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.

Discoveries

I went back to Miranda tonight to hopefully finish the floors. I almost got done before I ran out of light and steam. I'm at the 'really finicky lots of measuring and fitting of itty bitty pieces in a tiny space stage', which is not fun at all.

I've made two discoveries this week.

Until Sunday, Miranda had a secret basement compartment with a door I couldn't open. I tried every key and had my friend try, too, when she came last Tuesday. Neither one of us could get that door open. Sunday, I decided to try again and I got in (wish I could remember what key I used). Guess what I found behind the door? An outdoor shower!!! YES! *score*! And there I was disappointed that not only do I have a rig without enclosed tanks, I also don't have an outdoor shower. My rig is truly awesome! :-)

Second discovery came from spending about an hour sitting on the entrance steps. I looked up and noticed a switch under the kitchen counter, just above the drawers. I'd of course seen it in pictures, but hadn't really clued in to the fact that there was something there. Curious, I hit the switch. Miranda roared to life. Yes, folks. I found the on switch for the generator. I had no idea that a generator could be turned on from inside! There's even a little counter that keeps track of the generator hours. I'll be filling up the tank on Friday and will exercise the generator this weekend.

Tonight was the first time I turned lights on in the rig and doing so caused a shift in consciousness. Miranda is parked by her lonesome in a rural setting, by farmland, and surrounded by trees. Soon as the sun set, the crickets came out. As I turned lights on in my current metal tube on wheels set in such a familiar setting, I was instantly home. I can't wait to move in.

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!

Reading. More Reading. Yet More Reading.

Tomorrow will be my first full day all alone with Miranda.

I've been reading a lot this week.

Miranda's various manuals have proven invaluable in making me feel that I can learn her systems on my own, without anyone to help me. The Ford manuals (and, incidentally, I can't believe I own a Ford), has schematics of the electrical set up which will aid me in installing the backup camera monitor.

Also, I purchased the following two books on Amazon:

Managing 12 Volts: How to Upgrade, Operate, and Troubleshoot 12 Volt Electrical Systems

and

RV Repair and Maintenance Manual: Updated and Expanded (RV Repair and Maintenance Manual)

Neither is the sort of book you want to curl up in bed with (unless you want to be put to sleep!), but they are very informative and will be helpful tomorrow as I start to make modifications to my coach. The language used in both tomes is precise, but doesn't fall into 'technobabble.'

Unfortunately, 'they're' calling for rain all weekend, so I probably won't be able to install my back up camera. I will try to do the inside work, though, and will then focus on getting the study set up.

I plan to spend about an hour with Miranda at the storage place, unloading more boxes, securing what's been unloaded, trying out the awning, and making sure I know where various components like the water heater and furnace are. Then, we're off to Home Depot and then possibly Ikea and Lee Valley. I made a list of what I want at the latter and their prices, so that I can compare products at the Home Depot.

Tomorrow's 'I hope I can do all this!' list:

-Properly install Majel (the GPS unit);
-Wire the backup camera monitor into Miranda's 12V system;
-Remove both beds from the bedroom;
-Remove the carpet from the bedroom;
-Install Allure flooring in the bedroom;
-Reinstall the left-side bed

I doubt I'll get to the desk, so I'll probably have to go back to Miranda on Sunday. Since spending the night at the storage place isn't an option, driving home and back is a more cost-effective plan than would be going to a campground. That's for next weekend!