Now I Get To Start Over! Remodeling our 1976 Alfa Travel Trailer

[OldEdBrady]

All windows are finished.  (I hope.)  Bedroom paneling is getting close to done.  I was feeling pretty good about it until I moved one of the mattresses.

Underneath, the 1/8" paneling used to hold up the mattress is turning to dust.  So now I have a NEW project when I'm done with the walls.

At least it should be easier than the walls have been!  Electrical outlets, electrical control panel for some of the lights, etc.  What a job!  Had to "fudge" on a couple of things to get those walls in right.

[Oz]

You are so going to town on this.  You sound like you're about disgusted, but we know you're lovin' every minute (well, almost every minute).

[OldEdBrady]

It's not so bad.  The REAL problem is, all these extra things come up on the inside, but spring is coming (I hope), and I need to do a LOT of work on the outside, starting with the leaky roof. 

If I keep finding these things on the inside, I may never get started on the outside.

And, I know SWMBO and Ty will start pushing for camping very soon.  That'll cause me to rush some things I should take a lot of time on to do right.

I think I'm getting too old for this!   

[Froggy1936]

Ed  your never too old for anything!  Till they start throwing dirt on ya.  Frank

[OldEdBrady]

Well, every time someone in one of the stores asks, "How are you?" I always say, "Well, today I managed to wake up on the right side of the sod."

But, maybe spring is out there somewhere.  Of course, it's still too cold, and more snow might show up.  But, at 6 this evening, it had alreayd dropped to a frigid 53 degrees.  (Don't tell Tina!)

[OldEdBrady]

Still plugging away on the bedroom.  But, I also started with that one bed platform.  About half way with that.  I have some photos, but haven't seen them yet, so I may or may not post them.

Anyway, on the platform, I'm using some cedar wood.  It's not real thick, but thicker than what was there.  And, it will have to be stained, etc.

Finished off the left front corner and wall tonight.  I might have a photo of that, too, but can't remember.  (As the man said, "They told me I have something wrong.  Can't recall what, but it sounded something like "A**heimers.'"   i?? i??) 

[OldEdBrady]

I haven't finished the walls yet, but I've started on that bed platform.  Instead of some kinda panel, like was in there, I'm using cedar wood.  Not heavy stuff, mind you, but one piece boards and a little bit heavier.

They are all cut and ready to install, and tonight I stained them.  Tomorrow, some kinda protection, like Varithane, or something, and then I';; put them in.

Not the greatest job, but a heckuva lot better than what was in there!

[Oz]

Not the greatest job, but a heckuva lot better than what was in there!

Ed, this is the credo we live by!

[OldEdBrady]

The platform is as done as it's gonna get.  I had a photo or two, but haven't tried to post them yet.  The females had a dance performance today, so most of my day was involved in getting them there, waiting for hours and hours, and then them doing their thing for about 5 or ten minutes, and bringing them home. 

But I DID manage to get the platform finished.  Now, just that one wall...

[OldEdBrady]

No big deal tonight.

I wanted to get that rear bedroom wall ready for the new panels.  (Actually, I can probably do it with only one.)  So, I started checking various things, and found that the moulding on the bathroom door hung over a little.  So, I carefully pulled it all off.  Then reset part of it.  (The rest won't be there, since that will be taken care of by the new stuff I'm doing.)

Then I found the bathroom door would no longer close.  No wonder the moulding was off!

So, I re-hung the door.  Works just fine now.  But, being the "master carpenter" that I am, it took me a while just to do that.

But now it's ready, and I may finally get that final wall done before the week is out.

[OldEdBrady]

I accomplished exactly zilch tonight.

In Utah, the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) have this thing they call Family Home Evening.  Supposedly, the "good" Mormon families all stay home and communicate in one way or another. I don't know whether it's Monday or Tuesday.

Anyway, tonight we had Family Not At Home Meeting.  We took Ty to a movie.  Something about some frogs, or something like that.  A Disney thing.

And that was AFTER she'd started throwing one of her little episodic things. 

So, when we finally got home, I went to the Alfa and finished a movie I had been watching.  That sucked!  Strangest movie I ever tried to watch.

But, the kid ended up in a good mood, so it was worth it.

Maybe tomorrow I will be able to get some work done out there.

[OldEdBrady]

For the next week, I won't be doing much of anything in the Alfa. 

BUT  (there's that word again!) I've decided I'll just re-do almost all of the bedroom.

There was a half closet over the passenger side bed.  The PO tried to cut it out, and did a lousy job of it.  Most of it is still there, so I've been thinking of things I can do to repair it.  Maybe I can, and maybe I can't.

Then, there's the bed on the passenger side.  I haven't looked at the platform there (kinda afraid to), but I may end up replacing it, too.

