Good thing the chickens don't mind scrappy!

Here's a look at the chicken tractor in process. We're (Rob is) building this out of all the scraps of wood we had laying around in the basement. At least they'll be put to good use! We needed something to put the hens in while we are living in transition and this should do the trick. :-)

Garlic!!

A story and a trip to Charlotte.

So, last night Rob was out working on the Stream and I was inside packing up books. I get a phone call from him, "I need you to come help me." Ok. Sure.

I go out there and he's in the bathroom, crouched down, and he says to me, "I'm gonna move and you need to put your finger right here." Hang on there, buddy... right where? What's going on? And then I see it... the water all over the floor. He explained to me that he had turned the water on to test some things and then turned it back off and that in the process of doing that the water heater filled up. Now, said water heater was draining out gallons of water right into the bathroom. Fantastic. So we switched places and I plugged the pipe with my finger.

Rob says, "I have a plan!" He comes in with a length of Pex pipe with a shark bite connector and we try to do a quick switch and put it on the open pipe. No go. It didn't fit and now there was more water on the ground. I re-inserted my finger and asked for a bucket. It's an extremely small space so we had to use a trim paint pail (about 5"dia x 10"deep). I filled and dumped that thing about 20 times before the water finally slowed down and Rob was able to get in there and clean up and get it fixed. >phew<

Filling the bucket... again.

At least this drain is functional.

I tell ya what, this whole thing is a wild ride.

To top if off, both of our cars were in the shop this week which set us back in precious funds. Surprise! Oh well. It's all good.

We also went to Charlotte, NC on Tuesday to get a few things. We scored a toilet for the A-stream and saved about $80 on it. We also got a futon from Craigslist. I had searched long and hard for this particular Ikea futon with a particular mattress. Before we went down, I asked the woman selling it to confirm that it was the mattress I wanted and she said it was. We go, we buy, we drive away. I later check the tags and BOOM! Wrong mattress! I'm pretty sure I shed a tear. I was really upset. There are 4 grades of Ikea futon mattresses and I wanted the "Havet" one. It's more like a regular mattress. What we got was the cheaper "Lovas" one. NOT AT ALL what I wanted. >deep breath< We will survive. We'll probably just grab a foam topper and be fine. It was just so disappointing to drive that far for a let-down. Oh well.

We also went to the Ikea store while down there and exchanged the futon cover that came with the futon for a different one. Blackish/grey for white. At least I can have the cover I want. We got a new sink as well. And a towel rack. And curtain liners for me to sew into the new curtains I have yet to make.

A very long, very expensive day. It was stuff we needed though and I'm glad we have it.

Once Rob is done with the plumbing, all we really need to do (major stuff) is test the gas lines and related appliances (water heater, stove/oven and furnace). The new wood floors should come in tomorrow and get installed on Tuesday (by Rob and James, my brother-in-law). Can't wait to see the floors once they're in! It's gonna make it seem so much closer to being ready! I need to finish painting the cabinets this weekend so I don't risk getting paint on the new floor. My little toddler has given-up his naps as of this week so, I don't have time during the day to work on stuff anymore. Nighttime work, here we come!

Oh yeah... and I probably should really start packing. ;-)

19 days until launch!!

Stay tuned for another plumbing post from Rob with details, for those of you interested in hearing about this monstrosity:

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.

Name that Airstream!

Hey all!

It's name time! Our poor Airstream needs a name. I'm tired of calling it "the camper", "the trailer", etc...

So... Let's hear your suggestions!! Ready? GO!

Just an update... and a question.

So, I know I haven't posted any renovation pics or posts this week yet and that's because Rob is just working on the back end floor and, well, it's not too unlike the front end and I already shared that with you all. It's almost done though (yay) and that means next up to bat is painting everything! I primed the front end but now we've got to do everything else. After that, we'll put in the kitchen cabinet/s and get all the kitchen appliances, etc. in working order. Probably after that we'll move to the bathroom. And then the beds/couches... after another coat of paint on the walls, that is.

The other news is, we sold our house! We are "under contract", according to the sign in our yard. That means inspections next week and packing everything up and putting all of it, except what fits in our little 250sqft Airstream, into storage. Yipee. Sounds fun, right? Ha. Ha. No. Well, maybe a little. It's thrilling and scary all at the same time but, we know that wherever we go God is with us and He will provide. The thought of ditching the comforts of home and taking flight in a camper would not even be an option to most Americans and yet, here we are. It is mentally challenging to fight the need for the cultural definition of "security", which includes a regular house or apartment, and take a risk. It's stressful to plan for building a house when money is tight and you can't believe that you are downsizing, even after you build, from our current 960sqft. The plan we are looking at is only 796sqft and you can find it here. We really hope to put it on a basement though, so we can have a mudroom down there along with room for future expansion. I think after living in an Airstream, 796sqft will seem big anyway! :-) We'll be updating on here about the building process as we go through it.

