Month: March 2010

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Tunnel Vision

Today’s project was satisfying. There’s just no other way to describe it. It came together exactly as envisioned and looks even better. Can’t ask for more!

I built the ‘tunnel’ for the furnace duct which doubles as a base for the bookcase. I knew I had the right idea in mind for materials when I discovered that I had exactly the right amount of laminate flooring left, with no need to piece together scraps to get the right lengths. I was even able to put to use a mismatched piece (‘birch’ rather than ‘oak’; I just used it for the wall of the tunnel that’s against the wall of the RV and not visible). Thank goodness I had that piece, even if it was mismatched!

There will be a need for trim (isn’t there always 😀 ), but you can hardly tell in the pictures:

Not sure I'll want to paint this. :)

Not sure I’ll want to paint this. 🙂

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The bookcase is SO much more accessible now!

The bookcase is SO much more accessible now!

The duct was originally covered in a similar manner and I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. The only difference is that the new tunnel is about three inches wider since I didn’t want to cut the boards length-wise:

two floors and seventeen months ago!

I hope the bookcase is secure! I have four screws going into studs. I didn’t originally have to secure it since it was wedged in tightly between the bucket chairs:

Tomorrow, I will be building the ladder and then, trim not withstanding, the front room and major renos will be DONE. Unbelievable! There is still a ton of work to do, but I truly do think the worst is behind me. Famous last words… 😀

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Growing

When I hit the road and headed off into the wonderful world of temporary work, I made a promise to myself that work would be just that, nothing personal, just a way to get to the next place.

My first stop, Oliver, tested this promise. I passed and still failed miserably. I didn’t realise then that I would be facing two challenges as a temporary worker. The first is the temptation to change things that aren’t working, even though I’m just passing through. The second is that I might meet bullies who would want to take advantage of my work ethic.

The nursery job in Oliver sucked, but it was clearly a case of it sucking for everyone. I could deal with it, there was nothing personal. What was going on at the RV park was personal, however, and I handled it very badly. I know that much of my bitterness about what happened there has to do with my decision to just take whatever that manager and colleague dished out and not give them a piece of my mind. I let them attack my integrity without putting my foot down and telling them ‘What you’re saying and doing is wrong and I won’t stand for it.’ I left without any resolution.

Something similar was happening with a colleague this winter. The job has otherwise been fine and I made a friend for life out of one colleague! That said, the one problem colleague made me I snap this week and I did what I should have done in Oliver. I told a bully that what he was saying and doing was not okay even if I’m moving on shortly. This prompted another colleague to stand up to him. I broke my first promise, to not try to change ‘corporate culture’, but it was worth it to regain that little piece of my soul I left behind in Oliver and to know that things will be better at the gas station from now on.

Sometimes it takes a stranger breezing through town, as an objective outsider, to see things that complacency and habit have blinded you to, even if they are very, very wrong. My business in Campbell River is done! 😀

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RV Renovation Tip

One of the horror stories you hear from folks who renovated their RV is that they screwed into a wall and one of two things happened: they hit wiring or plumbing, or they went straight through their walls to the outside!

When I screw something into Miranda, I take my cue from her builders and use previous screw holes as much as possible. If that’s not practical, then I get as close as possible to the screw holes. The only time I didn’t do this was when I installed the hook by the front door; I knew that the chances of hitting anything on a support stud in that location were infinitismal.

The second part of this tip is to save the original screws so that you will know what length can be safely screwed into your walls.  Do not under any circumstances go any longer just because you feel invincible. 😀

The third part of this tip is that you will be screwing into a stud without having to look for it. If that location was secure enough in the original design, it’s secure enough for your renovation!

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Renovating: Lessons and Thoughts

Lessons

The house I owned taught me a lot about how to NOT renovate your home. I don’t think I did a single thing right with that place! I’ve been applying these lessons in tackling Miranda’s makeover:

1) The Structure Comes First

Before you do any cosmetic work whatsoever, including changing floor coverings, make sure your structure is sound. Address leaks, dry rot, mould, or anything else that needs attention.

