Transporting the windows

Some of the windows that we bought had to be dismantled to be transported, because the car was not big enough. The next day we had to put them together. It was very interesting to see how a metal window works and how it is made. Bit by bit together, with just a couple of screws, and we have a big window!

We have windows!

Finding windows

We have been searching the Portuguese secondhand websites for a while now looking for secondhand  double glazed windows.
We had found some locally, but when we went to look they turned out to be single glazed :(
We thought about it, but we really want to make the house as energy as efficient as possible and we are going to invest a lot in cork insulation so it does make sense for us to put in single glaze and then lose a lot of heat. But we figured for the bathroom they would be ok, and because they needed to be repaired, we got them for a good price. I hope I can manage to fix them!   :-))

I was getting a bit frustrated because that we were not managing to find any secondhand double glazed ones. The next stage of the design and build it is necessary for us to know all the dimensions to build the timber frame.  The idea we had was that we would build the wall frames around the windows, which is the reverse way you would normally build a house. Generally you build the walls of a house and measure the size that you want the windows, and then have some made to fit.
As there are so many good secondhand windows out there, or at least that is what I thought, we were planning to buy some roughly the size that we wanted, and then I would include them into the frame design. I have bought them before in the UK and have found some really good used ones, whole window units at a fraction of what you would pay new. I think generally people don't want the hassle of using secondhand.
So slightly frustrated at what I was finding in Portugal I looked on ebay in the UK. There were loads and at good prices. So I started to do the maths of what it would cost to rent a van and drive to the uk to buy some. I wasn't being totally crazy as there was some other things that I could also bring back  to make the trip worthwhile, but it just didn't seem right. We are building a tiny house in Portugal and part of or mission is to used secondhand, locally sourced materials. Ok, scrap that idea and with the gentle re-assurance from Raquel I let go and trusted that we would find what we needed.....

The next day we searched again but this time allowed for a search over a larger area. This proved to be a lot more fruitful and we came a cross a guy that had quite a collection of good secondhand and nearly new units. It turned out that he works for a company that makes them and he therefore had a lot that were either wrong orders, or ones that had been taken out and replaced. Anyway, they all needed good homes, and we were happy to help :)
It was quite a drive to get there, he lives near Santarém which was about 2.5 hours drive away, but it was well worth it. He had a treasure trove of windows, everything from very small, to full sliding doors. We got the tape measure out and went to work measuring, contemplating and feeling out which were the right ones. It was awesome to do this process together as it helps to feel out what the right choices are, even if sometimes it doesn't make logical sense. We managed to find some for the rest of the house, including the loft, which was a total bonus as we were looking for unusual dimensions. It just shows what happens when you let go and trust, I am in awe of what is possible. :)))

                                                                                                         Stretching it out at a service station

These are for the loft. There isn't a lot of height, so we were looking for width more than height. These are just perfect! 

Loaded up in the back of the car, as we enjoyed a late lunch.

These were removed from a house where the owner wanted triple glaze!!! He had just come back from working in Switzerland!

Which wood burner?

While we are waiting for the wood to come, so we can start with the frame, we keep doing research and do everything that can be done now.
So, one of the things that we are looking for is a wood burner. People keep telling us that an old burner is not a good business. Specially is it is a very old one. They can be very rusty and have a lot of leaks.
Again the question of what is the most sustainable choice comes. Is it better a new one, robust made with good materials and national or an used one?

We have been looking at several used ones, either in facebook pages/groups, websites with second hand materials like Olx, Custo Justo and Segunda Mão and when we went to Santarém, the person that was selling windows was selling second-hand wood burners as well.

We haven't made a decision yet and the right one didn't appear yet.

We looked at new ones in Cercol and we found a shop in Santa Comba Dão only by chance when we went to the veterinary with Sam. The prices vary between 100€ to 400€ and the quality of the cheapest ones is not good at all! They seem very fragile!

 This is the contact of the shop in Santa Comba Dão - very good prices and the owner is a very nice old man

 

I remembered that my favorite factory in Porto (CIF) does, what we call in Portugal,  Salamandras. Very good quality, but, again, not the right ones.

What wood burner will we have?
Another dip into the unknown!

