Last week I gave you a tour of Bill Brook’s tiny solar house. He was inspired and has started a series of videos as he completes his home. This is Bill’s first attempt and I think he did an excellent job. Bill shows how he prepares his loft area for the mattress he plans on sleeping on in his tiny home and than installs it. I look forward to seeing many more videos from Bill. Thanks for Bill for sharing your knowledge and skills.
What was the name of the material he placed under the pegboard? I couldn’t catch it in the video.
I like this guy’s videos, but this was a little long.I question the idea that the peg board will allow any air flow laying on that plastic underlayment. More likely the small holes will trap dust and dirt. May I suggest a woven grass or sisal mat? it will also trap dust, but you could take it out periodically and sweep under it and it would allow more air flow and moisture migration, and be less toxic.
I don’t think the pegboard or plastic will be much use either as condensation will form on the mattress as long as it’s warmer than the surface it sits on and has no major air circulation. The mattress pushes down on the tiny holes and they’ll all be plugged. One of the big issues in my trailer in cooler weather is condensation under the bed, which is 6″ foam sitting on an unheated fully enclosed fibreglass compartment accessed by top hatches. To fix this I’ll be replacing the whole thing with a slatted frame open at the front that will allow lots of air and heat circulation. Since the main floor of Bill’s home is heated condensation shouldn’t be a big issue, but if your mattress sits on a cold surface you will get condensation in it. It’s not moisture from your body migrating to the mattress, it’s the heat against cold that causes the problem. There are various products sold in marine stores to deal with underbed condensation but most seem like they’ll have the same problem with the soft mattress material just filling all the spaces. A mat may work better but you need fairly large openings and minimal surface contact for the air to circulate enough to counterract the condensation.
Thanks for viewing the video. It was a bit longer than I wanted, but my editing software and skills were not up to the task just yet. Hopefully they will improve as I make more videos.
The sheet that I put under the pegboard is just the plastic foam sheet that is placed under the snap together hardwood floors. It has various name brands, but you will see it at the home improvement stores.
I am not sure the pegboard will work, but felt this would be easier than building slats underneath the mattress. I was concerned the slats would make the mattress feel uneven since it is only 4 inches thick. After I use it for awhile, I will have to make an updated video to let folks know how it works.
You can always keep some slats up there and stick them under the mattress when you’re not sleeping on it to get some air circulation during the day but there shouldn’t be any problem with it just laying directly on the loft floor if the space is heated. If the whole space is kept unheated for long periods of time that shouldn’t affect the mattress too much either as long as the mattress is cool also. My trailer is unheated for weeks at a time and the moisture is only a problem once it warms up over the cold surface. Not sure how differently the foam behaves compared to a futon. When I get up I flip the foam up to let it dry out, usually only takes a little while as most of it is surface mosture. There hasn’t been any mold or odor in the 3 years I’ve been using the foam.
Definitely needs editing.
And I’m sorry but holes in pegboard flat against a plastic backing do not create ventilation of any kind.
Bill;
I have been curios about this design since Mikel came up with it. I would love to know how it performs. My first thoughts were that it was too passive solar, that is that it has more window than it needs for such a small space, and that without a heat sink, like a concrete floor or stone tiles etc., that it wouldn’t hold heat very well. So, it seems that it might be too hot in the day and cold at night, without back up heat.
I would like to build some thing that would use very little outside fuel, and there for be cheap to live in and very independent. I am hoping that you will also do a video of any and all mistakes and things you would do differently, after staying in it for a while.
I do intend to do some follow up videos after I get a chance to stay in it for awhile. I need a bit of time to evaluate how things work, what options I would do differently, etc.
It would be much easier to build a tiny house to trap the heat if it was not on a trailer. Then you could have the mass to retain heat, as well as thicker walls for insulation, not to mention more floor space as well.
The location of your tiny house will probably determine significantly in how much extra heat you will need. The further north you go, the more additional heat will be a factor. I can tell you that sunny days will heat up this trailer when it shines through the windows. Once I start living in it, then I can see how much it changes throughout the day.
You can always install insulating blinds, shutters or curtains to close at night, they make a big difference in conserving heat and can also block a lot of solar gain if it’s already hot out. There are also window films that can be used on a sort of storm window to change the amount of solar gain without losing the view, though I’ve never tried those, not sure how well they work. Changing the window orientation is much simpler with a movable house too. A simple tarp canopy can be used for extra shade during hotter parts of the day. “Passive” solar sometimes requires “active” participation.
maybe a frame work with fairly closely spaced 1/2″ slats(only adding roughly 1/2″ to the height of the mattress) covered with pegboard (to keep the futon from becoming uncomfortable due to the slats) might provide more circulation and not significantly take away from the headroom… just a thought.. thank you for the update.. it inspires many thoughts and considerations I’d not yet entertained… Keep us updated.. Love it!… Best to You and Yours… 😉 Lesa K.
At our cabin we have room for a nice foam mattress, but what really makes the design so great is that a.) the loft is made of handmilled planks that do not fit together tight as a drum and b.) the gentleman who built our tiny cabin is a genius..he left about 4″ bare on each side wall of the loft (no planking) Not only does this create terrific airflow, but it allows FABULOUS heating in cold weather with not much more than a propane lantern downstairs during the day and a catalytic heater at night. Plus we use the open edges as a “drop space” as in “Hey pass me that magazine you were reading last night”