Floating tiny home

Hello everyone .

I have just joined this great space , and I am slowly reading my way through all the great entries.

I thought some of you may be interested in my project :

The floating tiny home :

The two floats are 40ft feet long , and spaced 6 ft apart , giving a platform area of 480 square feet .





Floats were built in sections .Easier to handle single handed.





The cabin itself measures 24 ft x 12 feet for 288 sq feet of interior living space.




The anticipated new home :




Happy to answer any questions you may have .

Regards , Victor.

Beautiful!

Recycled water barrel.







Black water holding tanks are made from 12 inch storm water pipe.



Refurbished heater.



Bench tops are recycled Tasmanian Oak flooring.

Very nice! The only thing it's missing in my mind is a nice pirate flag waving in the wind. Maybe with crossed trowel and cultivator under the skull instead of crossed bones.

Looking forward to seeing more on this. Great job so far.

Thank you for the kind replies everyone.

The idea of this project is to maximize what I can do with the least amount of capital outlay.

Trading sweat equity and some basic skills to make up for the shortfall of money .

While this has not been entirely as successful as I had first hoped ( cost overrun ) , it is somewhat satisfying to know that much of this project is made possible by recycling ,
Much of the materials have had a previous life.





Interior of the cabin structure coming together.
Used ( recycled ) bath tub.





The flooring is used staging ( form ply ) that had previously been used for a stage for a one off event.



Recycled hardwood floor joists are re- purposed as keel strips below the floats.

Thank you for looking.

Details of fitting out the bathroom.









The bathroom walls are lined out with corrugated steel .



The doors for the vanity are made from recycled painted WRC louvres .

Plumbing is push fit pex tubing.







Simple bathroom fitout.

excellent selection/variety of materials, wonderfull design and construction. if you could just upload more pictures about your graywater system.
well done, keep posting!

Hi Nicos .

Thank you for the comments , most kind of you.

The black and gray water is combined into the one holding tank.
Total capacity is 1100 litres , or 290 US gallons.



The tanks are suspended from the 24 deck beams shown here.

Making the black water holding tanks.

The black water tanks are made from thick walled 300 mm ( twelve inch ) storm water pipe.

There is a total of two runs of pipe , 15 .2 m ( 50 ft total ) for a max. capacity of 1100 liters.



End caps are prepared by tapping them , then threading them to accept these socket fittings.They are then turned into the end cap with pvc cement.













Two part epoxy plumber`s putty strengthen the joins.

The straps for the tanks were hammered out of 50 mm ( two inch ) wide steel flat bar.











Checking straps for fit.







Six inch channel bolted to the deck beams support the straps to hold the tanks.







The two pipes are joined so that they both fill at the same rate to prevent uneven loading , and listing the boat.



Flush out pipes.





Pump out pipes at the front of the boat.



Vent pipes connected to the tanks.









The tanks are vented through the roof.



Vent pipes are 50 mm or two inch.



The EPA insists that blackwater pump out tanks are fitted with vents fitted with insect screens.

amazing work, once again well done.bravo maestro!

Here are some pictures of fitting out the front cabin.

There are four hatches cut into the floor of the front cabin.They ventilate the compartment and allow access to the floats.







As a safety precaution , each float has four watertight compartments .



View from inside one of the watertight compartments.

Along the port side there will be seating placed over the hull access hatches.

The seating will provide valuable storage space and will need to hinge upwards to be able to gain access to the hulls.

More recycled cedar louvres.

These were cut down to finish at chair height.







I epoxy glued all the louvres together to make an 8ft long panel.





The seat tops are more recycled oak flooring.







One of the seats.

Thank you for looking.

Fantastic! How long did it take you to plan all this? You've clearly put a lot of thought into it all.

Random pictures of cabin fit out..

Hello Steven.

I am building this little boat without plans , so I make it up as I go along.

I did pre- plan and calculate the displacement figures to make sure that the thing will float (at least close ) to its lines.

This project has taken me almost four years to get to the present stage.

I work on it when I can , and finances permitting.

Its a big job to take on single handed.

It is beautiful!

What did you use to seal the floats? I have often considered building a floating home to put on my irrigation pond but the construction and long term prospects of the floats has always stopped me.

Hi Chad.

The floats are built out of laminated hardwood framing and meranti marine plywood.



Laminated hardwood framing.



Marine plywood epoxy glued to the hardwood framing.



Everything is glued together with epoxy resin and colloidal silica powder mixed in to make a tough and very strong glue.
The bond strength of the glue exeeds the strength of the hardwood framing so there are almost no permanent fasteners needed.



Heavy biaxial f/g tape is put on all edges.











The external corners have one run of heavy biaxial fiber glass tape set in epoxy resin , the entire outer surface has a layer of 6 oz fiberglass cloth . again set in epoxy resin.

The epoxy resin is protected from UV light by a thick coating of International Paints Intertuf 203 anti corrosive paint.



Epoxy resin can water proof wood and plywood indefinitely if protected from Ultra Violet rays.

