We’ve reached the part of the process where we can both work simultaneously on discrete tasks – me roughing in electrical while Brian tackles the bathroom build – but a tiny house by nature means much less space to work and all the work seems much more intertwined and interdependent than a larger build. So this means constantly juggling workspace, dropping tasks to stage others, and being on-call as extra hands on each other’s tasks. All of this means that my two-afternoon estimate for electrical stretched to four+, punctuated by a marathon day installing insulation. But, like every seeming “delay” on this project, the extra time to think led to some better solutions to my wiring plan.
I love electrical work. I can’t say that enough. I learned when we did a whole-house rewire on my “big” house a few years ago, and enjoyed the work so much that I briefly considered changing careers to become an electrician. I love the puzzle of it, and this tiny house is my first opportunity to plan and wire an entire space myself. Like everything with this house, there are added challenges – and sometimes frustrations – but it is definitely a fascinating puzzle to tackle.
Work in the trades was something that was never really presented to me as an option as a kid. I’m sure time, place, and culture all contributed to that in a lot of ways, but the vibe I always got – and I hate to say this, because it really wasn’t all that long ago – was that work in the trades wasn’t appropriate work for a girl. I’m bummed that I didn’t find my joy in building earlier in life, because I take a lot of pride in doing this work and having these skills now. Though maybe sometimes too much pride… like being so focused on doing this myself that I didn’t ask for extra hands to manage a long run of wire, backing myself into a world of hurt trying to get it to go where I needed it to go!
x Liz
