Back to Bare Basics

Last weekend we finally got ourselves two days in a row to get the roof lining and walls off so have been working hard! The plan was to get the rotten plywood off and any bad battens out of the wall and ceiling so we could replace it all ready for everything to go back on.

From previous investigations I had discovered that the best tools were my trusty hammer and chisel so I got started on a rather frosty Saturday morning (see the picture of the window right! >) while Ryan was at work and managed to get pretty much the whole ceiling layer of ply down, then got back to it again on Sunday with my aching arms and finished the walls too.

Me & my trusty hammer!

Peeling back the layers

After two days of wielding that heavy hammer I feel like I should have one arm like Popeye, arhg,hrh,hrrr!

As with anything we do, it took much longer than expected as there was a lot more damage than we had previously thought hidden away (see pics below), but all we can do is keep going and at least we'll know it's been done right so will last as long time.

Another composted batten!

The extent of the damp issue around the window.

The awning was attached to the side we needed to expose so we devised a rope system to safely catch it and lower it to the ground, all went well and we leant it against the van while Ryan toddled off into the garden to clear a space for it. Things suddenly got interesting when I was still inside ripping off the wall ply as I felt a peculiar rocking motion to the van and, naturally assuming it was someone rocking the van for a laugh (a regular occurrence with our friends!), glanced out of the window to see the scenery moving past! I scrambled to my feet screaming something at Ryan who wasn't in earshot just as the awning smashed into the ground, and rushed into the cab to jump on the brake pedal! At that point my heart was beating out of my chest and, (having a little adrenaline freak out!) I left Waki in the middle of the street and sprinted into the back garden to shout something I can't remember at a bewildered Ryan! :S Thankfully the awning seems to be mostly OK with just a couple of bent bolts, luckily no-one was driving passed at the time, and we stopped just before Ryan's car which was parked on the grass directly behind it!

Daylight!

Ryan helped get the roof beam cut back, and the battens out of the walls, though seemed to be finding way too many patches of daylight for my liking and we agreed that since I had mastered the chisel technique I should carry on with that (despite the complaints from my right bicep and shoulder!) and so he climbed back aboard the roof to investigate the leak issues at their source!

Ryan staring on the roof beam

The rot has now been cut out of the main roof beam, expanding foam sprayed in to fill the wavy edge and another strong beam capped on for support. All the wood we could get to we painted with a rot treatment for piece of mind. We've put in a new upright support post just behind the cab and sorted out the bow in the wall due to the sagging weight that was there when we got her. Ryan applied his expertise and used a hydraulic car jack with a piece of wood on top of the bed platform to take the roof weight while we worked! The side window was taken out so we could do the battens around it, though we didn't get to finish cleaning up around it to re-seal as we run out of time on Monday so we've just put a few of its clamps back on to hold it place for now.

Ryan's done a fantastic job and kept me going when I started stressing, (like I always do when things take longer than I want them to!) so thanks Ryan, I love you! xx

He Stole My Tinsel!

We were sat in the motorhome the other day discussing things as usual, when I noticed that the tinsel was gone at which point Ryan sheepishly admitted that he'd lost it!

"What do you mean you lost it? How?!"

Well it seems that if you drive along with the small triangular dash window open and a van overtakes you then it will of course create a difference in air pressure. So said van sped past and, before Ryan could catch it, sucked our length of tinsel clean out of the window to drift away and brighten the day of the following traffic! I didn't get mad at him, though I will miss my lovely tinsel and do feel very guilty about littering, just ended up in hysterical laughter at the mental image of Ryan waving his fist angrily at the van who stole his tinsel! XD

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Tinsel & the little lost bear we found in a cupboard!

Well we were far away from spending Christmas with Waki in the wilds somewhere this time, but hopefully that will be possible next year!

Still despite the state she's currently in (we did add a bit of tinsel so she wasn't completely left out!) we both sat and enjoyed a glass of wine for New Years inside and thought about all of the work we have yet to do. Daunting but exciting all the same!

We both got some lovely things for the 'home for Christmas, Ryan bought me the mosaic mirror I wanted to go in the shower room and his sister bought me a lovely sewing box as my old one was overflowing! My parents bought Ryan a good long extension lead which has already had a lot of use as we've disconnected the battery so we can take down the lights and wiring. Thanks everyone! :)

So far since our last post, Ryan's been working most weekends and having his day off during the week (when I'm working full time as well!) so we've not managed to get the walls down as yet. We need a good two straight days to get the rotten plywood off, insulate & then get the nice new ply on. It's so frustrating as I hate seeing it in such a mess inside and we're both itching to get it all finished, unfortunately we need to do the walls before we can do anything else! :S

So while Ryan is at work I've been unscrewing everything that is in the way of the walls or ceiling, and on his days off he's been sorting out some of the electrics and taking down the heavier items like the old rotten cupboard. I should have started counting the screws because there seems to be thousands of them! See below for the current mess:

The big window above the bed platform minus it's damp wallpaper

The very rotten part above the cupboards in the living space on the side that had the leak

Behind the beech panel to the back of the kitchen cupboards

We've also now acquired an extra leisure battery courtesy of my parents (thank you! x) as they had one spare from their caravan. We would like a total of 3 to be able to take charge from the solar panels and to last a decent length of time when nowhere near a hook up cable, so just 1 more to go - pity our birthdays are so far away now!

Got Wood?

I accidentally came across a website for a place that sells reclaimed timber called Cambridge Wood Works, a blessing for a fit out like ours as they sell all kinds of wood from plywood sheets to doors and lengths of timber - exactly what we need! I'd definitely recommend checking in on them for anyone starting a DIY project as you can save an absolute fortune compared to the large stores.

