Picture Time!!

Hubby has been bugging me to put more photos on the blog.  So, here they are!!  We are almost finished with the interior work at this point, just a few little fixes here and there.  The outside is another story...hahha. 

There are a few shots of the a/c fix that we came up with at the end.  We removed a very heavy, old and most likely unsafe propane heater from the closet, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the cabinet and a round vent to the exterior.  We live in NC and we camp at the beach most of the time, in the middle of summer, when the temps are in the 90's and the humidity is almost as high as the temp.  So, an a/c is a MUST have item.  This is the solution that we came up with.  It is NOT ideal, and it works as well as it does only because the Hubster is quite mechanically inclined, and he has a good working knowledge of what he's dealing with.  I wouldn't recommend doing an a/c install this way.  There is still a fair amount of heat gain from the back of the unit, and we are aware that it isn't the best way to do an a/c install.  BUT, it is working for now, for us, and that's all that counts.

So, with no further ado - here's the photos!!

Here's the potty closet door!  I used black vinyl to label it with a "moon" like an outhouse...hahaha.  I cut it where the door folds in half.  No doubt what's in the closet now!!

The gaucho, with our slightly too large futon mattress in place.  We want to be comfortable sleeping at night, so we chose to use a futon mattress from a futon couch that hubby made about 10 years ago!  Wow, how time flies! We'll cut it down by about 6" if it works well for sleeping.  The bed size is a "double" bed, or 75 by 48" wide, the futon is 54" wide.  You can also see the curtains that I'm making in this photo.  Love the fabric!  It's a Michael Miller quilting cotton called "Travel Trailer" and it's just lovely to work with.  I hunted this stuff down and bought about 10 yards of it.  I'll make some matching pillows later, I just threw the pillow forms on the bed to see what it would look like.  

  

The dinette bench and table are DONE!!  Well, not quite done, we eventually plan to laminate the table with the boomerang aqua laminate we have in storage, but we wanted to make sure the table was the right size for us first.  Nice, huh?  The cushions are covered with a vintage-ey green slubby fabric that I found on sale at Joann's.   I just made simple boxed cushion covers over the 4" thick foam, then covered them with batting.  They're quite comfortable for sitting, not sure about sleeping yet! 

The whole dinette!!  This area is where the kids will sleep.  The dinette table makes into a bed that is just a bit larger than a twin size.  Eventually, we'll add a pole cot above the dinette for our son to sleep on.  For the next few camping trips, we'll just have them bunk together.  Might make them appreciate each other a bit more....or it might be the source of great contention between them.  Not sure which yet.

The view from the door of the dinette.  Lots of seating room, big table, plenty of storage beneath the benches.  You can also see the electric fridge from this view. 

Fridge and microwave!!  We chose not to install a regular stovetop and oven.  We don't "cook" much when we camp, an oven wouldn't have been used very often, so it would have taken up valuble space.  We chose to make a shelf for a pair of hot plates that can be used inside or outside.  The fridge is a compact unit that can be removed if it should die at some point down the road.  Same with the microwave.  We usually make popcorn, heat up canned food and quick meals in the microwave, so it made sense to make a space for one.  We'll keep condiments, meat and veggies in the little fridge.  We keep drinks and beer in a cooler with ice outside. 

A good view of the kitchenette.  The countertop is just painted 5/8 plywood for now.  The sink is a bar sink that is temporary, and we don't yet have the backsplash installed.  We have laminate for the permanent countertop and we'll put the original sink back in.  There's LOTS of counter space.  LOVE IT. 

Beneath the sink!  The sink sits over the wheel well, so there's a little bump-up shelf in the front.  The paper towel rack will be mounted once I figure out where to put it.   I LOVE the towel bar inside the cabinet door.  You just don't find great stuff like this on the new campers. 

Sliding doors beneath the entire kitchenette.  This one is shallow due to the wheel well behind it. 

You can also see the outlet strip that hubby put just inside this shelf, underneath the countertop edge.  There are two outlets here, so that we can plug in the coffee pot or hot plates without having cords dangling all over.  There is also a strip of 3 outlets just beneath the upper right hand cabinet for fans or a radio, etc.  The bathroom has an outlet added as well, we've plugged in a small night light for lighting needs in there.  Hubby also put another outlet in the  closet for the a/c and fan unit that are in there.  Other than that, we have just what the camper came with - 3 outlets, one on each lighting fixture.  Hubby upgraded the electrical service with a 30 amp inlet (marine style, furrion brand) to make sure we'll have enough oomph for a microwave and a/c. 

Fridge, with storage for pots and pans beneath. 

Pots and pans storage.  I am so thrilled with the amount of storage this little beauty has. 

You can see the back area of the kitchenette a little bit here.  The fridge is shallow, leaving about 8" of space behind it.  Hubby installed an on-demand propane hot water heater behind it.  The controls for it are accessible from the exterior door that was for the old propane fridge that this camper had originally.  Hubby build a new vent and ductwork for the heat to vent to the outside beneath the countertop.  **This is not a recommended use of this propane outdoor hot water heater.  The model is an Eccotemp L5.  We need hot water only for washing dishes, faces, and occasionally washing hair or bodies at the small sink.  This unit produces a serious amount of heat and it's not approved for interior applications.  Since we won't be using it very often and it's also got a huge access door vent right in front of it, we feel quite safe with this installation.  We'll monitor it over time to see how it fares.

Sliding access panel doors beneath the gaucho. 

A/C installation in the closet.  This photo is turned sideways, sorry about that.  Originally, this closet had a cavity for the propane furnace.  We removed the heater and decided to install a 5000 btu window a/c unit in this space.  There is a boxed vent beneath the a/c unit, and an air intake vent in the side of the camper from the old propane furnace.  A 6" industrial fan blows the hot air out of the duct at the bottom of the camper just in front of the wheel well. 

Top of the unit.  A piece of plywood sits above the supports in the cabinet to partition the a/c from the closet.

Add caption

There is a small cabinet door that will go back on here to cover up the duct (on the right) at allow access to the switch once it's mounted in place.  A blast gate will go at the bottom of the duct.  We'll open the gate, turn on the switch, and the power will go to the small fan and the a/c. 

This is the space we had to work with.  So, an a/c unit sticking out of the side of the cabinet is far better than a big empty hole.  ha!  This is only a temporary mock-up to test it out.  The whole thing will be finished out nicely when Hubby is done.  The wiring will be run properly, and this side will have a panel over it.  The area beneath the a/c will be storage for a small tool roll, and access to the switch and blast gate. 



Our happy little camper!!!