HAPPY NEW YEAR! Time flies, as they say, so one of our goals for the year is to bring the blog up to date. We have hundreds of Tiny Home on Wheels (THOW) photos and details to share from 2022-23, and the deep energy retrofit in nearby Salem, NY, which began late last year and will be completed in 2025. But first, let's begin with the THOW.

UNDER THE SUN completed its first Tiny Home on Wheels (THOW) in October 2023. The first slideshow begins with rewiring the trailer and finishes with windows, door, roof and siding completed. Stay tuned for additional slideshows to include plumbing, wiring, interior finish work and moving the THOW . . . More captions and descriptions coming soon.

Under the Sun is honored to have won a DOE Zero Energy Ready Housing Innovations Award for the Easton Carriage House. We are most grateful for all building industry professionals who have chosen to build better homes and are delighted this one was chosen as one of the best. 

Enjoy!

When the siding was completed, gutters and downspouts were installed at all roof eaves to shed water away from the house foundation. Custom designed screens, made especially for Klearwall windows, were installed the day before the 3/4" horse mats went down on the garage floor. The mats create a no step entry into the house and provide a no slip surface throughout the garage. 

The Amish-made 36" composite cupola was the last item installed on the carriage house.

These are the binders used by the project manager to plan and expedite the carriage house project. The large binders are 4" thick and contain plans, specs, diagrams, articles, invoices and receipts. Not shown is the third 4" binder created for the homeowner, which includes all owner's manuals and spec sheets for every product in the house, plus maintenance and cleaning information and suggestions. 

CertainTeed Monogram vinyl siding and accessories, in the color melrose, was selected to finish the carriage house and complement the existing farm property. The builder went to great lengths (no pun intended) to provide a seamless aesthetic across the entire front of the building. The siding was applied over vented rain screen, which allows proper air flow and drying behind the siding, protects the wall sheathing, and provides a barrier at the top and bottom of walls to keep out unwanted insects and rodents.

The blower door test was performed on December 15, 2021 by Newport Ventures. Connor discovered right away the regular fan, even with all of its rings, was not small enough to get a proper reading. For a super air tight home, the duct blaster was required. Testing out at .69ACH50, the carriage house exceeds minimal code requirements (3ACH50) by over 400%.

The water system into the house consists of 1" buried potable water line from the main farm house to a shut-off valve just inside the laundry/utility room and to the right of the water pressure tank. This valve will shut the water off before it reaches the tank, filter system, manifold and water heater. The two-part water filter system consists of a sediment pre-filter and iron filter designed to remove minerals typically found in well water.

The 50 gallon ENERGY STAR® Rheem Performance Platinum Hybrid  heat pump water heater is down line of the filter system, and is  substantially more efficient than a conventional electric water heater.

All toilets and faucets in the carriage house are WaterSense labelled, and are designed to reduce water usage. The EPA recommends WaterSense certified homes to include a water pressure tank setting @ 60 psi to ensure optimal pressure for residential homes. 

The most challenging aspect of building during a pandemic was switching back and forth between systems as materials and products became available. The garage was finished after the house interior work was completed.  The overhead door came next, followed by the porch and all siding prep work.