My humble quest to build La Petite Maison!

Monday, April 7, 2014

Tiny House Conference Wrap-Up

Standby for a wrap-up: stats, facts, and figures about La Petite Maison. We just got back from the tiny house conference and I have a few things to finish up on the house, but I will post a total budget, a better video, and lots of pix!

Friday, April 4, 2014

La Petite Maison: She is Finished

The last video we posted was the stairs.

Fast forward two weeks, and here we are, La Petite Maison, finished for the most part:


We will post a better one in a couple days, but we couldn't wait. This weekend is the tiny house conference. In the next couple days, we will explain exactly why LPM isn't traveling with us.

For now, thank you for your support and following our story.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Stairs Nearly There!

Getting closer....


Closing the stairs/storage area with burlap coffee sacks, thanks to Deek's suggestion!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Progress!

From Mama to La:

We are building faster than I can update, so these are a little behind.

Bathroom, with wall and tub installed:


 

View from the back to the front; only one coat of paint so far:

 
 
Full shot of back wall; dark wood will go all the way to the top:

 
 
La building the base for our kitchen cabinets:
 
 
 
 
On tap for today: another trip to Home Depot, kitchen counter framing, math, French, and catching practice. Busy!!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Quick Update

From Mama to La:

So much going on, so much progress, so little time left!! We are racing the clock and the calendar; the tiny house house conference is upon us, and we are in the final push.

Some quick pix.

Loft ceiling with interior siding:




First wall for the bathroom:



Since these pictures were taken we have nearly finished the interior siding and trim and are getting ready to install the bathtub and build walls, stairs and kitchen counters.

It has been a little over a year since we started the build, a year tomorrow since La's papa was killed in a car accident, and just over a year and a half since La started to draw her blueprints.

I never knew a year could simultaneously go by so quickly and so slowly.

We will try to be more diligent in our updates. In the interim, please enjoy La's TEDTalk from last year. It is short and sweet. Almost like her, except she is nearly to her mama's height.

Love and gratitude to all of you who have been following us on our journey.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Updates!

Hello everybody! As I was stumbling on Facebook this morning, avoiding my work, I decided to give everybody an update!

My first snippet is the fact that I gave a TED Talk! I spoke at the TEDYouth conference in New Orleans. It was an amazing experience, I met two girls my age; I think one of them as my long lost twin (that was a year older than me). We even have the same birthday! I also met a 16-year-old DJ, who is really famous. This was the first time I have ever publicly spoken, so to say I was nervous is an understatement.

My second snippet is....I was published on the Huffington Post! Thanks to the TEDYouth team, I was offered to write an article for Huffington Post Teen.

Last but certainly not least, I am going to Seattle for Christmas. I will be seeing my dad's side of the family, and I am so excited. It has been seven years since I visited my birthplace, and we are going to be taking a tour of the best places in the city. Maybe, we will even stop by my first home! Throw riding and airplane into the mix (I have a not so secret love of airplanes and airports) and, needless to say, I am ecstatic! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Here is a happy video to put everyone in the holiday spirit:

Friday, October 4, 2013

Siding Update

From Suzannah Kolbeck, Mama to La:

We have spent four days siding, some longer than others, and here is where we are as of today, the days before the clouds roll in and the raindrops fall:

The long view


 Closer view of the back. Note the oddly-shaped window; this window was
salvaged from a boat in Alaska by La's papa. She put it in herself.
 

 A peek around the back. The side facing the fence is the only side that is
completely done. Of course.
 
This last view above The Pimple (which is itself completely detachable for travel and will be finished with blue 1/4" plywood on the door, painted blue, and the star) shows one side of the window with one more board than the other. The one thing I have learned the hard way is to stop when you are tired. If you don't, you will make mistakes and hurt yourself. As much as I wanted to finish this section today, I didn't want to have to go back and rip it out on Monday. So I stopped, even though I had a piece cut. It wasn't quite right, and it was just time to stop.

Must give a shout-out to PMC Building Materials here in Marietta. When they found out what we were doing, the gave us a great deal on our siding, delivered it for free and didn't balk at our little order. Great guys, great service!

And of course, a final shot from Day 2 of siding of La herself.

She's going to be so mad I posted this shot, but too bad. That's what
happens when your mama takes over the blog!

If you want to meet this amazing person (and the author of this post), please make sure and sign up for the first ever Tiny House Conference in April 2014. The plan is to bring LPM with us, so you can see what we have been doing!