Restoring the "Haunted Mansion"

[Gardnpondr]

WOW looking good! I can't wait to see the final result! AWESOME! LOVE the bottom color of the camper. That would help it not to show soooo much dirt and stuff.

[Wanderer]

WOW! My first visit to the forum since I brought my Freedom home and joined the Casita forums. Things haven't changed: this long post above confirms that courageous, talented/skilled people are still revitalizing old eggs with incredible results, to standards that the design engineers did not dream could happen. You have my admiration, and I will follow this saga to its happy conclusion. In a "prior life" I thought I'd completed an inimitable reconstruction and renewal of a Trillium. Compared with your project, my efforts and dreams pale, and my present minuscule projects , a shelf here, there, a plumbing update, a table mod, et al, become insignificant. Good on ya, mate/s.

[Raff]

Finished paint is top notch. Looking forward to seeing your interior work.


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[Newbie]

I'm speechless. Keep the pictures coming. Since we have a older Scamp with the low ceiling height and husband and I are both under 5'7" I was thinking of calling it "Short People" you really have me thinking themes are good.

[Lynn Musgrave]

WOW! Those colors are just wonderful

[Sohkraites]

While I've been working on the trailer itself, Myka has had the task of tackling the cushion covers and the curtains.

So I'll turn this over to her and let her tell you the story of the cushions. Take it away, Myka!

_______________________

The day Tony and I purchased what was to become our mini-mansion, we paid for it, hooked it to the Doombuggy, and went out for dinner to discuss the possibilities before heading home to take stock of what we actually had. What did we want to do with it? What were the things we really wanted to include? What trips were we looking forward to taking in it? And he began talking about the process a little…what would have to be done first? What was the estimate for having it finished? We don’t have the best track record of finishing projects in this household, so these things were important to discuss. I could just see this little egg sitting in our garage, teasing me unmercifully, with limitless, yet untapped potential, for an unknown and infinite amount of time. But one of the things he mentioned, kind of in passing, was “We’ll have to get new cushions.”

At some point that evening, “We’ll have to get new cushions” became “You’ll have to make new cushions." I let it go at the time…I think I did that little chortle that I do when I either didn’t hear what someone said and I’ve already said, “What?” three times, and now it’s time to react. But again, it was so far down the road, there wasn’t really any reason to worry. Surely it would get figured out.

We went to the fabric store. I found the most perfect fabric. And it would be great and beautiful and fabulous and all of those other superlatives one musters when one is describing a true thing of beauty. And by the by, the time that we were going to need these cushions got closer and closer…and it was time to come to grips with something that was not just a minor problem.

I had no idea how to make cushions. I can make a pillow…if it’s dog shaped and comes in a kit like it did when I was in 8th grade Home Economics (which, by the way, included all of the required pieces of fabric pre-cut), because that’s about the last time I actually made anything of consequence. I made a costume once…but it only consisted of a vest and a cape, and three seams, and even those were crooked. Needless to say, I was in “deep doo-doo.”

I have a sewing machine. It was $60 at Walmart, and every time I tried to use it, the thread kept tangling. The last time I used it, I am pretty sure I smelled smoke. As this unsettling thought started rolling around in my head, I also realized that if this was going to get done, I better figure it out. Fortunately for me, I was heading to a rare dinner date with my best friend…and as I approached the table at the restaurant, instead of a greeting, she said, “Spill it. What’s wrong?” So I told her. And her response was the only thing that allowed me to actually relax enough to enjoy dinner: “I’ve got some experience with cushions. I’m happy to help you.”

Thank God. Someone knows what to do, and better yet, is willing to help me! She gave me a list of things to get (besides the obvious foam and material), and we were on the way.

So…cut to three weeks ago. I arranged to purchase foam and notions through Amazon Marketplace, and quickly received everything…except the foam for the main cushions. Amazon told me it was on the way, the merchant told me it was on the way, and UPS told me, “A shipping label has been printed and is on the way to the carrier.” Unfortunately, the carrier never received it. After several other emails to and from the merchant, it became obvious that the merchant actually never shipped it. Several days later, they refunded the money. That’s great, but here’s the problem…I was going to be going up to her house to make these things in 48 hours and we still had NO FOAM.

We did, however, find an upholstery supply store that happened to be in town. So Tony and I went down there after work, which was a bit of a trick, since they were only open until 4:30 p.m. during the week. We walked in, and were greeted by a grisly little man and, upon being told what we needed, dutifully walked us to the foam and helped us choose the right one (4”, medium density, and if we got it in a bigger sheet it would be cheaper...), and batting and upholstery adhesive to be applied. We then went home, used the templates Tony had made, traced and cut the foam pieces.

After making sure the pieces fit we attached the batting using the upholstery adhesive to each of the pieces.

