Small Things

Before I push off, I wanted to show off Miranda's amazing 40$ makeover. I had bought some pulls for a dresser I was going to refinish, but I never got around to completing that project. Since I gave the dresser away, I chose to keep the pulls as they fit Miranda perfectly. I got some more and replaced all the ugly gold pulls in the coach. What a difference!

Extreme Makeover: RV Edition, Part Two

Pictures, as promised! :-)

Sofa Covers:



My mother and her partner sewed these for me. The fabric ties in the colours of all the various woodwork in the coach, the green of the curtains, etc., and the gold of the trim while still being rustic enough in theme for me to feel that it reflects my style. You would think that I spent weeks looking for the perfect fabric instead of about five minutes of poking around the bargain section of a single fabric store! This fabric was just 3$ a metre! The big brown cushion was one my mother's partner no longer had any use for and it matches the fabric perfectly. The other cushion with the arm rests belonged to my dad and will ensure cozy nights lying there reading or watching movies.

Solar Panel:



Yes, I'm on the roof taking a picture of my solar panel. Want proof?

Here's what Pomette the toad looks like from up there:



Controller:



The solar panel is hooked up to this gadget that makes sure the battery isn't over charged. Right now, the light says 'charging.' It also tells me if the battery is fully charged.

What is that wooden thing on the wall by it?

Night Table:



More parts cannibalized from the useless bar! The tray slides under the mattress when not in use. Simple in its brilliance. My mother is such a genius.

Inverter:



Plugged directly into the battery, this inverter gives me 400W of 120V power. I can't believe that makes sense to me.

Camera:



The camera is a lot more discreet than I thought it would be.

Remote Control:



For the monitor. A useless picture, but it'll remind me that I need to find a more useful cab console for storing stuff.

Monitor:



I was going to provide a pic of what I see out the monitor, but you'll have to stay tuned for that. I got to Miranda today to find her engine battery dead. I have a theory why, but need to have it confirmed. By the time the excitement of giving her a boost (an advantage of having two engines!), the thought of getting a picture of the picture flew right of of my head.

Today, I brought a carload of stuff to the coach and actually put things away as best as I could. I wanted the empty boxes and I also needed to make room for next Saturday's onslaught. Two things I discovered are that the huge basement pass through is full (woe is me) and that my suitcase doesn't fit where I thought it would fit and I have no idea where else to put it (WOE is me).

Extreme Makeover: RV Edition, Part One

My mother and I got a ton of work done on the coach this weekend. I'm fortunate that I was able to get down to her place and that she was available. We had the full resources of her workshop at her disposal. As we raced through Home Depot on Saturday morning she said that she felt that she was on one of those tv shows where you have to decorate on time and on budget and I have to agree!

I'll start off with a bit of info on the drive down Friday. The weather was awful, alternating pouring rain with bright sun, but I had no choice, I needed to arrive that night, so I took off. The drive was really quite easy; I even felt comfortable enough to pass slow pokes. Montreal was harrowing, but Miranda made it through unscathed.

The most exciting part of the drive was stopping off for fuel. I wasn't sure if Miranda would fit under the overhang.

I'll let pictures tell the rest of the weekend's story. :-)

Next weekend, I'll have more pictures of the back room renovations; I'm just waiting for some sewing to be done to be able to show things off properly. :-)

Kilometres driven this weekend: just shy of 500.

Sore, Very Sore

Wow, my body has really forgotten what these sorts of days are like. I really don't have the stamina for weekend-long renovation bursts like I did when I had the house. I could barely move when I got up this morning, so I puttered around a bit until I limbered up. Then, it was off to North Gower by way of Home Depot (needed another box of 'chocolate') and more carpet ripping out until I couldn't move at all any more.

First order of business was to finish ripping out the carpet in the study. That done, it was time to rip out the carpet in the dining/lounge area. That proved to be... fun. I can't remove the chairs so I had to cut around them. Same thing for the dinette benches. Have you any idea how much work (and blades and dust) is involved in cutting carpet?

Before I started, I looked at the bar:



Not entirely useless (there is a table), but almost. I opened the door and discovered that the bar was attached to the coach with only four screws. Away with it!



EEEP! I thought the carpet was in good shape. This really showed me how worn and disgusting it actually was! I kept the bar for parts but will most definitely be putting a bookcase between the chairs. Unfortunately, Ikea has the very thing I'm envisioning, so I'll have to go there.

The dining area, before:



The dining area, during:



The dining area, after:



Again, I just need to put on some trim.

The biggest problem I faced was how far back to cut the carpet:



I decided that I was better off not going right to the edge of the cockpit:



I cut a straight line there and will install a threshold thingamabob to bridge the gap.

This room isn't finished. By the time I got done with the half I did do, I was beat. What's left will involve a lot of cutting, measuring, and fiddling, so I felt it best to leave it for next week. I just put wax paper down over the stick strips to keep dust off them.

What about the desk, you ask.

Next week. I'm taking the shake down cruise of all shake down cruises: going to Montreal's south shore to visit family. If I can traverse the island of Montreal in one piece, I will have nothing to fear after. My mother is much more skilled and creative than I am in matters of carpentry, so she'll help me put together a desk. While there, I'll also dewinterize the coach (it'll be SO NICE to have the bathroom working, LOL!) and possibly wire the back up camera monitor.

