Kitchen progress.

Isn't it cute with the plants around?

The new fridge in action!

Hey everybody! Here's what's going on in the kitchen and living areas. We've taken out the sink to make room for the new one and Rob has marked out where he needs to cut the countertop to widen the hole just a bit. We bought some Rustoleum Countertop Paint and we're going to apply that after he cuts out the hole. I do actually like the original green and am still tempted to keep it but... we'll see.

The front has been painted (along with the back bedroom) thanks to my sis, Laura. She came and helped me knock it all out in a few hours one evening after the munchkin went to sleep. Thank you, Laura!!

It looks so good now. I know it looks pure white in the photos but, it's not. There's a hint of greige in there.

This is fabric that I'm not using to make curtains. Haha. I thought I was going to, I really liked it but... I simply couldn't make it work with the other colors I had envisioned. Thankfully it was just a tablecloth and I returned it to TjMaxx. It's pretty though, yeah? I'm going to be using a natural linen fabric that I already have to a) save money and b) keep the curtains neutral so I can play with color more elsewhere.

See? It just didn't match. It was more obvious in person. Trust me. 

 I also want to show you our custom cabinet that my FIL made. We bought a stock Home Depot cabinet and had to cut out a space for the wheel well and build a shelf over it to make more storage. Rob built the shelf and it's going to be great!

Making the template and bracing the back up higher.

It fits!

Wheel well. We were going to just box it in but that felt like a waste of space to me.
So I said, "Build a full-depth shelf!"

The white shelf. Adds so much usable space!  And usable space is everything.

It's starting to look like a REAL kitchen! Woohoo!

We still have lots to do but, she's coming along. We still haven't named her (him?) yet. I'm waiting for that "moment" when you just know, ya know? I'm too busy to think about it right now anyway.

A little plumbing, a little paint...

Hi friends. I haven't really posted our progress on here in a little bit since I've been pretty busy. With our house under contract, the pressure is on to get some things done.

On my plate right now:

~Dealing with the home inspection and waiting for results (and wondering how many things the buyer is going to ask us to fix).
~Picking paint for the A-stream (I think we did!).
~Creating and prioritizing a materials list for the Stream of things we still need to buy.
~Buying the things on that list as we can afford to.
~Working on the Airstream as much as we can.
~Starting to pack this week.
~Getting together the things we will need for the bank for the construction loan (this means we have under two weeks to finalize a floor plan and create a full materials list with job quotes from all of the appropriate people. Eek! Lots of meetings and phone calls.).
~Going through our stuff for a yard sale.
Oh, and did I mention raising a toddler and feeding the 3 of us? Or doing the dishes? Or cleaning the bathroom? Or... going for a walk? (If monsoon season will ever end...)

So yeah, busy and mentally taxed is an understatement. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I have friends who are doing all of these same things... with 5 kids! (Five wonderful, fun, helpful kids, but five is still more than one, every time.) I'm actually starting to get excited for what is ahead of us. I'm enjoying seeing my husband feel excited and happy even though he's working so hard, at work and at home, because he sees an adventure ahead. He motivates me... and I keep us on track. Good balance.

So... the Airstream. Where are we? Rob has started the plumbing work and was able to lay the first line yesterday. We are using 1/2" pex pipe, for those of you who are wondering. He had some frustrations getting the new pipe to slink under the subfloor and come out right where he needed it, under the kitchen sink, but he got it. Thank the Maker. It's a tight work space under the sick, to say the least(!), and it's going to take some real patience and creativity to unhook and re-hook things under there. Hopefully, there won't be any other big plumbing issues... but, I won't get my hopes up. The next big plumbing adventure will be in the bathroom but, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it I guess.

I may have mentioned before that we finished priming the Airstream... but that's not entirely the case. We haven't touched the hallway or the bathroom yet. We aren't going to worry about it though. The plan is to get the main living areas done first because we need those done before we can move in. The hall and bath are secondary because we will have a bathroom available to us at my sister's house for the first month after we start living in the camper. That way, if it doesn't get done, we won't be stuck squatting in the woods somewhere... which, wouldn't be horrible but I'd rather not HAVE to. Anyway, back to paint. Yesterday I rode over to my local Benjamin Moore paint store and got 5 (yes, five.) paint samples to try out. (BTW The people at B.Moore are the BEST. They are so nice and helpful and they always take great care of me. I am a customer for life!) We put up the samples in the front room and picked one. It's called "white wisp" and I've always thought we would choose that one. I've had my eye on it for months. I'll pick up a gallon of it later today or tomorrow so I can get to work putting it on the walls. Can't wait!

