~ Re-Assembly Begins ~
Putting It Back Together After 6 Months Of Rebuilding
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"Dream big. Believe big. Build it."
It has been 6 solid months of work, in every minute of my spare time to get to this point. I worked my job during the day, then spent nearly every waking hour here doing this. Every weekend I would get up early and get after it. Living at the Wet Coast in the Lower Rainland, weather was an issue. A lot of time was spent working under a tarp.
We can finally start putting things back together now. Start at the floor and work up. Let's go!!
This section shows the progression of starting with a freshly rebuilt empty shell that looks like it will never resemble an RV again. Have faith! Bob does not give up! It will start to look like something on this page.
You'll notice that the ceiling is done. Good observation, you pass! Going back towards the beginning I did not redesign and rebuild the roof initially. I patched and cleaned up the old roof and installed the new ceiling panels before realizing that this rotten old hulk had to come completely apart. So I left it for now.
Stay tuned for the roof rebuild chapter after we put some stuff back together.
Click on Images to Enlarge
Floor Prepped:
All the seams and screws are filled and sanded. Now ready for new lino. Been waiting a long time for this day!
Floor Prepped:
So great to be able to lay the floor out in one piece with nothing in the way. Just a few things to work around as I go.
Floor Prepped:
See the furnace duct hole on the left. A few wires sticking up to poke through the lino, 2 wheel wells to cut around.
Floor Prepped:
I kept one side of the walls screwed down, left the other loose, and jacked the whole wall up off the floor.
New Lino Going In:
Got this piece of lino from the local Buy and Sell paper for $100. Its all placed and ready to glue down.
New Lino Laid Out:
Same thing as viewed from the other end. Lino was cut wider to allow a bit of overhang on 4 sides.
Methodology:
Once the lino was in place like this, I lifted the entire side wall up off the floor a couple inches while leaving the other side screwed down so it didn't fall over. I removed the lower section of the front wall, leaving the top for stability, and did something similar at the back. This left both ends wide open to work. Then I cut one side of the lino around the wheel well and laid it all into place, with an extra inch or so hanging past the outside. Then I carefully pulled it back and folded it over the same as the above pics. Then I got out my trowel and lino glue and spread glue over the entire one side of the floor, end to end. Flip the lino back over and into place. Then flip back the other side and repeat the process, cutting around the pipes and poking the wires through.
Floor is Down:
Gotta get the air bubbles out. Yes, thats me with momma's rolling pin! It worked - all the bubbles out.
Floor is Down:
A nice neighbor stopped and offered help. All dressed in white too! Nice guy.
Together we got the floor done perfectly.
New Lino!:
All done the floor! Time to let the glue dry while checking for bubbles.
New Lino:
That's the grey tank vent pipe you see sticking up out of the floor. Excess lino trimmed off all around now.
New Lino:
Front to back view. Those wires sticking out come from the front for hookup to the house batteries.
Electrical Junction:
Remember that big gob of wiring sticking out of the floor in the water damage chapter? That's it there, but new
New Lino:
Overall view of the new floor. Looks mighty fine to me!
New Lino:
Sure glad the weather co-operated here. Makes this project a lot easier than laying lino in the rain under a tarp.
Waterproofing:
I applied peel and stick membrane from under the walls to under the trailer to keep water from the perimeter joists.
Waterproofing:
The entire perimeter was totally sealed with Blueskin membrane. It is 100% impervious to water entry. Great stuff!
Waterproofing:
You can see where I removed the lower front wall to do the Blueskin. Top of lino to under the floor completely sealed.
Waterproofing:
The doorway. If water gets past the door, it will run across the floor and be seen. It won't creep into the floor cavity.
Well, that's it for the new floor. Why post 5 pictures when 18 will do?
It's very important to have the flooring down first and then put all the walls, cabinets etc on top of it. It should be continuous, all one piece from end to end to ensure doing the best job possible.
Next up, the new wall paneling. Remember the description and pic from the walls rebuild? I got the light color vinyl coated stuff for the ceiling, the kitchen and bathroom from Windsor Plywood. They used to carry a great selection of it. Not sure about now, it isn't popular any more. Here we go, lets make it look like something. First, the walls all around the outside.
Front Wall Panels:
I took the front wall out and ran the 2 side walls past to the outside, then trimmed it off.
Front Wall Panels:
Once the 2 sides were done, I did the 2 front wall sections, stapled on the gimp mold, then installed the front walls.
The walls get permanently screwed to the floor once the wall panels are in place. This ensures a tight fit of the front to side walls etc. The walls are flush with the outside of the floor.
Front Wall Panels:
The very front wall fits in between the 2 side walls. They get screwed from the outside.
Front Stability:
That top shelf has a hinged face that flips down to form a child's bed. When up, it is a storage cabinet with 2 doors.
One Side Wall:
Panels were cut to height first, glued and stapled on, then the window openings were cut out with a router afterwards.
