Well… darn

So, my laptop took a bit of a… to put it lightly… nosedive… and I lost alot of photos, but here are some updates:

#1. The maps have gone up the wall and around the ceiling, they end above the bed where a storage bunk will be added.

#2. The closet has been built over the wheel well, for shelving and hanging shirts.

(pic was lost with laptop crash… more coming soon….)

#3. The cushions are re-covered (sorry, another lost pic), the table installed but I will be making a new one, I dont like this one as much as I thought I would.

#4. The Bed frame is put in

(again……)

#5. The kitchen has been put in, it will have a skirt under the sink, hiding the 5 gallon “clean” and “grey” water bottles. I refinished the sink. I painted the countertop a faux marble/granite.

 

So yeah, more pics coming soon… I’ll take some tomorrow in the light. Its so so much further than this.

In fact, all thats left is curtains, buying a mattress for the bed, framing out the window, building the extra shelf above the bed, making a door for the closet, putting in new flooring, and cutting a new table- which may sound like alot but its not!

One more thing…

The trailer will be making its first BIG trip in June. My friend Mikaela an I will be driving up to Washington to participate in the 2012 TEARS Foundation Rock & Walk. Read more about our trip here: http://silverfirsfarm.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/the-tears-foundation-project/

To prepare, we’re going to:

1. put new bearings on the trailer, grab a spare as well, and practice changing a tire on the bad boy.
2. teach Mikki to drive, and get her a license!! She may not pull the trailer but in case of emergencies she needs to know how.
3. stock the trailer with safety triangles, flares, fire extinguisher, extra cans of propane, flashlights, batteries….

and probably more I havent thought of, right?

Progress….

The weather hasnt been the best for awhile, so we took a little break from the trailer- but this past weekend alot of important work was slammed out, making it possible for me to start working on the interior decor.

We built the bed frame, a piano hinge is on the back, allowing us access to precious storage space below. We are going to insulate under there as well, as soon as all the junk is cleaned off the top (one thing at a time…) and it fits a queen bed. We may build storage shelves above the bed, instead of a bunk, as well.

The kitchen area is untouched, I havent decided yet how I would like it to look- but I am close to a decision. I think.

The bench we had to knock out has been rebuilt, and I finally settled on a color scheme… inspired by the ’60s we’re going for a bright poppy orange and (aqua) blue color scheme. The bed base, cabinets, and benches are all orange- it pops so nicely against the maps! The fabric will be blue and maybe some blue an orange print if I can find one I like. I found some 1960′s green drinking glasses I’m excited to bring in, and I’ll just have pops of color everywhere!

The table hasnt been re-cut yet, I’m still pondering what kind of system I’d like to use on it… folding legs? A post? We’ll see….

The cushions for the bench/table are being re-covered today or tomorrow, it really depends on my kids – sewing with them over my shoulder is basically impossible.

We havent decided what to build next to the bed on the other side yet, but I am leaning towards a shallow closet with a door that we can store shoes, toiletries, and that type of stuff in. I have to draw a few examples so we can stare at them, bicker over them a bit, and decide which one we want to go with (aka which one hubby prefers to build)… thats pretty much how we do things around here.

One last thing: That “buddy” spaceheater? AWESOME! Its indoor safe and has safety shut offs, but they suggest leaving a window cracked just in case. Even with a window cracked the space heater warmed my whole trailer in about 20 minutes, and then set to low, kept it warm in our 25* weather! I bumped into it and it shut off, as designed, but I’m also able to move it without it going out every time- so it has just the right amount of control in that regard. I’m really pleased with it, and it will allow us to camp earlier and later in the season. I’m not sure its enough to want to camp in cold weather like this, after all this trailer doesnt have a bathroom so thats one icy trip outside to potty… but its a great comfort knowing its there!

Snow

Nothing being done currently… we’ve been busy beavers preparing for the winter, however we’ll be getting started on the interior again soon. We’re 100% wired up, 100% painted and cleaned up, and ready for some new guts!

Maps!

Well, I’m not 100% satisfied with it, but its almost done! I might go back and layer some more maps over the top, add little interesting things on… but the basics are finished! It looks like wallpaper to me which is fun, and I love the colors!

Just a tip: you dont need to buy expensive modge podge for this. Simple “school glue” or “elmers” which you can usually find for around .50c a bottle on sale, mixed 50/50 with water: decoupage medium! I swear it works just as well, it takes a bit longer to dry but its much more forgiving and has a nice sheen without being shiny. I just did a nice layer on the wood, layed down my maps being careful not to get air bubbles (but I did let it wrinkle which I kinda love!) and then do a nice thin coat over the top to seal it.

I got the maps at a local map/school supply store for $4.00 each, I used 4 total for a total project cost of under $20.

Three bottles of glue: $1.50, maps $16.00, paintbrush $1.00

So close

OK a post is STILL coming about electrical, but its hard to get the hubby to sit down and write something this time of year, hes got work, college, fall yardwork, the trailer, a wife, two kids, two dogs, two cats…

in the meantime, some updated photos. The ceiling is done, the walls are patched and wallpapered, and I’ve just finished painting it a creamy white, not bright white but still bright enough to smooth over imperfections. A paint tip I learned long ago: imperfect walls you should always use a satin or eggshell, as semigloss or anything shiny will actually make the imperfections stand out more. So I used an eggshell finish and in just under an hour I had a nice coat of paint on the walls and ceiling. We will re-install the light fixtures later, and I’ll be working on sewing for a few days I’m sure. I need to sew covers for the cushions for the benches, a cover for the cushion that will go on the bunk (when its re-built) and sew new curtains for the windows, as well as a skirt for the sink.

