It's ok to hire a professional. It's even better if they listen. Oh well. Moving on in the name of progress.

So, we decided to turn to a professional when we realized the sweet little vintage camper had a brake system that had been "jimmy rigged" and looked a little dangerous. We thought we'd take our camper to a local company that has many years under their belts to get an inspection. Hubby was pleased when they said it seemed to be in "pretty good shape" for its age and that we should be relatively happy with the little amount of work that needed to be done.

Bonus.

They gave us an estimate that seemed "reasonable" (in terms of vintage camper restoration, we're not really sure what to expect) but we were able to pay outright for the work estimate (pushing the likelihood of granite countertops further and further way) and decided to go for it.

Hubby was pretty excited that they were "open" to the idea of refurbing the gaping hole in the roof of the camper. As we met for lunch the day he got the call with the estimate he excitedly told me that the 25 year veteran of camper restoration that would be working on the hole would come up with solutions and would give him a call to address some ideas. His clear directive, "that sounds great, I'd like to explore some options because I really don't like the look of a square patch on the roof." No problem. Until the next day. When they invited sweet hubby in to look at the progress. And, they had replaced the gaping hole in the roof with this. Without checking with him first. Yep, they replaced the square patch that he really didn't like with a larger more rectangle-like shaped patch. Huh. Not what we were expecting.

My husband is pretty chill about most things. Like, typically tends to let things go. Doesn't really ruffle many feathers or get his feathers ruffled on a regular basis. But, he did call the company out. Asked why they did exactly what he asked them not to. I was proud of him. It was a big step. It didn't really matter too much. But, I can guarantee that we won't be back there.

So, in the end. We do have a top of the line new brake system. Check. We have the gaping hole fixed recovered and sealed. We are done with that local business. So, I guess we've made progress.

We called another place in town that will take a look at rewiring the inside (something the last place didn't pay much attention to) to upgrade the system and make things a little more safe/attach the lights and refrigerator to the battery pack that was installed last week.  We've officially doubled the investment but if the price that these canned hams are selling for on ebay/craigslist are any indication of resale value, with a little more TLC I'm sure I think that we could still get our $ back if we ever tire of this project and want to sell it.

But, how could I consider selling this thing? It's going to be awesome, right?

Over the past few weeks, we've continued to make some additional changes to the interior and exterior. Probably the most significant change in the last few days occurred when I removed the metal hood from the back window.

I scraped away at the disgustingly dirty, silicone (?) grime and sealant. 

Tried a little Goo Be Gone but I think there is just too much goo that needs to be gone.

So, I tried another power tool to take away some of the grime and residue and remaining stickiness from a previous owners' name decal. A little more sanding and it should cover up just fine with a new coat of paint.

It's a little blurry because that thing was shaking me like a leaf. But, I felt like a rock star. If a rock star actually used power tools. On vintage campers. Ok, you get the point. It was a big step for me.

And, I think it looks a little better already. Can't wait to start painting it!

Until next time!

There's a metaphor here.

This weekend, we found ourselves in the middle of the Lowe's having a conversation about the remodel of our vintage camper. Sweet husband has been consumed spending a lot of time thinking about the gaping hole in the top of the camper that made it's debut in our last blog update. As a result, any time he is within a 3 mile radius of a home improvement store, he gets lost in his thoughts. This doesn't bode well for our conversations in which I demand prefer his undivided attention. Had you been a fly on the wall you might have heard something like, "it seems like you aren't listening to my ideas." That was me. Or, him saying something like, "it seems like you just want to focus on the fun things and I'm trying to figure out the bigger issues/doing all of the work." Back and forth. On and on. Little man interrupts and reminds us to be nice to each other which was frankly shocking since it wasn't his best attitude type of day either. We apologize with a little bit of a smile.  And, pick up some wainscoting that we plan to add to the inside of the vintage camper in places where the water damaged the paneling and we've removed the moldy areas, as shown in here just under the window.

As you can see we've also covered most of the space with primer to help cover the smell from years of moisture and neglect. Our parents tell us it just smells like paint now after hubby has shocked it with bleach, primer and a few thousand ounces of Febreeze. We think they are just being nice. 
Today we added a cup of coffee beans. So, we'll either be making progress or perhaps it will just add another level of complexity to the distinct smell that is our vintage camper.

