Our tropical paradise

We had a very wide seam to cover on these arched curves at the rear of the trailer. (over 2 inches) We tried white duct tape, looked at white flexible garage weatherstripping, you name it. Nothing jived. Then at our trip to hobby lobby, my husband said, "Hey, how about we...." - and I knew what he was going to say. I had thought of florals too, but didn't want him to think I was wacko. We are totally in love with it. Now we have our birds of paradise, tropical leaves and flowers, and the seams are hidden....shhhhhh! I feel like I'm in Kauai again!!

Our work companions.

 

Turning Hawaiian!

It's coming together, It's coming together!! I painted the yucky countertop with three coats of my beloved Clark & Kensington paint (same as wall color) from Ace Hardware. Coated it with 3 coats of non-yellowing polycrylic from Minwax. Added a hibiscus stencil for a little Hawaiian Flavor!! I absolutely love my retro radio - the color matches perfectly - it was stored in the attic forever. We were excited to find the doorknob on Ebay (ours was missing, of course). I have finished the Hawaiian curtains (hung with dowel rods and white cuphooks - SUPER-CHEAP!!) Thanks, mom, for letting me take this banged up lantern from the attic. It had to be teal, of course!!!!

Sanding, priming, back aching.

I have learned that wood filler should be applied as sparingly as possible, that a mask is essential when sanding in enclosed spaces, and that I should have worn some type of safety glasses or goggles. I will probably get cancer of the eye from all of the filler dust that ended up in my eyeballs.  

Scrubbing our newly found Hehr window replacement

The sweet husband scrubbing the aluminum window we hunted down through Craigslist. I have to say, Craigslist is one of my favorite sites. We've sold and purchased so many things. We were up vacationing near Lima, Ohio and decided to stop by a gentleman's house who salvaged old trailers. After weeks of searching, we found what we needed - 60's era Hehr aluminum windows with screens, glass intact. These babies are not made anymore, and can cost upwards of $200 a piece. This window was $15. We bought 3 windows. We still will have to replace some glass at a local glass shop - but it's the frames that are the treasures!!

My turn!!

You can't see it very well, but the right side of the aluminum window was scrubbed with the SOS pads - The aluminum gets supershiny. DH hit all of the moving parts with WD40. All of the windows are re-installed using stainless steel screws and the miraculous butyl tape, which (fingers-crossed) renders them waterproof.

The Travel Trailer Album on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21824577@N04/sets/72157633906444813/

Bringin' her home...

We found our darling on Craigslist. I am an aspiring novelist/writer who needed extra space for writing, and didn't want to pay for (or plan) an addition. Having a fenced in backyard in a private lake community, we were lucky enough to sneak this beauty into our backyard to remodel. (The neighbors are thrilled) We have no garage or barn space, so we definitely have challenges living in a four season climate in Ohio. Oh, and we have no knowledge regarding rvs or travel trailers. But we're up for the challenge!!

We borrowed a dear neighbor's truck to pick her up in the pouring rain.Yes, it does sound like a country song. She is a 1965 17' Fan Sunseeker, with a clear title. We had never hauled anything before, so we were both scared to death as insulation, plastic and other debris flew from the windows. The door flew open mid-journey. I thought I was going to have a full-blown anxiety attack. We made it home, thankfully - then had to see if we could fit it into our backyard after removing a section of fence.
We were able to hide her away, squeezing her amateurly between our many trees, a trampoline, tree fort, fire pit, patio and shop. She fit like a charm.

It's cold, rainy and pretty gray most days here in November. Progress was slow throughout the winter, mostly tearing out damage, trying to organize the pieces, and researching the internet re: plumbing, electric, replacing wood, buying fixtures, bookmarking foam suppliers, vintage trailer sites and blogs, etc. More extensive remodeling came in April and continues.

Because I am backtracking a bit, things may seem a little jumpy, but I'll catch up soon. 
We haven't named the trailer yet (she's obviously female) because we're still making her!

And if you're a perfectionist, or are looking at this blog for vintage RESTORATION, you've come to the wrong place. We're beginners; we do things on a shoestring budget, and we're making this baby unique to and for our family. We LOVE looking at the trailers that are re-done to a "T" - with no expense spared - but we aren't there yet. We just want this little darling functional and kinda cute.