Relaxshax's Blog

For the simple sake of color, design, ideas, and who-knows-what (?) inspiration, here’s a gallery of some wall mural/graffiti art I shot while Dustin and I were out in Brooklyn, NY building a micro-hut for The History Channel’s new show “The United STATS of America”– The episode will air early in 2012. Again, I’m told I’m not supposed to show any photos of what we built until the episode airs

I’ve long wanted to build a camouflaged urban hut, completely bombed with street art and chaotic krylon work…so every time I come across this stuff, I snap some pics for future reference.

The basic idea would be to make a small, outlaw dwelling, that doesn’t look like a shelter/room from the exterior, whether it be on a rooftop, on/off a balcony, or in an alleyway- for experiment’s sake.

My book- NEW EDITION- $11.53- left hand column of this blog, to order/check it out.

-Derek “Deek” Diedricksen

Another post is coming tonight- this is just one mini post for now….

THE ADDITIONAL COMMANDMENTS OF TINY HOUSE BUILDING….

This is NOT a sponsored review or plug, and the first of series of “Thou shall/shall not” pointers. These are additional, often overlooked rules and tips to keep in mind when building your own small house, or for any construction/carpentry project. I was shipped out to NYC a few weekends ago as a guest speaker for Jay Shafer’s Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshop and this was one of the things that was incorporated in my 90 minute presentation- we had fun with it, and many in the audience chimed in with their own “self-learned” tips as well- some which I’ll share down the road.

This is my way of saving YOU some time and hassle, as I’ve learned many things the hard way in my 20+ years of tiny structure building…..

RULE #1

WHILE I’M A THRIFTY GUY, AND HELD OUT FOR TOO LONG ON THIS ONE (I’ve only realize the severe error of my ways more recently)- “THOU SHALL NOT CHEAP OUT WHEN BUYING A HAND SAW”. There ARE many things you can buy the low-end bargain versions of (covered in other future rules), but this, I feel, is not one of them.

Wanna tire out prematurely while on the job and later have your arm feel like an elephant sat on it? Go ahead, use that rusted, dull, cheapo saw. On the other hand. if you want to cut through wood like butter (you won’t realize the difference until you go from a cruddy old average saw to a new, higher-end one) then consider at least getting a middle of the road tool for your cutting jobs.

I personally TRY to not use power tools when I can help it (although they are incredibly helpful!)- I just don’t want their interuptive noise when I’m in some peaceful outdoor setting out in the middle of the woods (for jobs in those style locales).

But seriously, a $3.99 Harbor Freight saw just isn’t going to cut it. Some of their other tools WILL, but opt for a decent enough hand saw. Your arm, your time, your patience, and ultimately, your project, will thank you for it.

Mine, its the Stanley Fat Max Saw (Armored version)- not too expensive, and cuts very nicely. Please do share your personal recommendations and choices below, or in our facebook tiny housing group (which you can join in the right hand column of this blog).