Hubby spent most of his afternoon adding the coat of primer to the rest of the inside yesterday. With a little help from his sidekick. Little man spent enough time in the camper yesterday to get paint on his nose and use the platform of the bed for a quick dramatic photoshoot. Yep, he's got a dose of sassy and a whole lot of drama from both sides of his lineage. Moving on.

Anyway, back to the camper. Saturday ended with the removal of our formica countertop. We thought about adding granite but hubby is worried that it will shift and break as it travels. So, we'll save the $ to add that to our house someday. Remember this vintage camper project pulled from our savings fund to add granite countertops to our kitchen in the house. No regrets. We'll get there eventually.

So, hubby spent considerable time in the trailer last night removing the countertop. He's adding a coat of paint now. We purchased some vinyl peel and stick flooring that matches the maple floors of our first house. We compromised about the backsplash and plans for the countertop. I'm excited what a few more hours will bring to this project. And, more importantly, the fun our family will eventually have in this tiny little vintage camper, when we're actually relaxing and not just pausing for a quick picture in the midst of a remodel of our 1960s camper.

Hubby and I are celebrating our  13th wedding anniversary this week. For a gift, we purchased those maple hard wood looking floors (like our first house together) and if Little man takes a nap I'll probably sneak out into the garage and see if I can help make a little more progress on the camper. 

And, despite a little flare up in Lowe's this weekend (which we laugh about now) we're in a really good place. In terms of our process towards restoration and our marriage. 

You know, I'm struck by the remarkable similarities one can learn from a little project like this when you compare it to marriage. There aren't a lot of instructions. Sometimes things aren't what you expected. You have to be creative problem solvers. To make things better for everyone, you have to be willing to invest a lot of hard work, time and attention. Sometimes you have to change your attitude. Sometimes you have learn something new. Sometimes, despite what is going on around you, you need to stop what you are doing and enjoy the beauty of what is around you. Things aren't always perfect. Sometimes you have to be patient and keep working on the little things that will make a big difference eventually. But, this journey is best when you experience it with those that you love most. And, for that, I am truly thankful. 

Pulling off a patch. Power Tools. And Paint.

So, it's official. My hobby is really a hobby. And, I have the blister from this weekend to prove it.
Since the weather warmed up (to just under 30 degrees) sweet hubby, my little man, and I tackled the first assignment(s) of project renovation.

It started with this: exposing what was under the mysterious patch. Yikes.

That thing has been a sore subject for sweet hubby since the day we made the purchase. He was bound and determined to see what was under the make-shift patch from the previous owners. Looks pretty rough, huh? Just wait Henry Higgins. Just you wait. It got way worse.

Sweet hubby decided to clip away at things to take a closer look. And, what he found was disgusting. The previous owner (or the one before that) tried to "fix" the issue by sticking a bunch of old t-shirts and some random pieces of trim to "fill" the area. Which basically just resulted in a place for things to get wet. And, begin to rot. And, stink. And, yes, you guessed it, we found the source of the smell!!!! So sweet hubby removed the disgustingness and clipped the metal, and removed the wet, yucky particle board and rotten insulation and we found ourselves with a hole looking into the camper.

And, kind of like John Locke staring into the hatch at the end of a LOST episode, I found sweet hubby staring into the little vintage camper with a little disbelief. No words. Just staring.

What was he thinking? What was I thinking getting us into this? What were we thinking? Could we sell this thing with a hole in the exterior? I literally asked that question out loud. Was this too much work for us first time renovaters? How would we fix this? Why does it still smell so bad? He spoke.

Like always, Mr. Creative, my sweet husband, has an idea. Stay tuned. It's a good one. Until then, here's the view from inside. Yep, it's duck tape.

The rest of the day wasn't nearly as eventful. I removed some of the brackets and hinges so that we could eventually paint. Lesson #1: power tools make things easier.

We pulled the weird looking formica-like, paper-thin backsplash off; still working on getting that off of the countertop and table. It looks better already. 

We removed an old water tank that we don't plan to use from under one of the seats. And, we had another surprise! Another hole! Since we don't need the drain in this area, we'll have to figure something out. Sweet hubby has another idea for that space, too. Stay tuned!

Our last project for the weekend, after bleaching the floor was to seal the space with some mildew resistant/water resistant primer. We plan to add new flooring, but thought it would be good to get started on this task which would hopefully reduce the smell in the camper, seal things and just clean things up a bit. Little man was super excited to help with this part. 

