Here is my journey of the building and use of pico-dwelling, from most recent, back to the beginning in 2003. Years! Fixing up the ceiling after three significant water leak episodes from above, and some needed touch-up. I also added a motorized window shade! 2024 I'm mostly remote, so not much new pico action, but how about an artificial intelligence haiku authored by OpenAI's ChatGPT tool? 2023 A visit in February of 2022. COVID-19 still going but fading, and it is much closer to normal in Seattle. 2022 Somehow we have arrived at 2021, which was supposed to be the future! COVID-19 still raging, but vaccines out… 2021 Posting an old September 2007 picture from the early build phase - subfloor down, working on walls and party prep. [ml] 2020 A couple of unusual reported events that need to be captured from the window: A brisk Seattle hail storm, during the COVID-19 stay-at-home phase of the 21st Century. [*] 2020 A significant pico event - Allison moves on after 5 full years living in pico-dwelling! Cleaning up after a recent water leak from somewhere above the ceiling. And, a new chair. [“”] 2020 I've finally tallied up all the receipts in the build-receipt shoebox. Just under twenty-nine thousand dollars. Not entirely sure what's in and what's out, but the build cost was this plus more, 2003-2012. 2019 I'm not quite sure how this video came to be...? The decimal is pico, or ten to the minus 12 power, one trillionth. I discovered it on YouTube quite by chance the other day. 2018 Rerun of the Discovery Channel pico interview that first aired in June of 2015 - hearing of it from across the country today! Thanks for the TV broadcast image, Nader! 2017 A small pico-reference in a really great piece on the style of Allison, Style Magazine for February 2017, page 32! 2017 Web of pico-dwelling interest around the US on a day in March, via Google Analytics. 2016 Ok, it's time to write the book! I'm looking for a writing/editing/graphics/keep-it-going partner to engage in this momentous task to write the book on pico. Inquire within, and then email me. 2016 A copy of Deek's book arrived in the mail! It's beautiful, and it even has a few pico-dwelling feature pages! Thanks again Deek! 2015 Some of Allison's ceramic wares from "Flat White" by Sarah Kaye. 2015 Life ongoing in pico-dwelling with a perfect square egg and a sprouting ginger root. 2015 The next pico-video-fun is scheduled to air after midday on Sunday, the 14th of June - a one hour program called "Ultimate Homes" "Tiny Houses", and my segment may be around 7 minutes! Thank you, Carole and all the others! 2015 Some more pico-in-the-press via BBC, Toronto with Live small, be happy? The next new big thing. Thank you, Vikram! 2015 A visit for a bit of maintenance (with some obligatory hand abuse) - sealing the counter backsplash, and some tub-testing. 2015 New Seattle Times Pacific NW Magazine pico press! Article: "Seattle's micro-housing boom offers an affordable alternative". The S.T. people are most excellent! [*] 2015 Planning for Allison to test-drive the pico-dwelling for a while! 2015 A trip back to Seattle for even more video shooting for an upcoming television show on extreme homes! Thanks! 2015 I've put a light in the tub for a photo before for this effect, but this is the sun illuminating the tub through the top panel to make the whole thing glow. 2015 Into the year 2015, and I've got to move to Long Beach, CA, and not sure what more I'll be able to do for a while. Thank you for following! 2015 [Up to] and down upon pico from the Needle on a beautiful last day of 2014. 2014 One of the things that comes up when I search for "pico" is the Pico House in Los Angeles (and it's haunted). 2014 A second visit by Ben for a another round of supremely-skilled photographic fun and great conversation - Thank you! 2014 A visit by Susan for a really good conversation about small housing and the pico's place in it. (I very nearly missed grabbing a photo:). Thanks! 2014 A rare and welcome assemblage of vintage vehicles, four afore the pico on a crisp autumn day. 2014 Jillian requested some images for a CNNMoney web article entitled "Tiny living around the world". Thanks! 2014 Off to stay in a little room on a big boat (The Queen Mary). Later... the room [A108] turned out not to be especially small. Cool experience! [*] 2014 Shooting and stuff. Warhol's Paillard Bolex H16. 2014 Visitors from Germany, Jonas and Mima. Mima is working on a thesis project - a magazine on sustainable living. Thanks for the visit! [!! !!] 2014 The little refrigerator cries out for attention by freezing some nice water, thus breaking the containing glass vessels :<. 2014 Getting started on an art film, a pico-noir, featuring Lindsey and several other big stars... [*] 2014 An A&E Networks, FYI TV video segment in within a Tiny House Nation episode! Dry-tubbing in the pico. Thank you, Sarah! 2014 Visitors Hoang, Joseph, and Ngoc came by to take a look - thanks for the interest! 2014 At breakfast at the Kybele Hotel in Istanbul, I encountered a guy from Russia who has seen a pico-dwelling video! 