But all of the aside, the hot topic in our house right now is... drumroll please!... When do we get a dog??! That's right, a dog. "But wait!" you might say, "Aren't you packing and moving and then living in a camper? Won't that be too tight? Why don't you just wait until you're in your new house?"  Well, I'll tell you why. Rob works late and I want NEED a four-legged alarm system to feel safe. One that could double as a ninja if needed. Yes, I am going to freshen-up on my gun-toting skills and have our little arsenal right there with me... but there's just something so comforting about having a beast of a dog there with me too. I'm not sure I would do it without him. The question of timing remains, though. Do we get one now, spend some time training him and letting him get used to us while we're still in a normal house with a yard and room for a crate (which should be about 2 months) OR do we wait until we're at the campground (or even later, at the land) where nothing is normal and we're already living tiny and trying to figure each other out. It's really hard to decide! Want to see my pros and cons list? (You probably don't but... it's my blog and maybe it'll help me think it through.) :-)
(Note: getting a puppy now means getting a Great Dane/Mastiff/Dobie mix (if the temperament fits) instead of waiting and saving for a long time and getting an allergy-friendly sheepadoodle or something.)

Getting puppy now. (Or, reverse for "Getting a puppy later")
Pros:
More time with him before we live in A-stream. (Read: trust, potty training, basic commands, etc...)
He'll be bigger and tougher looking at 6mo than he will at 2mo. (probably at least 50lbs+!)
I'll have him with me at both the future land and the place in-between.
Time for Will to get used to him before his world gets turned upside-down.

Cons:
Lack of funds/takes funds from Airstream for now.
Might be too stressful to be packing and training a powerful breed dog.
Getting one now means not getting an allergy friendly dog = hair everywhere.
Things are still unknown. (Will our buyer back out? Will we get the land? How long will we live at a campground? Do they allow pets? etc...)

I'm sure I could come up with more... what would you add?

That last thing I want to say is this: Will is slightly nervous about dogs. Do I just suck-it-up and not get one for fear of scarring him for life or... will he adjust? That might be the most important question.

What do you all think? About all of it.

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! :-)

Holy Cannoli!

(Speaking of cannolis, can someone bring me one? It's called emotional eating people. You know you do it, too.)

So, today we started ripping up the old subfloor. Yep. To quote a guy from the (wonderful) Airforums who was commenting on another guy's problem similar to ours,

"Welcome to the forums!

You're not the first -- nor will you be the last -- to discover that Airstreams are far more work than expected!"

In other words, "Sucker! You bought an old Airstream! What did you expect?" 

He went on to be encouraging and helpful, saying it's all worth it in the end but, you know... we are terrible for picking up ridiculous projects and the B-stream (Breinich Airstream) will be no different! When we bought the trailer, one of the selling points was that it had a new floor in it. I figured that was done and it would be one less thing we would have to do, leaving mainly cosmetic stuff and a little plumbing. Oops. Oh well. I guess we'll just have that much more satisfaction when it's all done. And peace of mind, knowing that our feet will not be going through the floor anytime soon. I think it's the unknown that is the most stressful part of it (that and the unexpected lack of funds). If we were replacing the subfloor in the house (which we have done) it's easy because we know how the house is built. With the Airstream it's all new. Rivots? How do you work those? A rivot gun? Nope, don't have one... yet. Crazy, rusted 1975 bolts that won't.come.out.? Check. So anyway, once we get our heads around HOW to do it, I guess it won't be too difficult. (heh. heh. riiiight...)

I'm sure it's gonna be awesome when we're done. It'll probably look like this!

Or this!

Or even this!

Ok so, if it looks like that last one when we're done somebody better come slap me. 

Anyway, we're gonna do everything we can to find the funds (praying, working hard, odd jobs), time and strength to make this thing work. I think it will be worth it in the end. Even if our house doesn't sell, we'll have an awesome guest house and travel trailer and we will have had a fun family project.  Heck! Maybe we'll even sell our cars, buy a Jeep Wagoneer, rent out our house and hit the road. Would be fun! You never know what we'll do next. ;-)

(Post with pics of the floor replacement to follow...)