Forward Motion – Travel Trailer Update

We’re making progress!  We have walls!  We were able to glue and screw the interior sheathing to the walls and get them mounted to the trailer this weekend, yeah!  I really like how the space is coming together.  Like any space, it will go through phases of feeling ‘bigger than you expect’ and ‘smaller…’  Right now we are at a bigger than expected phase.  It IS very cool to start to see it coming together.

We have pre-drilled and screwed and the framing together so far (this is one of my battles picked…).  We are leaving the outside uncovered until we get the inside fairly built out, this will allow us to add blocking wherever we need it as we go forward.  To do this we use this super awesome tool that I recommend as a gift to a tiny houser you know, the Kreg Jig.  This allows you to get a strong connection when face nailing, kind of like toe nailing but precise and recessed so that you have clean surfaces.

I’ll admit this has been challenging, James and I both have strong, and often counter, opinions of how things should go.  We’ve been working out a pecking order to make sure we both get what is important to us.  Right now we are both thrilled with how it is coming together so no matter how epic the debates have gotten we got to a happy spot! ha!  It seems like the less ‘blank’ the slate is the easier it is to go forward, it’s hard when anything is possible, it’s easier when you’ve got some parameters to work within!

Laying out the 1/8" plywood

We tried to minimize the seams inside and to minimize the amount of sheets needed

A scrap from the top covered that little piece

There are fairly lightweight, James or I can easily lift them. We screwed them in place with normal deck screws only because we forgot to stop and get lag screws...

Tied them together with two 2x2s, just to hold them in place

This is the front door side, that opening in the back is actually and access panel to the refridgerator as well as an outdoor shower and water heater acccess, the smaller hole near the bottom is the access panel to the solar batteriess

Front end

We took out the kitchen window so that we have room to add storage

Me inside

It feels bigger than expected so far

This was wall two

Wall one

The two 'porthole windows' that are actually 'PetPeeks' bubble windows will be in each of the kids's bunks, they can poke their head through and look at eachother 🙂

The lag bolts, we used 3/8"

detail shot

adding the row of blocking to have a nailing surface for the exterior panels

We had to replace the front jack as well!

The Kreg jig in action

the pockets it makes

The family stuff!

I’ve been working on Hazels mural more.  I got the farm a little ways and she found me.  Her only comment was ‘I wanted 5 horses’… I had only drawn three… so I drew two more, and hid some cats and ducks around.  I also started on the waterfall and nemo portion, it is harder to draw likenesses than crap out of your own head so it took a bit longer… It’s not there just yet but close.  All we have left is the fairy tree village and a big dino which she says she doesn’t want because its scary… so that might not get done….

Now I have ideas flowing for what to paint in Miles’s bed, I think his personality needs to bloom a little more before I have a clear direction but I am having visions of a tree house, pirate ships, a dessert, a campfire in the mountains… What are other good ideas for a mural in his?

We also had a birthday party to go to, Miles and Hazel’s cousin Timmy turned ONE!  Miles turns one on Saturday (already!?).  This week we will be planning his party at the park!

ALSO, and I write this to hold myself accountable a little… I have decided that I need to get better at using my camera.  I am going to try my hand at a project 52, THIS project 52 actually.  I will have to shoot one image a week for a year, starting on Miles’s birthday so that I can have an easy start date!  Wish me luck!

One of the rare 'whole family' shots, usually one of us is behind the camera... 🙂

The first farm

Right after her critique that I needed to draw two more horses (and some bubbles)

The touch light is the sun/moon

"You need to add bubbles mama'

Denver is alive and well too, hes starting to like being a kid dog, there are two little food droppers now!

a 'toot-toot' in the background

the water fall

there needs to be a picnic or something on this beach

the fairy village will be here

fall walks

and leaf throwers

singing a birthday song to cousin Timmy

little hula girl

not his favorite hat

but this one is!

Sometimes they want to eat dinner at their messy crafty tea table

He also sleeps with his eyes open

Hanging out with her 'meow'

Happy Fall All!