Side Partially Done:
Same as viewed from the front. Most of the panels are in. There's my router sitting on the floor. It saw lots of use!
Kitchen Side:
Got the bathroom waterproof panel in and part of the side. Had to change my stability X brace to a piece of plywood.
Curbside Done:
One side complete now. Door and windows had to be re-installed every day after my work, then the unit tarped.
Curbside Done:
Same wall viewed from back. Starting to take shape! There's that wiring and old top plate again.
Side Wall Done:
And a shot from down low. I was very careful to maximize my cuts to minimize waste. I only bought just enough panels.
Kitchen Side:
All done except the kitchen area. This part has half oak and half white waterproof for the above counter part.
Kitchen Done:
The white, vinyl coated waterproof panel in place for back of stove and sink area. Hood vent, kitchen window there.
2 Sides Done:
Overall view of the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and dinette side. Sure is nice to see this part of the project complete.
2 Sides Done:
And the back storage, vanity desk, wardrobe, pantry and fridge side all done. Happy happy!
Wheel Well Insulative Cover:
This stuff has a meager insulation value, but everything helps. I sealed it up tight all around with the duct tape seen there.
There you have it for the outside walls finish. C'mon, admit it, it's not that hard is it? Yeah, alright, I know, not everyone wants to rip their trailer down to the skeleton to fix a few bad pieces. But now that I got this far, it has become a "labor of love". I am enjoying it now, mainly because I see progress, and I am out of all that rotten moldy fungus covered mush. We now have a totally empty shell with nothing in it. Not overly sturdy, but it isn't going anywhere for a while. Once we get the partitions, cabinets and such back in there it will be very stable and sturdy.
Let's get into some of the bigger stuff we took care of in the last chapter. Did we have fun building all this? I did, hope you did too. Now here is where it will really start to look like something... Let's go!!
Kitchen Sink Cabinet:
Partially reassembled. Still have to put other parts in behind it. Big slot on right is for a roll out drawer for cans and such
First Dinette Seat:
This on was easy to re-install. Nothing in the way. I actually re-used the plastic edge trim you can see there
Overview Shot - Kitchen / Dinette:
You can see the old dinette seat and storage cabinet sitting there. The kitchen cabinet is only tacked there for now.
Storage Cabinet:
Remember the 1st 3 pics at the top? That's this one. It gets a flip up lid at the top. Hot water tank goes at the bottom
Second Dinette Seat:
Previous pics above, see the old one like this? That board at the right supports the table when it turns down to a bed.
Same Dinette Seat :
2nd seat installed. Note I also have the little front shelf done too. This lends a lot of lateral strength to the front wall.
New Bathroom Partition:
Another partition wall done and in place. This separated the bathroom from the main area. All that nice new wood!
Fridge, Pantry, Wardrobe:
These 3 units are in place now. Note the insulative bubble foil wrapping the wheel well. It is well sealed up.
Vanity desk:
I just love this little thing. What a neat idea. room for a chair and it has a flip up mirror with a storage area underneath.
Vanity Desk:
Got the desk installed and the bathroom partition wall beside it. That hole is the doorway to the bathroom
Vanity With Top:
I built a new top, finished it with arborite and trimmed the front with oak. Just need to build the lid with mirror.
Dang it!:
I almost cried when I did this. Bunted it with my knee to make it tight in there, and mis-judged my aim. Argh!
The Main Bed:
I modded this over the original design to make it stronger. Re-used the padding too. Should be fun getting a mattress.
It's Coming Together:
Cabinets are now all screwed together and fastened to the floor. Also screwed to the outside wall. I had to leave off some panels inside the units for the purpose of screwing them together.
Fridge Compartment:
Now fastened to everything, I can carry on running wiring and switches. I added extra lighting and plugs. I also caulked all corners of the fridge compartment to prevent fumes from coming in.
Viewed From the Back:
Now I have a place to store stuff as I continue rebuilding more of it. Note the roof is still detached and blocked up a ways in order to move the floor to ceiling pieces in there with ease.
Overhead Above Vanity:
This pic was taken earlier. Note the gap at the side. This was to allow room to get the cabinet in there. It gets fastened tight to the right, then the left cabinet gets moved over tight to it to fasten it.
Kitchen Overhead:
This is the one I used as an example above. Again, work from one end to the other to keep everything tight. Every placement was carefully measured to make sure it all went together properly.
Kitchen Overhead:
This one had to line up exactly with the joint from the oak to the white panels. Much planning and careful measuring went into this process. It is critical to have the assembled parts line up.
Pause For Some Overhead Cabinet Assembly Notes:
There is a natural progression to everything so it all fits snugly together. You have to start at one end and work towards the other. Put up a partition or wall, then screw the overhead tight against it. Then fasten the next wall tight to the overhead before screwing the wall to the floor and outside wall. That way everything fits snugly together, no gaps. The gimp mold all goes on first, as it gets stapled to the adjacent side of each piece.
