My family is a family of builders. In 1974 my Father and Mother, Stephen and Miriam Holley, began construction on a home they had designed in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. They spent the next 6 years working with a hammer, chainsaw and a set of chisels to complete the project. They worked in their spare time with the help of friends and family.

During the construction of my childhood home, my parents lived in a 12 by 12 foot cabin. We called it the “chicken coop” because that is what it became after my parents and my brother Ben, 2 years old at the time, moved out.

this is my mom working on building the chicken coop

The cabin had 2 bed lofts, a wood-burning potbellied stove for heat and cooking, a small table with 4 chairs for entertaining guests, an oil lamp for light, and a dresser for clothing. There was no electricity. They hauled up water from a hand-dug well for use in an outdoor sink. They lived a rustic lifestyle in service of building their “dream home.

When I first found the Tiny House Blog it reminded me of my parents beginnings. Their hard work and sacrifice inspired Darren and I to build ProtoHaus. Needless to say, their knowledge and expertise was priceless.

this is my father cutting beams for the big house

his is my parents, Miriam and Stephen Holley in 1975

this is the foundation for the big house and the chicken coop where they lived is in the background

his is my Mom, Miriam inside the chicken coop, you can see the bed lofts in the background

this is the valley.. isn't it beautiful?!

this is me in front of the chicken coop about 1990... many years after they had moved out.

and finally, a photo of the big house after it was finished.

I have been following several people recently as they build their tiny houses and we have featured a few of them here on the Tiny House Blog. I also have the privilege of watching Jay Shafer and the construction of the Fencl that he will be taking on his East Coast tour in May. I hope to share some pictures of the Fencl with you shortly.

To build your tiny house you need tools. I want to do a few posts on the basic tools you will need to construct your home. In this article we will cover the all important hammer. Hammers come in a wide range of weights and styles. The article below shows you how to choose the right type for the work at hand.

I am a big fan of the magazine Fine Homebuilding and in the current issue they had a nice article on hammers. This article was based from a book called The Homeowner’s Ultimate Tool Guide. I have attached a pdf file with a chapter from this book about the different types of hammers and their uses, how to use a hammer and much more.

Please download the pdf file below and enjoy a good educational read. Also visit the Fine Home Building website for more great articles on building fine homes.

Download Hammer.pdf

If you enjoyed this article and would like the book it is available here from Amazon.

The Homeowner’s Ultimate Tool Guide: Choosing the Right Tool for Every Home Improvement Job

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