Oklahoma Homestead 40x80x12

[Jim Becker]

I was drilling holes in 3/16" steel yesterday at my DP in support of a retaining wall project I'm working to complete and the level of smoking hot metal chips, even with continual "cooling" with WD-40 was amazing. That's about the extent of the metal working I do, but it would give me pause to surely separate metal working from woodworking. I'd not be so concerned about the walls, honestly. Rather, ti's keeping the "hot mess" separated from the wood dust and chips ("kindling") in my mind.

[Jefferey Scott]

I can officially say I dislike drywall as much as plumbing. But it’s done now. We textured the finished drywall yesterday and it will be ready to prime next weekend. I’ve bought a PVA drywall primer which I’ll spray with the airless sprayer.

We are going to the metal supplier next Friday and buying the pre-cut ceiling panels. We’ll install those as soon as the primer dries. The finish paint job will be rolled on to eliminate the possibility of overspray on the new metal. That’s my wife’s specialty, she is the paint master. I’ll be installing light fixtures and fans while she’s doing that. Also putting in the doors so we can close in the apartment in prep for the mini-split install.

Here are some pictures showing what “sweat equity” really is:

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We also closed up the outside shop facing wall of the apartment. All 40 ft of it now has drywall. The drywall will not be the finished wall, we will pull metal wainscoting and plywood over it in a few months. Here's a quick video of that:

[Jim Becker]

Yes, drywall work, um..."bites".... It's a necessary evil, however. 'Glad you're making progress!

[glenn bradley]

Again, my jealousy knows no bounds. Of course I'm not the one doing all the work . Its funny that I hate plumbing much more than painting or drywall but, I will pay someone to paint and drywall and curse my way through the plumbing. The oddities of the human mind . . .

[Jefferey Scott]

Yes, drywall work, um..."bites".... It's a necessary evil, however. 'Glad you're making progress!

Thanks Jim! You feel my pain

Again, my jealousy knows no bounds. Of course I'm not the one doing all the work . Its funny that I hate plumbing much more than painting or drywall but, I will pay someone to paint and drywall and curse my way through the plumbing. The oddities of the human mind . . .

Glenn, I will say that using PEX for the first time, plumbing is much better than it used to be. Not one leak during my pressure test. That makes me happy.

[Jim Becker]

Glenn, I will say that using PEX for the first time, plumbing is much better than it used to be. Not one leak during my pressure test. That makes me happy.

I previously used PEX for a few repairs, but recently re-did the whole back and forth runs in the basement for the water heater to eliminate copper that was constantly pin-holing. (Acidic water) It makes me truly sad that at the time our addition was built, the township had a specific ordinance forbidding PEX, despite acidic water being common due to the limestone outcropping under the whole area. Someday, all that copper that's embeded in spray foam is going to become (someone else's) (a) nightmare! I'll never use copper again for any work I do here, that's for sure. PEX is fast, easy, and more like network wiring.

[Jefferey Scott]

This weekend was cut short by illness, so my son and I had one day to hang as much of the ceiling and prime the newly textured drywall as possible. I primed early in the morning with a PVA primer and even with 5 gallons, I ran out about a half room from completion. I sprayed the primer with our Graco X5 airless, which I find to be a time saver.

On to the ceiling. We started with the two smallest rooms and hung the 8 foot long panels in the utility and bath rooms. It went well. Now to the living area with its 20 foot long panels. This operation took a bit more time, and even using the drywall lift, was a formidable job. I had all the panels cut to length by the supplier. They all were cut 1 inch shorter than the actual length of the room. Even with this measure, we scraped up the walls just a little bit. This is the reason I wanted to install these panels before final paint
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My wife will be rolling the finish coat on all of the walls. She’s in charge of the paint and the color choices. A job she does well, and a great help to me.

Next weekend we will be starting the Ductless Mini Split install. A large truck is on its way to the house as we speak with a pallet full of A/C and Heat components.

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[Van Huskey]

What material are you using for the ceiling?

Looking good BTW.

