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chisel.
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    Step-By-Step Instructions
    1) Buy your materials and
    order your windows. Be sure
    the trailer will accommodate
    the weight of your house.
    Cut any extra vertical parts
    off the trailer, but leave the
    wheel wells intact. Remove
    all the decking you can.
    Leave no more than 24” be-
    tween the remaining boards.
    These gaps should be cov-
    ered with aluminum flashing
    to guard against rodent and
    water infiltration. Do not put
    any beneath the porch.
    2) Assemble the floor framing
    in front and in back of the wheel
    wells. Then connect the two
    sections by framing between the
    wells. Use screws instead of
    nails for this and all your fram-
    ing.
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    3) Fill the cavities with your
    choice of insulation (in this
    case, expanded polystyrene
    foam board with expanding
    spray foam at the seams).
    Once again, the porch area
    should be left open to let wa-
    ter drain through it.
    4) Once you cover the whole
    thing with 3/4” flooring or a
    subfloor, the exterior wall
    framing can be erected all
    along the perimeter. Connect
    the walls by driving screws
    through the bottom plates
    into the floor framing below.
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    5) Put up temporary, diago-
    nal braces to steady the
    project while you work. Then
    install the collar beams (ceil-
    ing joists). The framing over
    the wheel wells is supported
    by horizontal headers which
    are, in turn, supported by the
    wheel wells.
    6) Screw and glue CDX plywood
    to the exterior surface, and cut
    openings for the windows and
    door(s) with your skill saw.
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    7) Frame the roof and gables.
    Be sure to fasten the rafters to
    the walls with metal hurricane
    clips so that the entire roof does
    not blow off onto the highway.
    8) Staple house-wrap to the walls. Go
    ahead and cut holes in the wrap if you
    anticipate dry weather or if your windows
    and door(s) are available for installation.
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    9) Waterproof the roof with
    tar paper or some equivalent.
    Then, run some 1/4” lath up
    the sides of the house. Place
    each over a stud. The chan-
    nels between the strips will
    serve as air spaces to vent be-
    neath the siding. This would
    also be a good time to trim the
    corners and openings and to
    put facia boards up around the
    eaves and rakes.
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    10) Use metal roofing if you
    plan on moving the house
    much. Asphalt shingles and
    most other materials are far
    more prone to blowing off.
    When the roof is done, you
    can put up your siding. Drive
    screws through it into the
    lath, and studs below. Caulk
    the seams where boards
    meet the wheel wells.
    11) Fill the wall cavities with your
    insulation of choice, and frame
    the interior walls. Then, run the
    wires and pipes for your plumb-
    ing and electrical systems. I like
    to hire professionals to do most
    of the utilities, as these require
    a whole new skill set. If your in-
    sulation is water-permeable, this
    would be the time to hang some
    sort of vapor barrier to protect
    it from potential condensation
    problems.
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    12) Your interior wall finish can now
    be hung. I generally use thin, knotty
    pine tongue-and-groove paneling be-
    cause it is so light and easy to install,
    but drywall and other materials will
    work, too, so long as you do not ex-
    ceed your trailer’s weight limit.
    13) If your windows and doors are
    not in place by now, then this would
    be the time to insert them. You can
    also start building and/or installing
    any cabinetry and built-ins you in-
    tend to include.
    14) Put your integral appliances in
    place and trim your edges. I do tend
    to put the screws aside and use nails
    and glue for this part. Finish work is,
    by far, the most time-consuming part
    of the entire building process, but,
    when it is done, your house is done,
    too. Make yourself at home.
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    The finished product (right)

    Subtractive Design
    A well-designed little house is like an oversized house with the unusable
    parts removed. Such refinement is achieved through subtractive design —
    the