Though we planned on just covering the old floor with primer to start, someone got a little excited to start on the other areas. But, that was ok. This is his vintage camper, too. And, it's going to be awesome. Mostly, because we're doing this together. Which is simply wonderful. Stink and all. 

This is going to be a lot of work.

So, my hobby? It's going to be a lot of work. So far, hubby has been managing the project. I'm more of what one might call the creative director. Or, at least the gal with the camera, the blog posts, and the opinions. And, through it all, the love of my life keeps smiling.

I'm sure that somewhere behind this sweet smile is a man who is a little worried that his wife's hobby is slowly becoming his renovation project. I'll get in there, eventually. When it is warmer outside (or at least in the garage) and when we figure out how to get that weird smell out of there.  It's just an old stale camper smell that I'm sure is par for the course when you set out to restore a vintage camper. But, come on! It's a little overwhelming. Dear hubby thinks getting a little paint in there and adding some cleaning products and elbow grease and we'll be just fine. Again, with the optimism. In the interim time, I might search "removing weird smells from vintage campers" so that we're prepared.

As you can see we've sweet hubby has taken out the drawers and removed all of the cabinets. He pulled that creepy (slightly moldy?) contact paper from some of the drawers and shelves. I, on the other hand, just keep taking pictures so we have evidence of what will be an amazing transformation.

One of the things I've been trying to decide is whether or not we should put a larger mattress in this space (that seems to be the trend on many of the Pinterest-inspired renovations) or whether or not we should keep the flexibility of the couch/pull out bed with a flip cushion like mattress. I haven't actually made it back in there since taking these pictures to measure the area but I think it would probably handle a full size mattress. That would reduce the "seating area" in this space, but really, having a larger mattress to sit on would probably work fine, too. And, likely be more comfortable when we actually spend the night in the camper versus a seat cushion. What do you think?

Hubby removed the freaky-looking water damaged area under the window. It's starting to look better already. Oh, and check out the turquoise stove. That just has super cute written all over it. If nothing else, I'm finding that encouraging. 

Looking forward to the weather getting above zero so that we can make some more progress. Until then, I'll explore some fun fabric options for curtains, pillows, and cushions. 

Um. Yikes. Was this a good idea?

So, we drove to Rolfe. Nice folks that were getting rid of the vintage camper. They reported that they had owned it for three years, and hadn't really stayed in it themselves in over a year or so. They held on to it since they knew the little vintage campers were kind of unique and they let other family members borrow it, but eventually realized that they were more the "big camper" type of people. They pointed down the road to show us their fancy 32 foot camper that kept their family busy. I think they were serious campers. Like not hobby campers. Not glampers. Not Pinterest-inspired renovators.

Hubby began to inspect the camper. Little man and I just walked around nervously. "Mom, are we getting this?" I didn't know what to say. "Ask your Dad." He runs and asks his father. I get the feeling that hubby was unsure if we should actually be making this investment. I trust him in these situations. Ok, in all situations, but really in these situations. He is handy and creative and capable of projects big and small but I sensed his apprehension. It looked run down. Really run down. Like, would I ever spend the night in this thing kind of thing run down. I wasn't sure what to say either. I was hesitant but also somewhat inspired by the potential and awesomeness of this little restored vintage camper.

Hubby began to negotiate price. It was a starting point.  Silence. I probably should have stayed in the car. We would have gotten a better price. They began to say what they were comfortable selling it for and before I knew it I was yelling out something like GREAT! That is exactly what we agreed we would pay on the way here! Umm. More silence. This time from hubby. :) I realized this was about $300 higher than what he'd just offered. Fast forward a few more awkward moments and I begin blurting out more about Pinterest and wanting to find a hobby and.... seriously, why was I still talking??? And, the next thing I know our four year old (kind of a mini-me) was cheering that we were getting the camper, too...and hubby patiently, lovingly just smiles at both of us. He's the best.

On the way home, hubby reminded me (in jest) that my negotiation skills aren't the best, but that it will all work out. We didn't get a steal...or maybe even a deal...but we did end up with one of the only vintage campers currently available in Iowa. In fairness, I don't know if it is my lack of negotiation skills or simply my discomfort with silence. Or both. Either way, we probably could have gotten a better deal had I stayed in the car,  But, it was ours. And, I was ready to get creative.