Any deep scratches that penetrate the epoxy / glass layer needs to be repaired promptly to keep the integrity of the water proof envelope intact.

There are boats over 50 years old now that are built this way that are still perfectly sound.

you must build the floats with care and attention to detail. They will then last a long time.





The interior of the hulls is coated with three coats of water based fiber reinforced brush on membrane used to water proof balconies and flat roofs.

Its a precaution to keep condensation out of the marine plywood hulls.

Epoxy resin is expensive !

chad duncan wrote:What did you use to seal the floats? I have often considered building a floating home to put on my irrigation pond but the construction and long term prospects of the floats has always stopped me.

It just occured to me Chad , if the home is to be placed on a pond . I assume its not a boat as such , so no motor needed to constantly move it.


I think you could use floats from plastic drums contained in a wooden or welded steel frame.



webpage

A cast steel reinforced concrete pontoon is also a possibility.

What part of Oz are you at James.Nice project by the way.

Glenn Darman wrote:What part of Oz are you at James.Nice project by the way.

Hi Glenn ,

I am located in South Australia , Murraylands .

Thank you for looking.

Here are some more pictures of fitting out the cabin interiors.









I fashioned the interior parts to be assembled like an Ikea flat pack kitchen.

More recycled louvres !

You must be getting tired of looking at them by now .













The bed base is hinged in the same way as the seats on the opposite side of the cabin.

There are hatches cut into the floor under the bed in the same manner as well.



Making the bed bases.







Installing it in the cabin.

Making some of the small , time consuming items for the interior.











Bed side drawer , made from marine plywood offcuts and hardwood scraps.





Hanging locker clothes rail.Scraps again.

Some decorative shelving incorporating a light panel / wall sconce.







First a rough sketch , then a scrap plywood master pattern cut with a jig saw.







Cutting out the light panel.A touch of art deco.

I have yet to fit the translucent light panel and flexible LED light strip.

This will be for ambient low lighting.

James is that a plimsole (SP?) line in that bit of art work.?

You'll be hauling wool bails before ya know it.LOL.

James victor wrote:
It just occured to me Chad , if the home is to be placed on a pond . I assume its not a boat as such , so no motor needed to constantly move it.


I think you could use floats from plastic drums contained in a wooden or welded steel frame.

You have assumed correctly, I don't have pond space to actually use a motor.
I put a small dock on the pond a few years ago using barrels and find it to be very tippy. One problem is that the barrels are not really attached to the dock, they are contained by an overhanging perimeter and the by the weight of the dock itself. I had thought to fix them to the dock somehow and then filling them half full of water so that in order for one side to go down the other side would have to be lifted up but attaching them to the dock without using wood underwater or using pricey stainless steel seemed impossible.
The second problem leading to my tippiness I think I just discovered from the link you shared. I followed that link and then that page's link to the original plans and I think I may have found my actual primary problem. Quoting from the original plans: "If you reduce the size, you will probably regret it because smaller docks are tippy. Being 16 X 16, this dock will give you a stable and comfortable platform. " My dock (the first I've ever tried to build) is 8 X 8 feet.

I'll have to go back and reconsider that sizing. Or maybe build three more and stick them together. Thank you for the link and the pontoon tips, they have been very enlightening.

Loving the details as this is coming together. This is a great floating tiny house build. And really wonderful your sharing the building of it with us.

Of course the real excitement is when you get it in the water and start living in it.

chad duncan wrote:


I'll have to go back and reconsider that sizing. Or maybe build three more and stick them together. Thank you for the link and the pontoon tips, they have been very enlightening.

Yes , Chad , I think you need form stability.

It is one of the major design factors when building a catamaran or pontoon boat.

The wider ( distance between floats ) the more righting moment you will gain. Placing the groups of barrels as far apart as possible.

Weight of the house structure and contents is the enemy here.

You would need to keep a careful eye on the total weight of the house and its contents , including occupants.

There is another important issue known as the pontoon effect that you should be aware of .

Happy to help anytime. I hope you can realize your goal of a floating home.

Devin Lavign wrote:Loving the details as this is coming together. This is a great floating tiny house build. And really wonderful your sharing the building of it with us.

Of course the real excitement is when you get it in the water and start living in it.

Hi Devin , thank you for the kind comments .

It`s been a long journey to get this far , and I don`t mind telling you that I look forward to crossing " the finish line ".

Glenn Darman wrote:James is that a plimsole (SP?) line in that bit of art work.?

You'll be hauling wool bails before ya know it.LOL.

Thanks for the interest Glenn , I never thought of that ....Plimsol Line ! ..........clever thinking !

I made this little rustic side board over a decade ago.

It is made from recycled Douglas Fir for the top , and the carcass , shelves , and doors are all made from recycled pallets.

I will need some small cabinets for the interior fit out , and this is too big to drag aboard .....

So I decided to cut it in half and make two " boat size " cabinets out of it.



Chopped sideboard.





I cut a window into each new door and a rebate with the router.

The glazing is recycled scrap perspex.





I now have two " boat size " cabinets .