The End of a Dream

This morning, as I slowly eased Miranda into a parking spot at Home Depot and then shortly thereafter began to rip apart the back room, I realised that a lifetime's worth of dreaming had come to an end. For better or for worse, I have begun to live my dream. And, thus, the dream is now reality. What will I dream of now?

*pauses*

So, I made it to Home Depot this morning. I decided to forgo the backup monitor installation and leave it for next weekend. I'll be taking Miranda for her first overnight expedition and that will be a nice project to undertake then.

Step 1: Get the mattresses out of there



Step 2: Dismantle the right-side box



After taking apart that box on the right side, I decided that I didn't want to muck around with the left-side box as glue is involved. So, carpet removal and floor installation would have to go around it.

Step 3: Carefully remove any trim so that I might be able to reuse it.
Step 3A: Find money!




Step 4: Marvel that the coach has wooden floors. Which explains why it cost twice what the mobile house cost.



Step 5: Find cardboard. Blink.



Step 6: Check to see if the room is square. It is. Blink.



Step 7: Install flooring. Takes about an hour and a half once you figure out the best way to lay it out.
Step 7A: Waste only one piece because you can't measure.
Step 7B: Pat yourself on the back.



This is Allure flooring in 'chocolate', available exclusively at Home Depot. It is a combination of floating floor and peel 'n stick tiles. You get a strip of three 1'x1' vinyl tiles (so the strip is 1'x3') with sticky tabs that interlock. It's quite easy to work with, although getting tight joints is tough. I'd give my results a 9 out of 10. To cut, just score deeply with a utility knife, bend, and snap (like drywall, only tougher). So, it's a really easy product to work with and produces results very quickly.

Step 8: Reinstall the trim you saved and the little threshold thingie that creates a joint between the hardwood and the vinyl.



Don't they look nice together?!

Left to do in this room is to rip out the carpet on the upper portion of the floor and then finish up the trim. I wanted to wait until the desk was in before doing the final touch ups. Plus, by the time the floor was in it was 3:30 and I was exhausted!

Tomorrow, I'm going back there to look for desk materials so I can finish up this project. I stopped off at Ikea on the way home (literally on the way) and was reminded that I hate to shop there. So, hopefully the Home Depot will have the necessary materials to build a nice desk area.

I stacked the two mattresses on the left side and discovered that the 'sofa' is going to be pretty high up off the floor. I'll live with it that way since I don't want to get rid of the second mattress at this time.

Finally, the right-side headboard is going to be such a nightmare to remove that I think it's going to stay. I just had an idea of how to incorporate it into the desk design--it'll make a perfect push pin board!

Today's mileage: Another 30km!

Decisions, Decisions

I went back to the storage place last night with a friend so I could show off Miranda and also get her opinion on which bed to rip out and replace with a desk. My friend also wound up hauling boxes, but that was not my intent for bringing down there, LOL!

So, I wanted to rip out the bed on the left. The bedroom isn't symmetrical and the left side has a wider wall. I felt that I could tuck both a desk and a chair away and have them not be visible from the kitchen, as evidenced in one of my pictures on Flickr.

Also, the right-side bed has a drop down table, so I felt that it was conveniently set up for use as a couch, even if the electrical plug and heater are on that side.

The previous owner told me that, having lived in the coach for six months, she felt that the right-side bed should be the one to go, pointing out the wider wall and the electrical outlet. I didn't find her arguments convincing.

My friend also suggested I take out the right-side bed, telling me that I won't have guests often, but when I do, the wider wall of the left side will make a sort of alcove that will offer much needed privacy in such a small space.

That settled it.

Another decision to make is where to put the litter box. I am seriously considering giving up the space under the 'sofa' and dedicating it to the cat box. I had hoped to be able to put the box in the basement, but there are no convenient places in which to do so. My other option is to put it in the storage space below the wardrobe, but that would require removing a door. I think that making a discreet hole in the base of the 'sofa' makes more sense. The final option was to put the box in the cockpit, either between the two seats or at the foot of the passenger seat, but that area is carpeted and will remain carpeted, so I don't feel that's a good idea.

I had hoped to be able to remove one of the lounge chairs and the bar at some point to replace them with a credenza/bookcase. The chairs are bolted down and I couldn't immediately see a way to remove them, so I might have to live with them.

Then, I discovered that the material covering the chairs and dinette benches also covers the ceiling of the cockpit. I've decided that I therefore have to live with this material. That said, I still want to remove as much of the sage green curtains as I can (I used to love that colour, but now I just see my cubicle!!!) and play up the other colours in the fabric--there's blue, pink, gold, and peach, so I know I'll be able to do do something I can live with. I'm also pretty sure I'll need to replace the mini blinds at some point since Tabitha and Neelix will surely destroy them.

Finally, I feel that the space above the fridge was poorly designed, so I'm going to spring for a cabinet for up there. I'll be unable to match Miranda's woodwork, so I think I'll go for open shelves and use the space for books.

Introducing Miranda

Miranda is an impeccable 31' Glendale Royal Classic.

Here's a plan of her layout. The only difference between this diagram and real life is that I have a rear twin bed configuration instead of a queen bed. But this will at least make it possible to put the pictures in their proper context.



I've put the pictures on a Flickr slide show. These are pictures taken by the seller. I will add my own later, especially as I make my modifications.

So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce my Miranda.