2) Don’t Start a Project If You Don’t Have the Money to See It Through

Before starting on a project, I figure out what I’m going to need and then price everything, right down to the nails. Then I add 25% for contingency.

3) Don’t Rip Anything Apart Unless You Are Ready to Replace It Immediately

One of the things that slowed me down in doing the floors was having to stop to take things apart. It probably made people wonder why I didn’t gut everything last fall when I wasn’t busy. I didn’t want to do so until I knew for sure I would be able to complete the projects for which I was gutting. Living in a half-demolished house is one thing, traveling in a half-demolished RV is another!

4) Don’t Mix Up Renovating and Decorating, and Renovate First

Some folks will surely disagree with me on this one, but I consider a renovating project done even if it’s not painted or the hardware’s not on it. The makeover was planned in two stages. The first was making all the changes I needed to the layout. The second was to personalize the space and make it pretty. Imagine how much easier it is going to be to paint when all my projects are done and my stuff put away in its forever home.

5) Have a Vision and the Courage to See It Through

I lived in Miranda for a full year before I started to renovate her. That was more than enough time to think about what I wanted to change and how I was going to do it. Even when things were at their most chaotic, I knew exactly where I was going and this vision helped me weather many a crisis. It also kept me from listening to people who don’t live here and who aren’t me who had negative thoughts about my new floor plan and/or the fact that I was going to ‘rip apart’ a beautiful RV.

Thoughts

It’s pretty obvious by now that I like using ‘found’ materials in my renovations. It’s not just about the money, although that’s a nice perk. I like scrounging because 1) my reusing things makes up for what I throw away and 2) it inspires me. I think it was watching all that MacGyver during my formative years that taught me to love having a problem to solve and seeing what I have around me that I could use as a solution. Sometimes, the monetary savings are substantial and enable me to treat myself to nicer hardware or the like and sometimes making a silk purse out of the proverbial sow’s ear is reward enough.

The renovations have thus far cost me only cost me about $500 and the only super costly thing I’m missing is the trim. By the time I’m done, I’ll have spent less than $1,000, probably closer to $700, and this includes the new Allure throughout. Sure, I could have spent money on carpenters and solid oak panels and whatnot, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as satisfying. I especially like that I reused a lot of the materials from the bed bases and dinette benches and that Miranda is still Miranda, just a new form of herself. She is definitely no longer the RV I bought! Some would say I ‘ruined’ her, but I feel that I am simply making her even more perfect for ME.

Standing in the kitchen this evening making dinner–chopping veggies on the new counter, adding dishes to the dishwasher as I worked, grabbing things from the over fridge cabinet instead of having to walk the furthest overhead pantry cabinet–I really got a sense of how my life in this RV is going to change, of how I am going to start developing routines that will hold whether I am stopped for a few months or on the road for a few weeks, of how I am finally making a home here instead of living in someone else’s space. I’ve been living in this RV for a year and a half now and I feel as good about my purchase as I did back in August of 2008. Miranda isn’t perfect by far (dual pane windows and enclosed tanks would be awesome!), but she is without a doubt the best RV I could have bought within my budget. I could have had my pick of anything in North America and I am still convinced that Miranda would have been my final choice. I am renovating with a ten year ownership plan in mind and I am certain that when the time comes for me to move to a new RV, I will mourn my beloved Royal Classic.

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I Forgot Something!

I also installed my new sewer hose this morning! Doing so was a surprisingly big job. I had to cut away the vinyl around the threads of the connector then snip the wire. In theory, I should have been able to just unscrew the connector, but it was in tight. Hooking up the new hose was much easier.

Installing the new hose, which is obviously of better quality, only became a priority today because I needed to dump. Not a fun job, but it needs to be done!