2014 Good times with Andrew while he shoots photos that should one day appear in a book. Thank you! 2014 Another video shoot for a TV show. Thanks Colleen and crew! 2014 A go at troubleshooting the broken Fisher & Paykel dishwasher, but half-heartedly and without information. I may just ditch it and build a drying rack... 2014 I've designed a bike lift, and forwarded my sketch to a steel fabricator - it might just work!?. 2014 A template to expand the AC wall duct from 4-inches to 6-inches. Much hard work to get to PI*(1.5*R)^2 for better flow! 2014 More little repairs: Fix cracked plaster on the heater box, paint more cover panels, new wooden block for the light switch bay. 2014 12000 BTU portable air-conditioner (free, from the trash!), wood plenum to direct air, exhaust duct to window, water catchment tray for leaks. Chilling performance data [mouse-over picture]. 2014 Added a removable panel in the top of the shelf to conceal electrical connections and wireless remote outlet for the red lamp above. 2014 Getting starting on the experimental thermodynamics laboratory. Air quality is really important, and really difficult to manage, but the air shall abide! 2014 Almost finished with an outside-air-vent direct-powered solar blower gadget to mount on the window frame. And installed in the [stowed position]! 2014 While throwing away someone's littered drink cup in the alley, I found in the recycle bin the exact thing that I wanted; a half-round yoga foam thing, to support my video lounge bench! Karmic dumpster exchange! [tombo, blue!] 2014 I've been gathering simple coffee tools for awhile, and I've finally run some grinds through a Moka-style espresso maker. Also fixed a wall-shelf. 2014 Taking care of more small irregularities: Concrete patch under the entry door, fillers and covers, trim painting, wood floor oiling, and wall touch-up. 2014 Door trim pieces from scrap bamboo flooring, cut, fastened, and painted white. 2014 An exposed steam pipe elbow needs a cover - a partial box with three faces, painted white. [cover view] 2014 Working on door trim, to be painted white. [mouseover; the pipe-hiding box]. 2014 Getting a feeling for the right step pitch - planning to use 12-inch space between steps, like this old ladder. 2014 As the very few remaining 'villianous' light bulbs expire, I'm moving to LED bulbs, which seem to work well, last a long time. However, Costco "dimmable" PAR20 LED bulbs installed in my range hood, flashed on the low-light setting. 2014 Stainless tube from Online Metals to start the creation of steps to the café deck, transport via new Masi project bike. 2014 I've applied some red fire-barrier intumescent sealant to the gas pipe penetrations and the electrical panel conduit penetrations. [sealant] 2014 Trying some as-seen-on-TV rubberized spray goop to 'seal' the floor in the closet above my unit, hoping to inhibit potential leaks from the several water valves there. 2014 The funky old alley door latch is broken again. Critical problems like this 'resolve themselves' slowly in the Co-op, and "door broke" is accurate - the door has no money. [mouseover image: magnified sign] 2014 Fooling around with a light under the tub lid, and dayglo O'brien above. [oo] [mouseover image: another view] 2014 And it was pico-party-12, shortly after the vernal equinox of 2014. Perfect weather, great guests, good times, Mars! [l] 2014 Trying more photos with Bruce's Nikon D200. Conclusion: I'm tired of exotic cameras, and of trying to get print-quality photos in this place, so I shall stop. Back to iPhone! 2014 The fourth pico-music device is installed, and it is quite good; a TDK speaker cube w/ bluetooth! Preceded by a Capello bluetooth box, preceded by Audio Engine 5 and 2 speaker/amp systems. 2014 A fiery foggy finish to 2013 and some late-year cautionary publicity from the UK's tabloid, The Daily Mail.  Oooh, small badness! [mouseover image: headline] 2014 A web article by Tilly Pick on Pinterest and SlideShare. Thanks! 2013 A web article for Hong Kong based KIOSK from requested photos and interview questions! Thanks, TC! 2013 New 8mm fisheye lens for Pentax K-01 is cool, but haven't created a really sharp image yet... GoPro2 still reigns supreme. 2013 New shower head with water-generator LED-light water-temperature-indicating! 2013 Waiting for a new 180-degree wide-angle lens in a quest for high-quality photos. Late-year sun! 2013 Doing some photo shooting to respond to more press requests. Difficult place to photograph! Video Lounge view. 2013 There's a continual battle with the graffiti rats in the Big City. Pre-dawn paint-over. (Though, the relentless Seattle parking patrol tire chalk tags are more annoying). 2013 Fast Company asked for a phone interview and some photos, and posted a nice Web article. Thank you, Sydney! 2013 Design Milk requested photos and info for blog post with a link to the faircompanies.com video. Thanks, Caroline! 2013 Spent a fun couple of hours with Kirsten of faircompanies.com, shooting for a video interview/tour. Thank you! 2013 Pico visitor and boarder and local all-around good guy, Steve. 