With love,
Raquel

Recyling plywood to make usefull boxes

After talking with David about the next steps on the construction, we decided that, because we still don't have the wood, the next thing to do would be to use some of the plywood that came with the trailer and to make boxes with it. So they would fit perfectly under the trailer.
Yesterday David made one. And how fast it was!
Today was my turn. Every time that I work with wood, because I don't have experience, I listen to the instructions and I just do the task. But for it to make sense to me I often see it as a sewing work. Don't get me wrong! I know that one thing doesn't have to do with the other, but I just see that it works in the same way! At least in my brain everything makes sense!
Having the wood in front of me is like having a piece of fabric. And then cutting the wood is like cutting the pieces of fabric. And after that, imagining how all the bits of wood come together in its different positions it's the same thing that I do with all the pieces of fabric.
Because I love sewing and I see the two processes in a similar way, I have been finding the love to work with wood. Not only because something beautiful and practical comes after the work, but because it allows creativity and creation to be present. And in this case, it was amazing to use something old to create something new!
Another aspect of today was the connection with the tools. I used a jigsaw, a hand saw, a driller and an impact driver. They are not the same as scissors, round cutter and other sewing tools. I am not used to them. There was a little bit of fear present, but when I allowed myself to be present with the task and the tools, I could understand how amazing is to use them.
No self images of not being able to work with "men's tools" and doing "men's tasks" were present. I decided to dive deep into this and to just have fun and learn with every little thing that needs to be done in this construction!
And, I am finding that there are no men's tools and men's tasks. There are tools and tasks. With no gender attached!
How amazing is that?
If you want to see the result, just pop up tomorrow and you will see pictures!

(with the company of Cosmos and Missy today)

With love (for tools and for recycling tasks)
Raquel

Storage box

Making a storage box

Originally when we bought the trailer it had a roof and walls as you can see in the picture.

To make transporting it easier the guy we bought it off asked whether he could remove all the sides and roof and lay everything flat. It was fine with us, we were planning on doing the same when it got here.

When it arrived it was all neatly packed together. We set about unloading and soon realized there was some really good material on board, some of it weighed a ton, and I had to cut some of it into smaller pieces just to get it off!

We have been looking at different material prices over the weeks and I soon appreciated we had some great material to use in the build, but what could we use it for??

We always need more space for things, so I set about making a storage box on wheels. This one was made from one of the rear doors. I kept the veiculo longer as a reminder of it's heritage :)

David

First day of work

And David started to dismantle the several pieces of the trailer that we don't want to use as they are.
For now, we have several metal bars and pieces of good OSB.

 (Lara is a good companion, other outside building with David, either in the BUS with me, writing on the blog)

Windows

We went to Oliveira do Hospital to get 2 small second hand windows. Perfect for the bathroom.
We think that it is essential that we get the windows right away, so we can build the frame around them and not the opposite!
Getting second-hand materials it's building in the unknown; who knows the size of windows that we are going to find?

Wood order

We wanted to have more prices for the wood structure.
First, we want to buy from a local small company and at the same time we want to make sure that the company cares about the Forest.
We found "Joaquim Santos Oliveira, Lda - Serrações de Madeiras". It's about 30 minutes away from here and we loved the place. Very small and the person who received us was so nice and professional.
Comparing the prices, quality of the wood and the values of the company, we decided to go for this one! It feels the right wood-yard to work with.

We ordered, just for the frame:
150 unid. dry pine c/2,60mx0.10x0,05
 30 unid.dry pine c/2,60mx0,15x0,05
 5 unid. dry pine c/2,60mx0,05x0,05

  5 unid dry pine c/2,60mx0,3x0,025  

 

And, from what they said, possibly we are going to receive the wood this week! 

With Love,

Raquel

It is here!

The trailer arrived today!
It is so amazingly good to finally receive the most important piece of our house: the trailer. It was totally worth it to wait and to search. Sr. Manuel is amazing and if you are looking for used trailers or used buses, please contact him!
He has everything that you can imagine and that you can transform into something very cool!

For the trailer to arrive it was necessary that Sr. Manuel hired Isabel Reis from Identikpolis, Lda (transports) and that we called Sr. Ângelo again. Isabel transported the trailer until the church after Benfeita, and Sr. Ângelo transported it from there until here.

It was an adventure and a dip into the unknown. Sr. Ângelo kept saying that he didn't know if it was possible to transport it with a tractor, but me and David kept saying that we trusted that the rigt thing would happen. And it did. It's here and we can start working in it.

With Love,
Raquel