And, then on the way home, I started getting a little buyers remorse. And, I started questioning our decision to take cash out of our "granite countertop fund" to buy a vintage camper. And then we got home. Our little man was so excited to move the vintage camper into the garage (yep, we're parking outside so that we can work on it this winter. Wait, to clarify, sweet husband is parking outside so that my car can be inside the garage.) Here's a picture of little man directing his dad into the garage:

Yep. He's using a glow stick. One of his stocking stuffers that is like a mini-light saber. Yep, we're raising a Star Wars fan like his father before him. Anyway, back to the camper....

...she fits nicely inside the garage. Inside. So, not at the farm. Yet*. *Just kidding, Dad.* Kind of. :)

We start getting silly and we're freezing cold and tired but having a blast.

We're celebrating the new little addition to our family. We're celebrating the potential of this happy little vintage camper. The possibility of Little Miss Sunshine. And, then we decide to turn on the lights in the camper to take a closer look. And it hit us. Ummm. Yikes. Was this a good idea?

We realize all of a sudden that this sweet little camper STINKS. I mean really stinks. Like, I am not sure I even see this thing becoming a hip little Pinterest worthy camper kind of stink. We remove the cushions and see more of the exposed damage which will require us to replace the inside panel.

And another spot that will require some replacement. I now see why hubby was more hesitant to make a full price offer. Should this have been a deal breaker? Hubby reminds me that we wanted a challenge. He's always so much more optimistic than I am.

We start focusing on the positive (a lesson in itself) and find the vintage wire bracket light pretty charming and comment on how much we love the little turquoise stovetop.

 We remove the yucky curtains. And, open up the windows.  

And, before I head into the house, I peel away my first few boards from the walls of our new project. And, I officially become, with the very breaking of these tiny little boards, more than I thought I initially was. A gal with a hobby. A woman who is more than her work. A mama who is focused on fun and family and creating memories and silly times with the two boys I love most in this world. 

This little vintage camper is a long way from little miss sunshine, the happy little camper. She needs some work. Some TLC. Some creativity. Some Restoration. But, she'll get there. And, I will, too.

I blame Pinterest. The idea behind the road trip to Rolfe.

I promised myself that I'd find a hobby in 2014. I just didn't expect it to be restoring a vintage camper. But a few weeks prior to the close of 2013, my hubby and I found ourselves in discussion about restoring a vintage camper. And, we couldn't shake the idea. It just sounded cool. And, fun. And, exciting. Literally, on New Year's Eve,  instead of partying the night away, we were snuggled up in bed looking at craigslist ads and other sites with Vintage Campers for sale. After coming across a picture of these little cuties, we both felt bitten by the vintage camper bug.

The thought of Glamping ("glamorous camping") sounded like a pretty good idea that would blend my Eagle Scout hubby's love for camping, our enjoyment for design on a dime, and my sincere commitment to find a hobby = instant success, right? I could learn to restore. I could learn to sew. I could learn to paint. I could become a glamper. My free minutes were spent exploring possibilities. I was on a mission to find a vintage, classic camper.

The problem is, they aren't as readily available as one might guess. And, many of the ones that are available and affordable aren't really as glamorous and restored and adorable as they appear to be in the pictures I posted on Pinterest. Who knew?  Yep. Everybody. Despite the disbelief of our family, we ventured on. I pinned picture after picture of cute little renovated campers before bed. I made cold calls and sent random text messages to random strangers that I came across on websites that were selling vintage campers trying to get a lead on one for our winter project. I started google-mapping how far away certain campers were to find if we could go "check one out" over a weekend trip. Sound a little crazy? Probably. But, it was fun. And, I wasn't thinking about work in my free time. And, before I knew it, I had a hobby. My friends that know me really well keep asking if I'm sure about my new hobby. "We don't really see you as the camping type" they say in somewhat disbelief. Who said camping is my new hobby? I'm thinking about painting, and creating, and sewing, and finding vintage lights, and funky fabric. I will be learning to make this thing beautiful again. We'll work on the whole idea of actually staying in the camper overnight thing when the time comes. I'll cross that bridge when we get there. I think I'll get there. Maybe not a full fledged camper, but definitely a glamper. Seriously, Eagle Scout, I promise. :)