Paint and Doors
Oh, the beautiful doors. We've been switching daily between working with the door open and freezing or shutting the door and working in near darkness. No longer will we have to make that call.
From the very beginning of our design, the largest struggle revolved around the doors. We knew we couldn't leave the dilapidated wooden garage door- it was on its last leg, provided no light and was neither secure nor weather-tight. Our original design/mockup had a fancy accordion door system, but after pricing several door systems our plan was to simply replace it with a glass garage door.
Sadly, the city wasn't fond of our plan. For one, city code still requires that an entry door be on hinges and swing open from the side- still not sure exactly why. Also, apparently for all the custom overhead garage doors on the market, not one tests high enough in weather sealing to meet the city of Portland's stick energy code standards.
This made us appreciate the city's attempts to be green, but also meant we needed a backup plan. We tried countless other door systems but eventually decided to go with Nanawall, the original fancy accordion door system. We knew this option wouldn't be cheap so we avoided it at all cost, but in the end it simply made the most sense for what we were after (and what the city would allow). Their door is simply the best product on the market, has the best product testing results and the price truly as different from others as we first thought.
The first door still acts as an entry door, but if we turn the handles on the others- the entire system folds open and slides to one side as though it was never there. Truly a perfect blending of inside and outside. In the summer (when we plan on being in portland) it allows us to completely open our space to the outdoors. Camping in the living room will never be the same...
I got the call last week that our door system had been constructed and we couldn't wait for it to be installed. We were as giddy as a couple of kids on christmas morning. We watched and tried to keep busy as the installers did their work, but were mostly mesmerized. All of our excitement couldn't prepare us for the dramatic transformation that was about to happen. Pre-door we were trying to make a home out of a garage. Post-door, our space morphed into a cool loft space flooded with light. The door is perfect, and almost...almost worth the almost 1/4 of our budget that we spent on it.
Door in place, we immediately got to work priming and painting the walls (inside and out). We know we cant get fixtures and lights installed until after the new concrete floor cures and the bathroom walls are plastered- so we might as well get a nice coat of paint on everything in the meantime.
With both of us working it didn't take long at all to get the place coated in a nice clean coat of "zen retreat". Ironically, the type of space we are looking to create. Already another good reason to live in a tiny home- painting (and cleaning) takes no time at all!
While Jen finished last minute touch ups, i started setting up some of the cabinet frames i welded up over the last few weeks. In the next couple days i'll rent a welder and finish everything in place, but it's exciting to begin getting a feel for how the kitchen lays out since it will be a huge portion of our final space.
We can almost see the finish line...and we're hoping to be moved in (even if everything isn't done) by the end of the month.