[Jefferey Scott]

What material are you using for the ceiling?

Looking good BTW.

Thanks Van. I'm using 29 gauge "low rib" galvalume siding. It's used on the sides and roofs of pole barns, although usually a painted finish. The galvalume is 50 cents a running ft cheaper than painted, and we like that it brings somewhat of a "farm house" look to our tiny house. It also goes with practically any paint color.

Thanks for checking in!

[Jefferey Scott]

We have completed our part of the mini split install, including the two air handlers (inside units) on the walls in the bedroom and living room. Now we need to get an HVAC technician out to turn up the system for our warranty to be valid. I could buy the tools and probably do it myself, but I would like a valid warranty, so we’ll leave it to the pros.

I also put my new Klein 6 3/8″ hole saw to work and drilled holes for the 6 inch recessed lighting cans. Also cut out for the ceiling fan boxes and bath fan. We’ll put in the fixtures soon, but next up on the schedule is tile, tile, tile. Bathtub surround, bathroom floor, utility floor, and half the living area (around where the kitchenette will be). We scored some nice looking 12×12 tile for 49 cents a foot and it should fit the bill. Before we do the floors, I’m rolling on a coat of Redgard crack isolation membrane and in the bathtub surround it’ll be used as a waterproofing membrane. It’s very much like a roll on rubber coating and very versatile.

I also mounted the 36″ exterior doors on the bedroom and living area. These will provide insulation and added security to the living quarters. They also seal well and will help somewhat with dust control from the shop. Started trimming out the window sills with 3/8 BC sanded plywood. These will get painted and the material is budget friendly. The final trim will most likely be 3 1/2′ MDF , but I’m not totally decided on that. Whatever it is, it needs to meet a tight budget.

That’s it for now, thanks for following.

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[Jefferey Scott]

We had an HVAC technician come out and "start up" the mini split as needed for the warranty on our system. They made the final copper lineset connections to the outside unit and pulled a vacuum on the system and released the freon stored in the condenser into the system. We turned both air handlers on and we were cold and down to the set temperature within 10 minutes. It wasn't a particularly hot day, but you can tell this system works very well.


I also installed all 9 recessed can lights in the metal ceiling and connected the wiring. Once I get the switches connected, I should be able to turn up some lights in the rooms.


Another task was tiling. I tiled the bathtub surround with 12 x 12 floor tile we got from the big box store for next to nothing. It looks good and went up easily. Prior to the tile, I rolled on two coats of RedGard waterproofing membrane to seal the bath/shower surround up tight. I was going to start tiling the floor, but decided to put that on hold, as there are still some activities to work on that could potentially damage the finish floor. We will hold off to near the end for that job.


We also had a beautiful morning sky just before thunderstorms moved in. The show only lasted about two minutes, but I managed to snap a picture before it was gone.

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[Malcolm Schweizer]

I'm loving this build. The split units were a great choice. Very efficient and will keep it nice and cool.

[Jim Becker]

I'm really tickled by how efficient and fast these MiniSplit systems are...so glad I put one in my shop. That unit of yours is going to keep things very comfortable when you need AC or heat! I like the larger tile, BTW. It looks nice.

[Van Huskey]

Great progress! Did you get your mini split from alpinehomeair? Keep us informed about how you like the Blueridge I have been eyeing them based on price.

[Jefferey Scott]

I'm loving this build. The split units were a great choice. Very efficient and will keep it nice and cool.

Thanks for following along!

I'm really tickled by how efficient and fast these MiniSplit systems are...so glad I put one in my shop. That unit of yours is going to keep things very comfortable when you need AC or heat! I like the larger tile, BTW. It looks nice.

Thanks for checking in Jim!

Great progress! Did you get your mini split from alpinehomeair? Keep us informed about how you like the Blueridge I have been eyeing them based on price.

Yes I did Van. Great experience. It was free shipping, plus I paid $25 for liftgate service. The freight guy rolled it right into my garage. It was palatalized securely and had no damage. Not a mark on it. And a breeze to install.