans, 12vdc@ 0.23 amps~)

Once I get the ducting for the air vents done, I'll be able to get the overhead LED system installed, too. I did get a bunch of 40 amp diodes for my battery charging and distribution "buses." So plenty of supplies now piled and organized, time to get in the play clothes and make more sawdust!

[bonnie]

I want pics of the water heater install. Are you intending to have solar radiators for winter. That is very cool and very interesting. I've thought about the water heater thing, could even make it potable with the right hose types. Wonder how much it would weigh?

[PcHistorian]

Well I'm going to have the water tank pvc tubes under the frame. the only weight that will be up will be the coils of hose with the water in it for heating. I'm also going to have to blow it out for winter. I wonder if discharging an air supply like an inner tube through the hose would do it. I suppose it depends on the inner diameter of the hose I use. It would be nice if I could just open a valve and have it siphon itself empty. How large can I make hoses and still use them to siphon out a coil? The water tanks will be vented so the siphoning should work.

I think I need to know a lot more about tiny water systems, grey water, etc... :-(

[PcHistorian]

I've been way behind on stuff too. Seasonal work, work and more work. health issues with myself and my parents. I'm taking some time off to get caught up. (feels weird, first year I've done that, like this.) Plus I'm going to do some assembling with the trailer and updates to the web. I've been weeks scrounging parts and supplies and doing sub-assemblies. Time to put the next batch of pieces together. :-)

I did get through the toughest design consideration, air passive-heating and cooling, in conjuction with the solar water heater. Since I am doing the roof solar water heating idea, between the ceiling joists, that slowed me down a lot. I've had to organize pumps and a set of "latching solenoid 12v valves" to route the water to the hot part of the roof. Latching so that once the system decides where the heat is, the valves open and latch to save my 12v dc from having to keep the valves open. So only the pump is required to circulate the water. I may make that intermittent to save 12v dc. pump in the cool, let it heat, pump in the cool, let it heat...

I've decided to try cooling the interior then with the cool water, and pump the interior heat out the heating side of the roof, since it is collecting at the peak of the ceiling anyway. So I have an overhead duct system planned, with side ventilation. (peaked roof) I'm going to have to tear apart a lot of old PC power supplies to scavenge the fans, but at 1/4 amp and 12 v, they're prefect for this part. (duct, cutaway design to show up soon.) I even got some open/close heater vent openings, 10" x 4" to cleanup and paint for the ceiling openings.

so covers for the ceiling are all set to install, fiberglass-reinforced panels. tracks, latches, handles, hinges, insulation. yet to get the tubing for the water, fans, make the tanks. I am getting the under floor insulation put in now, which spent the winter on top of floor. I sealed the underfloor with auto undercoating. I tried the stuff at the Home Depot and didn't get a 2'x4' section done before the can ran out. At $10 per can, no thanks. Went to auto supply and got undercoat for $5, one can finished me off. Foam insulation panels next, with a foam contact cement, and fender washers on 1 inch deck screws. (and a prayer they don't come up through. LOL)

I'll be rerouting the traffic lights for the trailer. Possibly re-inforcing the flooring with angle iron. Real cool looking paint laid on after getting the wheel well problem straightened out. (you won't believe it!) I did the outer frame side to "enhance." (Bonnie you'll get ideas from that. :-)

Plus scrounged some AWESOME doors for the next set of cabinets (which I haven't named yet, but probably the "dining room" (opposite the kitchen) and the "guest room" (4th door down on the right.)

Part of the original "bedroom" is now the 12 volt portable power source cabinet. That wiring is in place (both charge and drain.)

Lots of little circuit stuff to do with the heating/cooling, LED lights, charging, and charge display controls for the 12v dc closet (last cabinet on the left.)

I have also decided to use the frame channel on the sides to store poles and stuff. It is 3" x 2" metal tube. Out goes the wiring, in goes the poles. I have to figure out a way to "punch the bore" of the sides with a poly sealer to preserve the metal from the inside of the channel.

that's most everything for this second.

missed 3 trips due to various illnesses so far this year. hope get that all straightened out in the next month. I have a trip on the weekend of 6th of july avail.

[PcHistorian]

Ok, sequence of quick posts here.

I just posted a bunch of pictures to the may 27th, 3pm-ish post on the wheel well.



Here is the new, last "set" of cabinet doors for the Elf Cottage. (I still have a "single" to figure out for the sink/"kitchen" cabinet. Any Ideas?) That area at the top isn't window, it's mirror.



I have to figure out if I want to mount them normal or back to back (saloon style, but cabinet doors). One is for the "dining room" (plates, silverware, pots, pans) third "door" on the right. The other is for the "guest room," (any one staying with me) 4th "door" on the right. ( Possibly the Linen closet but I don't think so.)

The brass handles will be coming off, too. Into the barter bucket. :-) (too uncomfortable to lean against.)
I think I have a can of stain pretty close to that door color too. It's a quart with little used. I may use some for the shelves inside... but that's it. The rest of that stain will be up for "barter" at a tear in.

[PcHistorian]

Ok, next sequence is the resolution of the wheel well woes...

start



fix





finish


and a new paint scheme (garden and lawn (never needs mowing))

[PcHistorian]

two pages opened to do this next section. this is just the analysis and design prep for this part. this is for the solar hot water heating design and the heat / cool air ventilation system. This falls into the area of the spaces of the roof, between the inside of the roof board, to the inside surface of the roof beams/joists. Roughly "what can you do with a 3.5 inch deep space of the roof area of an Elf Cottage (TD/TTT), to heat water, and heat or cool the interior air." (adapt to your own design.)

the tanks for the hot water are actually to be under the trailer. I'm just planning some hoses under the roof-surface to heat the water for hot water tanks.

sequence one is to define this in pictures, figures and diagrams.

This roof in the sun will get plenty hot, un-insulated inside the board under the shingles.

Here's the beam arrangements and the general ideas.










-------
resolution
These first two are diagrammed as looking straight up. the figure 8's are to show a computer muffin cooling fan (12vdc @1/4A) and are shown surrounded by an area to restrict where the air comes from, side, or end.


I also wanted to try at least one "alternative" diagram to see if it improved the design in any way. So I came up with the staggered fan design.


then there is the ends. the joists from the corners are about 30 degree angles from horizontal, where as the beams from the middle areas are about 45 degree angles. the ends posed a bigger problem of the ventilation because the point was so closely interwoven with the diagonal parts of the side-ends.




Then lastly a cutaway of the full system: shingle, roof-board, water hoses & air gap, 1/2 inch insulation,(so of 3.5 inches, that accounts for about 1.2 inches), gap of about 2", inner surface of fiberglass reinforced panels.

[PcHistorian]

These three boards (seen from the back) make up the trim and tracks for the two pieces of FRP for one side. There is channels cut into the edges of each board, two for the center piece, one for each outer piece.


when mounted the bottom edge matches the paneling of the walls in angle.


and the tops are tapered to prevent severe harm when bumping my head on these.

you can also see the 1/2 inch insulation already measured and trial put in place.

here are the 4 cut panels for the center of the sides-roof inner surfaces. (prebowed for ease of installation by tilting against a wall in the 104F sun.)