To be built:
We need to rebuild the left bench, we saved the old front piece as a template
We need to build the kitchen sink area and choose a countertop
We need to build the bed platform, the entire top will lift up and have storage underneath
We need to build some kind of storage solution for the right wall, where the closet used to be
We need to install new flooring (most likely peel and stick tiles)
We need to trim out all the screw holes in the ceiling, we’ll just do lines of thin strips of trim
We need to trim out where the ceiling meets the walls
We need to install the sink and hand pump system

I’m sure there is a bit more but really, the list is getting smaller and smaller!!

Some photos!

WE HAZ CEILING!!

Sorry, lolcatspazzed out there for a minute.

This weekend was wrapping up the wiring, replacing the insulation with fresh and new, and replacing the ceiling panels. We chose masonite as our ceiling material because its cheap (8×4 for 8.00 a panel) and it bends really well. It can be tricky to cut, and screws and nails tend to want to just pop right through it, but once you get the hang of it, it goes smoothly.

My advice for working with masonite: measure 4 times, no, 5 times… cut with a very nice sharp saw, and remember to measure your curve. What do I mean by that? Well if you measure direct, without curving your measuring tape with the board, your piece will be too short. Also, make sure you are cutting your pieces so the edge falls on a support beam, otherwise what will you nail or screw into? PS, we used screws. Our arms were SO sore holding the panels up, but the results were perfect.

I’ll be cleaning it up, sanding it, and painting. I thought about wallpapering the roof with “pressed tin looking” wallpaper but I just dont want to blow the budget with all these cute details at this stage. I certainly can go back and add these things later if I feel like I need to. We’ll also be trimming out where the roof meets the ceiling, but thanks to our super precise cuts the gap is quite small if any!

Strips of thin trim will cover the screw lines, and the whole ceiling will go a bright color. I’m thinking a pretty blue, similar to the color of the ocean in most maps, which I’ll be decoupaging the back wall in- so it will tie in.

So on the list for me this week (two more days till husbands weekend again):

• Fill all holes, find and rip out an nails we might have missed, sand and prime the walls.
• Hand beadboard wallpaper on walls
• Fill all holes in ceiling, sand and prime.
• Go in search of old maps/road maps/atlas for decoupage

Trips

I have a post coming up so so soon (I promise!!!) about wiring… [I'm so excited, my super brilliant hubby wired up an extention cord for us when we're somewhere we can "plug in" which run two very nice sconces, and over 6 plugs) and we have a marine battery in there that runs three lights when we arent somewhere we can plug in.]

But in the meantime, here are some trip inspiration boards I’ve been working on… Next summer we know we’re making a coast trip to honor my grandma, who passed away this summer… and we will almost certainly go back to Yellowstone as its only 5 hours from home, but beyond that we have no solid plans. I’m going to start putting these together so we can decide with a glance where we want to go. Some might be a bit out of reach with such small kids but someday….

Wiring, wiring, wiring

For two days this weekend, as it was pouring down rain- the hubs was outside working on the wiring. The old lights didnt work so the previous owners had used temporary magnetic towing lights. We bought new lights and husband has sucessfully rewired the trailer lights, so we are safe and legal to cruise down the highway. That was actually the hard part, he says.

Next hes working on the interior lights. I picked the very simple standard two sided interior light, and hes going to put one by the “kitchen/dining” area, and one over by the bed. I also only require two outlets, one by the bed, and one by the kitchen dining area. We’re calling about a battery right now. A Marine battery, apparently? I dont know, I’ll let the hubs tell you about it later.

I’ve been out of the trailer for a bit, due to some really exciting work stuff. I’ve made a few major decisions about the inside, however.

#1. Our kitchen cabinets are no more, $170 just seemed like too much an expense and pain in the butt considering we have to cut into them anyways, to cover the wheel, so we are going to instead build a simple frame out of ply, and have a curtained sink area. That will allow tons of storage space below for our two 5 gallon jugs (grey and clean water).

I also purchased the rail system from IKEA I had talked about, so all the storage in the kitchen will be wall storage. I bought a wine rack to use with rolled up towels, towels, a curtain rod that hangs from the ceiling so we can curtain off the “bed” area if we choose, and in IKEA’s as is section I found some really great super cheap curtains that I’ll actually likely be using as pillows and the sink skirt.

 

Meanwhile one of my ever so helpful kids spilled soda on my laptop and its done… its dead. Also, I’ve had a big order for my store, and I’ve been working non stop- so the trailer is sitting pretty in the meantime. Brian promised he’d do a little post, but we’ll see….

Well, it rained

it rained HARD last night. I was hoping the rain would hold off for awhile, because we havent done the roof seal coat yet, and the people we bought the trailer from had replaced the vent- so I wasnt certain of its holding power considering all of their other “repairs”.

Plus, all of the cushions are currently piled in the driveway under a tarp. Oops, but nowhere else to put them, frankly.

So I just wandered out to take a look…

NO WATER IN THE TRAILER! NOWHERE! I checked every seam, every corner, every vent, every window… nada!

 

 

 

 

…..sadly, cushions act alot like sponges when completely and totally waterlogged. Woops.