Still waiting for the weather to allow me to work on the outside.  No snow right now, but enough rain to keep me from doing anything.  (this year we sent all the snow east.  I was tired of it every winter.  You're welcome, folks.)

[OldEdBrady]

I have determined that the Alfa is haunted.

I use a tool, put it down to get something, walk 5 feet, come back, and it's gone.  Nowhere to be found.  (How in the world can I lose a saw?!?  Something that big?!?)

I search the trailer from front to back.  Then do it again.  And a third time.  The tool is still among the missing.

Eventually, I find it somewhere where I KNOW I didn't put it.

Thus, it's hidden when I first put it down, and then moved around again while I'm searching for it.

Maybe I need to have a priest come in and get rid of that blasted ghost!

[Oz]

Oh, that ghost is everywhere.  I think he lives here most of the time.  It hides my wallet, keys, socks, and anything else I happen to need right now.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I'm telling you its the Evil Gnomes!  There is a whole diatribe on them on our blog...lol!

Kev

[OldEdBrady]

As of now:  The driver side paneling is in.  The passenger side paneling is in.  The front of the bedroom paneling is in (well, OK; almost.)  Half of the rear wall paneling is in.

I've saved the wost for last.  And that's the rear, passenger side.  There's this thing hanging on the wall that I have to get around.  It's not large--half a foot or so by maybe a foot--but it's a MAJOR pain.  It won't come out.  I think it must have been fastened to the wall when the trailer was built, and fastened from the OTHER side of the wall before the back of the trailer was finished.  Anyway, there's no way to get it out without ripping out the bathroom walls, and I have NO intention of doing that.

So, I have to work around it some way.

Oh.  And the small half-closet over one of the beds.  As I said before, the PO (or maybe a PPO) tried to rip it out and made a total mess of everything.  I've started on that, but haven't gotten too far yet.  I'll have to rebuild part of it, and then finish off the rest to make it look halfway decent.

After I figure out the two hardest things left, then maybe I can do the cosmetic stuff and make it start to look a bit better.

I refuse to say "great" becuase I KNOW there are problems with what I've done.  But, at least, it is looking better than it did.

After I finish the walls, the ceiling.  And I have NO idea what I'll do with that, and I don't intend to do much of anything until I can work on the roof.

[OldEdBrady]

Tomorrow, I tackle that half closet the PO (or whomever) butchered.  I couldn't today.  It's Monday, and SWMBO and Little SWMBO have their dance classes on Mondays.  So that was out.  But I have the plans (such as they are) to kinda repair it.

I had to build a "box" to hold the paneling.  That's in quotes because it's just a frame, really.  And I hope (fingers crossed) that I can mount some kind of paneling over it to make it look half-way decent.

The only problem I can foresee is that I STILL have to finish off that final portion of the rear wall.

If I ever get this all done, then I will post photos.

[OldEdBrady]

Today was an almost total loss.  SWMBO and I had to go to prison.

No; it wasn't visiting day.  Call it a "Command Appearance."

An hour (or more) there, and hour (or more) back, plus around 2 hours there.

So, I decided that I'd just tinker tonight.  I put in some of the moulding where I've finished the walls.  Not much more than that.

But, I took some photos that I will attempt to post a little later.  One (or is it two?) is that half closet where I have only the frame in.  And, there's a photo or two of the mess I've managed to make so far.

The only thing I don't understand is, when I took the photos., the camera showed them as kinda purple.  There ain't no purple in the whole trailer!

Oh, well.  I'll just post them and forget about it.

[OldEdBrady]

That stupid half closet thing may be finished this weekend.  Then I get to start on that final wall.  I have NO idea how I will fix that with that stupid box handing on the wall.  But, I;ve been thinking...

Hm?

[OldEdBrady]

The outside of the half closet is done.  YES!

Now I have only 2/3 of the inside to do, and that's no problem.

Then the dreaded back passenger wall of the bedroom.  I still shudder every time I look at it.  Not because of the shape, but because of what I'll have to do with it.

[OldEdBrady]

The half closet is rebuilt.  All panels are in.  All that's left (for now) is trim around everything, and I can start hoping for good weather to start on the outside.

For the trim, there's not a lot to do.  Inside the claset thing, and a couple of places on the walls.

Photos will come when it's all done.

[OldEdBrady]

Only two spots still need the rim.  Now I'm looking at the ceiling in the bedroom.  But I can't do much with that until I get the roof fixed.

Always something!

[ClassCKing]

well ed call when your ready and well come down and give you a hand ..the stuff i used on our roof  seemed to work no leaks..between the both of us we should knock it out in no time

[ClassCKing]

alright that will work..still have a couple of months too decide

[OldEdBrady]

The Question.  And The Answer.

The Question:

was asked on a PM why I used panels rather than paint or wallpaper to redo the bedroom on the Alfa.

The Answer:

I never thought about it.