Lookouts!

Also known as outriggers or ladder rafters, these rafters stick out over the end of the building to support roof overhang at the the gable end, i.e. the rake.

There is a variety of ways that the rake overhang can be framed. I eventually chose to use 2x4s laid flat (relative to the roof slope) and cantilevered, so that they hang out beyond the edge about half as far as they project in. Each 2x4 lookout is attached to two regular rafters: it passes through a notch cut in the first (end) rafter and is nailed there, then continues to the second rafter and is end-nailed to it.

Cantilevered lookouts

From what I've read on online construction forums (naturally, a premier source of information...), the lookouts only need to be spaced about 48" on center. Mine are a little less than that, more like 43". I don't hope to live somewhere with major snow loads, otherwise I might have added another rafter and made them closer together. Apparently some rake overhangs are built without any lookouts at all, so I figure I'm already ahead of the game, right?

I'm considering leaving the rakes exposed, that is, not covering the undersides of the overhang with a soffit. In case I leave it open, I shou sugi ban'ed the exposed portions of the lookouts, so they'll match the fascia boards and verge rafters.

Shou sugi ban Douglas fir 2x4s

Shou sugi ban Douglas fir closeup

I've decided to go with an approximately 12" rake overhang at both ends of the tiny house, along with the 3" overhang along the sides. I'm limited as to the width of my house by DOT regulations, but at this point, any added length is up to me--keeping in mind that a large rake overhang can catch the wind as the house barrels down the highway! Tiny houses are not where you want to be having mega dramatic, soaring overhangs, unless they can be removed or folded securely away during transit... or else the overhangs might not be the only things that are "soaring"! 
 

And the other end... plus blocking!

 In other news today, we finished installing the blocking between rafters! Of the 20 pieces of blocking, I installed about... uh... four... before (sigh) giving up and handing the job back to Dad. For some reason, it was super hard to nail those suckers in! Let alone nail them in and keep them in the position I wanted them! I'm a novice at toenailing--that is, nailing at an angle to attach two pieces together--so that was awkward for me, plus I kept bending the nails... because I'm a novice at nailing in general, I guess. Plus, we're using hot-dipped galvanized nails, which have a very rough surface, meaning they are relatively hard to pound in and really hard (nearly impossible, for no-upper-body-strength me on a ladder) to pull back out if you make a mistake. On the other hand, I'm confident that everything is stuck on pretty darned permanently... even if the ones I installed are stuck on permanently at weird angles...

Building a tiny house has definitely been a psychological workout for the perfectionist in me!