Everything they sell has been collected from building sites etc as an environmentally friendly alternative to throwing it away in a skip, and all of the proceeds go into the running of the business and to local charities! Because it's all reclaimed there isn't a set stock list and pieces can have holes already drilled in or plaster stuck to it but with a bit of a rub down you'd hardly know. We was able to buy 2 large 18mm and 2 x 4mm sheets of plywood, several long treated 1x1/2 inch battens, a long shelf and a couple of strips of beading for £45!

The staff were all really friendly and super helpful. They even helped us get it all inside the motorhome and safely stowed! Thank you Cambridge Wood Works!

http://www.cambridgewoodworks.org.uk/

First Outing

Last Sunday (whilst still feeling very groggy from my works Christmas Party the night before!) we got up to go on our first real outing in the motorhome. Ryan's brother wanted to test out his new motorbike so Ryan borrowed a bike from a friend and we took them to Whaddon motocross track for the day.

It was just nice to be able to spend some time pottering around, making tea and bacon sandwiches on the hob for the first time! As it was the last meeting of the year at that track before they close for winter we were all very grateful of somewhere warm and dry to relax in. We hadn't filled the water tank up yet as we don't want the water going stagnant whilst not in use so we had Ryan's 'Camel pack' hiking water carrier hung over the sink for hand washing etc, though when I had to use the on site 'facilities' I wished we already had a nice loo installed! Very grim :S

I also took advantage of the spare time and began unscrewing the curtain rail from around the rear bunks :)

So Ryan and his brothers sped around a muddy field and around the various tracks all day (heaven on Earth for him!) and when the light was all but gone we towed the bikes home again with yet more ideas...

The Inevitability of Breaking Down

She's an old van so was bound to go wrong at some point, but I think there's a lot to be learnt about the personality of a vehicle from the way it breaks down. Some are a pain and seem to love nothing more than leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere in terrible weather (like the old Mini Ryan had as his first car which I must have pushed more miles than it drove! High heels and all!), and others may go wrong but they always get you home like the old Land Rover my parents had when I was little that had all sorts go wrong but always kept limping along. Thankfully Waki seems to be the 'get you home' type so we're pleased!

Technically the first issue was that her poor deteriorated tyre went flat once we'd got back from Wales and left her on the drive for a day, but that was fine as the spare was good enough to get her to Ryan's work to get them changed.

Ryan decided that since the cost of insurance and fuel economy was so much better on the motorhome than his 3.0L V6 Coupe he would drive it to work instead for a while and to shake any more niggles out into the open, which worked a treat when the clutch cable snapped when he was halfway out of the village! :D Needless to say they got home fine, if a little dramatically, Ryan got a lift into work and fixed it that weekend with a friend of ours with a little modification as they had to guess at what engine it was from and the guess didn't seem to be correct! Whilst Ryan rolled around swearing (I mean working!), I got to work on the scale drawings of the interior so we can plan the exact layout of cupboards etc.

They'll be more to come I'm sure but that's OK, and we plan on storing spares on board of anything that can't be bodged and will leave us properly stranded when we finally go on the road full time. That is when we can figure out just what engine we have...

First things First

So where do we begin? We're still lodging with Ryan's parents and have spent nearly every evening since we got her just sitting inside on the driveway staring about, opening cupboards, poking things and discussing ideas. There's a lot to be done, and we need to get the order it's done in right! 

1. The ceiling and wall behind the bunks needs to come down as leaks in her previous life have left some unsightly damage to the plywood and paper covering, also we need to 'winterise' the vehicle so can use the opportunity to pack in as much insulation as possible! This also needs to somehow extend to the floor and outside of the vehicle so that our water tanks and pipes don't freeze if the weather gets really bad, especially as we plan on spending a lot of time in Scotland.

2. The electrics are shocking (excuse the pun!) and lights flicker or switch on and off when we close cupboards! :S The one leisure battery certainly isn't up to the task of living full time without hook-up so it needs some friends, and as we will want to add a couple of solar panels and a TV etc the whole electric system needs re-wiring, a nice confusing and frustrating job for Ryan... Thankfully we can salvage and re-use most of the lighting and can get electronic accessories on the cheap.

3. Whilst we're re-wiring and insulating we can run our blown heating system, including devising a handy clothes dryer facility in the shower compartment with one of the outlets! Our main source of heating will be via a skinny wood burning stove by the door (as we both wood-carve as a hobby fuel will be plentiful!) with just enough space on it's top for the kettle or pot to save on cooking gas.

4. Storage, and more storage! We will be using the space where the extra berths are for more cupboards and work surfaces. So they need to be carefully planned and built in.

5. We also need a toilet on board, and plan on getting one of those bench type in built ones with the cartridge that comes out through the wall. Or to start with we may just have to go with a traditional portaloo but I really don't like the idea of carrying the waste through the kitchen, I know those cartridges are also sealed but still! :(

6. Last but not least on the inside (and probably not really last either as something is bound to change!) the bed platform needs widening and a nice new mattress bought. Then the left over things like furnishings, extra thick lined curtains (the existing black out blinds are good already) to add colour and extra insulation.

7. I leave this part at number 7 with the view that it will get slotted in somewhere else dependant on the weather and Ryans work shifts. We need to address the rust on the cab but need a spell of dry weather where we are both available for a couple of days in a row to be able to get it all rubbed down and protected. The actual van paint job will be someday in the summer when the inside is finished so for now she'll have to stay looking tatty.