Removed: couch, table, window coverings, blinds, carpet, linoleum, and cabinets!

 

 

 

 

With the roof complete it was time to start with the interior. It was around this point that the real frustration set in.  How exactly am I going to rebuild the front bedroom? What materials are reusable? What materials will be best in such a tight space and will be consistent with the rest of the RV? Furthermore, the water damage in the front bedroom ruined a good portion of the cabinets. I didn’t mention before, but the cabinets were a huge time investment. The manufacturer actually stapled the cabinets from the OUTSIDE which means removal is especially time-consuming. The biggest frustration of the removal of wall panels is that they are secured with aluminum brads, hundreds of them. All of which had to be removed using vice grips. The process involved removing both windows, all paneling (outside walls only), brad nails, stripping all the old moldy insulation, and painstakingly scraping glue and pieces of paneling remaining on the aluminum studs. After this, I used a mixture of vinegar and water to spray on several moldy spots on the interior of the walls and remaining insulation and allowed it several days to dry.

 

Everyone names their cars, right?  If you don’t then I’m not sure we can be friends.  So far I’ve had Jerry the Jeep (total POS), Rupert (haayyy), Trevor the Trailblazer, and now TaHoe.

We need a name for this beast of a camper!  I’ve racked my brain since we got him/her and just can’t decide on any one name.  It’s a Sunnybrook so I was thinking of a “S” name.  I could be convinced otherwise.

Send your suggestions our way!

 

 

 

After an exhausting 3 month search for the “Perfect” RV, I quickly came to realize there was no such thing. As a whole, I found that most previous owners have no idea how to properly maintain an RV and have no idea what realistic condition their camper is currently. The other frustrating issue I ran into is that across-the-board, sellers are very confused about how to value their trailer using NADA. NADA is the gold standard in value reference.  The problem is sellers almost always improperly check the accessories and option boxes provided in the online evaluation process. Around the mid-2000’s all RV manufacturers started adding most “options” as standard equipment (I.e. A/C, awnings, spare tire, propane bottles, heated undercarriage/ polar package, etc). Unfortunately sellers in their haste will check all these boxes thus inflating the value of their trailer by 20-30%. In searching for RV’s this was very frustrating and led to many uncomfortable conversations with sellers along the lines of “if you’ll consider selling at actual value I’ll come take a look”. Not many were willing to admit that their $10K trailer that’s been on the market for 3 months isn’t selling because it’s actually worth much less.

Secondly, most owners were either ignorant to, or unwilling to provide info about leaks, damage, delamination of fiberglass, etc. After driving hundreds of miles and spending multiple weekends looking at junk, I finally came to realize there was no perfect trailer. On one particular occasion I nearly fell through a slide-out floor on a fifth wheel that was advertised as “pristine”. After talking with the owner and pointing out leaks in nearly every area of the RV, they err still unwilling to budge on price.

 

 

gut the interior including flooring

replace the roof

replace wood in the bedroom

rebuild bathroom skylight

take out cabinets in kitchen

rebuild and replace cabinets in bathroom and bedroom

sand walls and ceilings

tape walls and windows for primer

prime walls

paint walls

paint cabinets

paint cabinet hardware

lay flooring

replace trim

DECORATE!