Rob's parents are coming in this weekend and we all know what that means! (Well, I do...) It means Rob will get even more work done! Rob's dad is a HUGE help. I'm pretty sure we would not have done half of the things we've done to our house without him. He assisted us with installing our kitchen and bathroom, refinishing our deck and a million other things. They're even coming down a day early so they can get more done. I can't tell you how thankful I am for that. It's hard to keep Will away from his PapPap while he's working but, I'll do my best. Rob's mom and I will just have to entertain him. I need to think ahead and buy some of the materials for them so they can be more efficient with their time. I think the plan is to check the gas lines and finish the plumbing and do some more exterior caulking. Maybe they'll even get the new kitchen cabinet in! >fingers crossed<

(Thank you, also, to my parents who play with Will once-a-week so we can get some solid work done!)

Well, here a some photos of our current state. The big news of the week is that we got a refrigerator! Finding one the right size was not easy but we were able to score one for $75 on Craigslist. Very happy about that! Last week our Craigslist score was the table I wanted, also $75. I would have tried to get it for less but, I wasn't about to haggle a single mom of a 3 month old baby who was selling all of her stuff so she could move to AZ to be with her mom. She was so sweet and her baby was the cutest little girl! Enjoyed meeting them. Oh my gosh, Sarah, stop rambling and show these people some pictures! Sheesh!

Welcome to your new home, little fridge!

The chaos.

Little man checking out the new subfloor and prime-job in his room.

Painting an Airstream is ridiculously time consuming. There are no straight lines!

Back room looking forward. Unpainted hallway.

It's a nice little fridge. Plenty of space!

Hmm... doesn't quite fit. 

We'll just cut it off! The vent was for a propane fridge but, we don't need it.  See ya lata gata!

Ahh... that's better.
We will put up a wall there so you won't see that gap.

Oooo.... pretty. Can you guess what this is for?

Five little foam paint brushes sittin' on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head...
What just happened there?

Can you spot the 5th sample? Neither can I. It was way too close to white.
We chose the top left one.

Different angle. Which one do you like?

   

Slinking around the closet wheel well.

He moved the line near to the wall so it's out of the way.

Doing some... plumbing.

What the seals looked like before... (some still do)

What they look like with new sealant! Yay!

This was a huge dent the Rob banged out and caulked.
Definitely better than it was and at least it won't pour water inside anymore. 

New seal

And just for kicks...

Out. of. control. (for pole beans)

My wild yard gets more wild by the day.

The New Floor!

Well, after 2 days of hard work (by the Hubs) we have a new front floor! I repeat, we have a new front floor!  (Or course, now we have to move on to the back but, let's enjoy this moment, shall we?)

It was a ton of work and a lot of time was spent trying to figure out exactly how to do this thing without compromising on the structural integrity of the body. In the end it took a little creativity and a lot of sweat but, he got it in. It's great! To be honest, I'm mostly excited because I can now prime and paint the front end! Sure, I'm also excited that the rotten, nasty wood is no longer an issue for us and we won't fall through the floor. That's definitely good. But... paint! Yay! It will be such a relief to have it starting to look fresh and clean in there.

I spent the duration of my son's nap today scrubbing mildew and grime off of the walls so I can slap a big, fat coat of Kilz on there later after he goes to bed. I normally choose no-VOC paints and primers but, this particular can of Kilz says "maximum VOCs". Good grief. I'm not going to like that part. However, the low-VOC one wasn't suitable for floors or mildew so... what's a girl to do? Those are the 2 main reasons I needed it! Good thing it's a small space and I should be able to get it done quickly and get out.

Update: I got to paint in the afternoon instead of at night and the primer didn't actually smell too bad. Yay!

Anyway... for those of you who want to see the process of doing the floor, here are the photos.

Nasty, Nasty, Nasty.

More Nast.

Here we've removed the old subfloor and the floor insulation.

He cut out "wings" to remove small spots of rot from the other section.

We sealed any gaps and cleaned surface rust. We then used Rustoleum "Stops Rust" primer and paint to seal the deal.

Burning the midnight oil... 

We have good help.

New insulation (I know fiberglass isn't the best but, we're gonna make it work).
He had to cut the front board into 3 sections to get it in place. Not ideal but, its secure.

Nailed, screwed, bolted and glued. That baby isn't going anywhere.

The wings.

We still haven't decided what to do with the floor. Do we try to use some of it or just scrap it and start over.
There isn't enough to cover the whole floor and I'm worried it might smell mildewy, even though it's newer.  

And here's the before and after of starting to prime. The before pic is also an after-cleaning the walls photo.

Before (but after I scrubbed the mildew off)

After. I still need to paint the trim and cut-in around the windows but, it's getting there.
Much more dramatic in person. 

So, that's where we are for now. Next up: more painting, replacing the back floor and our caulk from Vintage Trailer Supply should arrive early next week so, I guess we'll be working on that, too! :-)