Couple More Overheads:
Above the bed on the left, above the vanity on the right. There is solid wood in the back wall to fasten to, to make sure the cabinet is very secure. Once the ceiling is in, they get screwed up into the rafters too. And the ceiling panels get screwed down with 3/4" #8 wafer screws from above into the top cabinet framing.
Old Bathroom Wall:
See the lighter colored part of the wall on the next pic? That is this piece. I cut the top off for dis-assembly
New Bathroom Wall:
Note the brace on the bottom. this wall was awkward to move due to the door hole. The brace kept it together parallel.
Finished Bathroom Wall:
The framing is complete, ready for another wall and paneling. Note bracing for tub and shower plumbing fixtures.
Bathroom to Storage Partition:
Remember that partition we did above after the wardrobe cabinet in the last chapter, Cabinets and Furniture ? Well, this is the moment you have been waiting for! This is where it goes. After this, in go the shelves for the linen and such, and the bottom shelf becomes the top of the outside storage compartment. These shelves locate the partition prior to screwing it to the floor.
You can see the toilet hole in the floor and the black tank vent outlet. It snaked through the cabinet and up out the roof via the linen closet. On the right pic, that pedestal is for the bathtub.
I'm still gagging from all that rot - whew! This has been a long time coming. Note the gap above the side walls allowing room to get things in.
Rear Wall:
These shots actually go with the walls rebuild, but I had to leave the sections off until now. Access for all the tall partitions and cabinets was needed. I moved everything in from the back, with the roof lifted up on blocks to give me clearance. I put a piece of carpet on the floor so I could slide things without damaging my new lino. The bottom of the wall is still off. What you see there is actually the vertical inside back bathroom wall. see pics below.
Back Wall to Partition Fit:
Very careful planning was needed to make the back wall line up perfectly with the angled partition wall.
Bathroom Lower Back Wall:
The oak panel wall there is actually the very outside of the back. I had it in place but had to remove it in order to fasten the inside vertical wall you see there as a frame only. Once I put the paneling on, there is no access to screw things in. See the backing on the right for the tub and on the left for the vanity.
Bathroom Vanity Area:
Back wall framed, screwed to the floor and partition wall. Next up, Panel this wall prior to installing the vanity.
Bathroom Vanity:
I built a little shelf for the top of the half wall. Good for setting bathroom stuff on for easy access
Bathroom Vanity:
The back bottom wall is paneled, complete and fastened down, Cabinet rebuilt and secured in place. And the shelf picture at the left is done.
Bathroom Vanity:
Shot from the side. Couldn't get back too far, my back is against the wall. You can see some of the old pieces here and there waiting to be rebuilt
Bathroom Entrance:
Just have to put the wall panel on this section. The entry door slides sideways on an overhead track.
Bathroom Overhead:
The old one followed the angle of the wall. I redesigned it so the face was vertical instead. It offers a lot more storage room
Sliding Door Area:
Couple pics back, this wall finished now. Door goes on hanging track in here and stops at jog in wall.
Bathtub:
Tub is just sitting there. Taps are too. I'm contemplating replacing the ugly old thing.
Bathtub:
Pretty small bathtubs they put in these things. Enough room for maybe a toddler. I wouldn't fit, that's for sure!
I still have to make the front panel for it, but I'll wait until I fasten the tub and hook up the plumbing
Bathtub:
I like that little shelf idea. The yellow old tub has to go.... Starting to look good in here!
General Overview:
A front to back shot to show all the cabinets, partitions and such, now all in place and screwed down. By this time, I had already pulled my new ceiling panels back out in preparation for my planned roof rebuild. All major big pieces are in now, so the plan is to get after the roof, for the second time. This time I am going to totally redesign and rebuild it. I still have to do things like the countertops in kitchen and bathroom, and a lot of little finishing detail work.
That's it for the basic reassembly of walls and cabinets. There is still a lot of other things to be done inside. Stuff like dropping wires down the walls for various lights, switches and such. More on that later.
After initially ripping out all the ceiling, doing some repairs and then putting up new ceiling panels, it was not until some time later that I decided to redesign the roof in its entirety. Had I known that, I would not have done the first redoing of the ceiling. I would have left it for later. Later has arrived, so by now have already taken apart the ceiling work I did back close to the beginning. And I was really careful not to mess up my new ceiling panels.
Next up, rebuilding the roof. This part was fun! I put it to pen and paper first, studied it, gave it a lot of thought before coming up with my own design. Bottom line, the roof needs slope to get the water away from it.
And there you have it folks! You gotta admit, it's starting to resemble an RV again. That really was a pile of work.
But there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that I rebuilt this whole thing by myself.
I now have enough of it rebuilt and re-assembled that I can get into designing and building a new roof for it.
Sooooooo, let's get going and put a roof on this baby! I guess I won't call it an old heap anymore.