Cabinet door refurbishment.

I found these in my travels to town and could not pass them by.

Dirt cheap and the lead light glass was in perfect condition.



The only down side to this was the " ugly eighties " router work.Some may like it , but to my eye , it really dates that door .
I wanted a more timeless look.

I took out the glass and cut away the entire ugliness with a straight cut router bit.

The new cut became the new rebate for the glazing bead , so the inside face of the door was turned around to become the outside of the door.





The back showing the rebate I cut for the glazing bead.

And here are the before and after pictures.



These measure 860 mm high x 480 mm wide and will be a good size for some internal cabin cabinets.



Ready to fit in the rear cabin cabinet.

I like giving old , no longer wanted things a new life.

I am currently fitting shelving and cabinet doors .

I " found " some time today to work on the river boat.

Not a lot to show , but its all progress I guess.

To install the wood burner stove , I need to insulate the 100 mm ( four inch ) flue from the surrounding combustible ceiling panels and roof framing.

As I am waiting for the stainless flue order to arrive , in the mean time , this is a start at making the drop box that will penetrate the ceiling and hopefully prevent the house from burning down.

This is the first skin liner that will surround the flue as it passes through the ceiling.

It is recycled sheet metal from an old washing machine casing.Its nice thick sheet metal that can take some hammering .
The bends and folds were just shaped over some scrap 50 mm steel angle , and the two haves riveted together with pop rivets and sealer.





There is another second skin that is spaced about 25mm away from the inner liner .

The four inch flue will be placed inside these.



I fashioned a cone shaped piece that fits over the outer shield ( left ).

Holes will be cut or drilled along the very top edge to allow the hot air to vent out.



The piece on the right is where the flue will exit in the centre.

The narrow skirt that can be seen around the outside is a shield to prevent rain water from entering the vent holes.

I will cut and seal the circular hole for a watertight fit when I have the flue.



Next is making the ceiling plate and witches or chinaman`s hat ( cowl ).

Thanks for looking.

Love what you did with those cabinet doors James...and the skins from washing machines.I've got heaps of 'em and use them for everything tin related. Now maybe you could use the wood burning stove to help with the hot water situation in the other thread.

Thank you for your interest Glenn.

I have been working on making more parts for the installation of the wood burning stove .

The cowling is a recycled cast alloy cooking pot:







The cowl will look something like this.

These are ADD or Anti Down Draft cowls , they are really simple in design , but they do work well.

The wind / air moves over the circular cowling which creates a slight pressure difference inside ( low pressure ) which causes additional draft to clear any hot exhausts or smoke away.

There are more small items to add to get the thing assembled , but this gives an idea of what this will look like.

The ceiling plate was fashioned from a recycled stainless steel BBQ drip tray.



To reduce buckling the edge of the flue hole was reinforced with a piece of split ( slotted ) 3/8 inch copper pipe.

I also made the bottom heat shield for the wood burner today.

I made the heat shield below the ash box from left over C- Channel sections bolted together.







The ash box bottom piece is cast iron , I inserted 50mm ( two inch ) steel angle spacers to cool the bottom.



There is another heat shield that will be riveted under the primary heat shield.









No further shielding should be required , the heater is ready to be mounted .

Paint is next.

The good news is that my flue was delivered on Friday.

So I heat set the paint today.





This little stove draws almost as good as rocket stove !





The lower heat shield barely got warm.



Sliding damper .



I also managed to fit a tri - stay to my cooking pot cowling today.





To make cleaning the flue a little easier , the cowling is just a tight push - on fit.

Not much to show for a weekend of messing about really , but its another step in the right direction I guess.

Next week end , weather permitting , I will attempt to cut a hole in the roof to fit the drop box to the boat.

Hello everyone.

I installed the flue liner / drop box today during a break in the rainy weather.

Look there is a big hole in the roof ............







I fitted metal screen over the vent slots ,the thought is to prevent mosquitos and those hairy Huntsman spiders from making their way down the heat shield / liner and into the cabin.

In case you are not familiar with Australian Huntsman spiders , here is one from last summer when I was fitting some of the ceiling panels to the cabin interior :
Large hairy spiders , but actually quite harmless , unless you really tease and aggravate them , then they can bite.
Best to not invite them in.




I had trouble photographing the vent slots I cut into the housing because of the black painted surfaces and black mesh,
but they are long slots as marked in the photo.





Once the rain cap is screwed down the mesh is not seen at all.
The flue will come out at the centre.

It should be relatively easy to give the screen a quick scrub with an old toothbrush at the end of each season.

The flue itself is quite well sealed at the stove , so I don`t anticipate any problems there.





I now need to frame around the liner to install the ceiling panels.

Framing around the drop box is in place.





Checking ceiling plate for fit.





Bottom of the drop box is flush with the ceiling.

The rain stopped any more work ( on the roof) today , so thats it until next weekend.

Very nice! Thank you for posting all of the pictures, your work is very inspiring!

How many layers of woven fibreglass did you use?
What kind of paint did you use on the interior of the hull?