2013 HGTV aired a well-produced video segment in the 19 May Extreme Homes episode "Sled, Temple, Houseboat". Many thanks to HGTV and to Pioneer TV! 2013 And another appliance failure, this time the little dehumidifier. A little relay inside starting buzzing, and I couldn't make it recover... [mouseover image: together view] 2013 I have one installed appliance with electronics, and it has failed. The Fisher & Paykel drawer-washdisher main motor turns itself on (in power off mode) and spins madly against an absence of water. 2013 A pico visitor for in April/May. Thanks, Lena! 2013 Floor sealed and all tiles cleaned. I'm calling it done. 2013 Concrete cured, spackled with concrete patch, painted with grout whitener, almost there. 2013 I've built a form and poured a concrete front perimeter for the shower base. 2013 The end/start of another year! 2013 Back from vacation; back to tiling the bathroom floor with vigor and vim and beer and protective gear. 2012 Preparation of the bathroom floor for tiling by stripping a mortar skim-coat with a powered wire brush. Not enjoying the big ol' dusty mess. [*] 2012 I spent a day with Pascal, Alex, and Patrick shooting video. Thanks guys! 2012 After breakfast with a couple of pico-boarders, Matt and Mark (and Chief Sealth back there). 2012 Preparing to tile the floor of the bathroom. Tile ordered, gathering supplies, tools, and steam. 2012 Oh no, it's a German tanzen party called pico-party-11! UnitE for food, drink, and merriment, 3nov12. [party view] 2012 I've completed a frame and aluminum security cover for my electrical panel in the basement hallway. The larger cabinet contains gas meters. [zap guy] 2012 Restoring the window trim around the fresh air vent with Bondo. 2012 Working on the fresh air vent in the window frame - aluminum duct installed. 2012 Certificate of Occupancy and letter from the DPD received: "The described premises may be legally occupied"! 2012 Final inspection to construction permit - PASSED! Two full years of approval-wrangling! Certificate of Occupancy requested. 2012 Heat detector installation Electrical inspection - PASS, then Fire inspection - PASS! 2012 I'm finished building two new storage lockers in the building's laundry room. 2012 Heat detector installed above the door and wired to the nearby hallway fire bell. Waiting for PF&S to coordinate inspections. [fire bell] 2012 Keeping it all going by building new storage lockers in the building to squelch the ridiculous sto-rage unrest resulting from my repair and occupation of a vacant locker. 2012 Taking a small peace break as I start in on what is supposed to be the last piece of permitting - fire sprinklers. There is an exception in the Code that may apply - working to find out... 2012 And after a big outlay of time, money, and stress, a new City-approved electrical installation. Nevertheless, thanks Mike, Steve, and Tim! 2012 The permitting process is driving an update to the electrical system. Mike (and Steve) working on the new electrical installation. 2012 The storage locker is cleaned up, secured, and for now, purposed as a gallery for Mona Latina. (But then a bizarre struggle with the Coop Board over locker assignment raged on and on and on.) 2012 A visit by Deek and Chris for a video interview - thanks very much for stopping by! 2012 Inspection for structural, framing, insulation permit compliance today - 22feb12 - PASSED. Electrical and Fire pending. 2012 And today, 12jan12, all DPD permit application Project Reviews show "Approved"! That took 14 months! (False summit, though.) 2012 And that's it for 2011! 2012 Code Modification / Alternate Request approval from DPD! 2011 A storage locker is one of the requirements for permitting as a residential unit, so, after repairs, frame/rehang the door - a storage locker. 2011 Colors around the food table somewhere in the night. Eighteen guests at the peak! What a time! picoparty10! Thanks for coming! [party view] 2011 Removed the [unGreen] kitchen sink disposal and installed a regular drain cup and p-trap. 2011 It seems I'm getting close to approval by the City! So, an encouraging 'legalize it' party shall ensue on the solstice! 2011 Added several large-diameter holes in the cabinet to allow for more tricky (invisible) wire routing. 2011 A new (Windorco) double-pane insulated window installed. Quieter, warmer, better dust seals, screen, and a required outside air vent. 2011 Good meeting at the DPD with a plan for closure... 2011 Just trying to get it approved by the City before the End. 2011 Visitors, Gabe and Dana; great discussion about design! 2011 A visit by Sally Clark! With Jan, David (hidden by faucet, out left), Dana, and Steve (me). 2011 Winter into Spring, and no new work on the pico-dwelling as I expend my time and energy for the DPD-mill. 2011 A big roll of drawings on a big pile of papers in preparation for DPD intake meeting. Intake accepted, now to wait for review comments... 2011 A GIS screen shot at the DPD. 2011 will be about permitting... 2011 Continue back in time: 2010 to 2003 >>> 2011
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