The envelope of my 144SF tiny house required a lot of research. As many tiny house builders and enthusiasts know, such a small structure has unique issues with moisture, energy, heat retention, airflow, cooling and design.

A word about why I chose the aluminum flashing vapor barrier vs. a radiant barrier with bubble wrap. When I grew up in Minnesota, we had lake homes and cabins where “critters” had eaten through all kinds of softer material like cardboard, bubble wrap, tin foil, thin masonite and 1/4″ plywood, among other things.

Although I love wildlife, I am concerned that could easily happen under my sub-flooring with all those “critters”  visiting me when I start touring the US and so  I chose a variety of R value solutions.

I want to make sure the Silver Bullet envelope is as watertight (yet breathable), as durable, recyclable and repurposable as possible. That means that some of my choices will be different than others.

After speaking with several manufacturers I chose the EcoFoil single layer perforated barrier.  It is more time consuming to install than just wrapping your floor framing; however, it will allow me to sleep more soundly knowing my sub-flooring is secure and more energy efficient.

1. I continued with the remaining bracing of the subfloor framing.

2. Blocked out plumbing, and installed Owens Corning for structural rigidity.

3. Installed Bonded Logic Blue Jean insulation for additional R value

4. Installed EcoFoil radiant barrier per their specialist, David Arnold.

EcoFoil’s article about the Silver Bullet

Note: This was a busy week as I am preparing my reclamation show artwork whenever it rains (which was 5 days this week) and so Saturday was the only dry day for building outside.