Finally, it was time to make the cushion covers. I took the thread, cushions and upholstery fabric up to Liane’s house. When I got there, we took the cushions and laid them out so she could see how they were going to go together, and figure out on which sides the “unseen seams” could go. Fortunately, of the six cushions we were tasked with covering, five were rectangular. We started with one and she drew a rough pattern. Using her couch cushion as a rough pattern, she drew a pattern, which has the top, front and bottom of each cushion as one big piece, and the sides are a separate piece. After discussion, we did decide not to install a zipper into each cushion. This was a good thing, as the idea of trying to do a zipper gives me hives.

[Sohkraites]

After cutting and pinning the material, we wanted to check the fit. We then realized that this day could go very, very badly…because the batting stuck to, well, EVERYTHING. It wouldn’t slide in the cover, it wouldn’t slide across the cutting table. It was a mess. In a fit of irritation, I asked if we might use a trash bag. When we put the cushion in the trash bag, the cushion slid in beautifully and the cover fit beautifully.

I knew the crunching of the plastic was going to be an issue, though. So I thought about plastic wrap. I made a run to Costco for a roll of institutional plastic wrap ($12.99) while Liane sewed the covers. We got the cushions wrapped front to back with plastic wrap, leaving the sides open – otherwise, every time someone would sit down, they’d be sitting on a giant air pillow.

Once we got going on it, we got pretty fast at it. I even got the curtains rough cut and a couple of panels pinned while she was sewing. By the end of the day, we realized we had done very well. All of the cushions were complete, with the exception of the hand stitched seams that couldn’t be completed with the cushion in the cover. That’s my job before the first trip.

And in the last photo below, the cushions are complete!

- Myka

[Paul O.]

Have you heard of the vacuum cleaner and thin plastic wrap trick for stuffing the cushions? It does not have to be super airtight, just enough to let the atmosphere squeeze the foam. After it is in place and expanded, you reach in and pull out the plastic wrap, piece by piece.

[Sohkraites]

It was suggested, but they decided to just leave the plastic in there...as extra protection for the foam (we're planning on scotchguarding the cushions....). If it gets too "crinkly" after the first outing, nothing says we can't unstitch the back seam and yank out the plastic and resew them back up.

[Sohkraites]

With Myka off doing the cushions, I forged ahead again, continuing to build the cabinets across the front of the trailer.

We secured the storage enclosure to the floor with the L-brackets and then put a screw through the wire rack into the enclosure to further secure that. We also drilled a couple of holes in the other side of the frame (both front and back) to attach to the face frame of the cabinet. Oh, that frame isn't going ANYWHERE.

Now to actually start assembling the cabinet.... Using cleats and some drywall screws, we attached the end of the cabinet, then the divider wall inside the cabinet.

Now due to a slight miscalculation a while back when I was putting in the ribs to support the walls, there is about a 2" gap between the cabinet and the rib. No problem. That rib is going to be enclosed in a mini-cabinet anyway which will help support the cabinet and roof above. I cut a couple of scraps of 2x2 to span the gap. Using my trusty air nailer to affix them on the cabinet side and a dry wall screw from the rib side, the cabinet was secured. When it comes time to hang the reflectix and headliner, we can pop those two screws loose and move the cabinet just enough to shove the insulation and material behind it. We also used one of the leftover L-brackets to fasten down the divider wall.

Once the cabinet was in place, we needed to put in a brace near the back of the cabinet to a) stiffen the back edge of the cabinet and b) give us some place to attach the countertop. Next was to figure out where the stove was tentatively going to be and cut a notch in the divider wall to accommodate the "drip pan" of the stove. In the pica below, you can see the rough placement of the sink. The drain for it barely clears the rack of the wire baskets...you'd think we planned it that way!

Below are a couple of pics that show (approximately) where the stove and the sink will end up. In the one picture that looks toward the driver's side of the trailer, you can see the face frame of the cabinet. The big hole on the left side of the cabinet will be the space for the microwave, the lower left hole will be for the PD4045 power center, and the smaller hole just to the right of that will be where the power buses will be mounted so we can access them. The door on the right is where you'll be able to access the plumbing (including a water filter) and the wire baskets.

[Sohkraites]

Now it was time to begin work on the forward cabinet. We had played with a 1x6 to get the rough shape of the outside wall - the one just forward of the door. We then cut a 1x10 to serve as the bottom rail for the face frame.

Now here's where the position of the fiberglass shell on the trailer frame becomes super critical. When the previous owners replaced the floor and re-fiberglassed it back into place, they didn't keep the door opening square - it's actually slightly wider at the bottom. What that means when it comes to the cabinets is that we had to scoot the face frame back as far as possible so there would be enough room to put in the cabinet and still get the decorative trim around the edge of the door. We could have just built the cabinets on top of the "step" at the front of the trailer, but we really wanted to cover up the ugly black metal frame that was exposed to the interior. The solution we came up with was to cut a rabbet out of the back of the 1x10, leaving only 1/4" thickness to cover the metal frame. The shoulder of the rabbet rests on the top of the wood floor. One of the photos below shows what the rabbet looks like. The next two show how the rabbet sits up on top of the raised portion of the floor (looking toward the door from where the fridge sits, then looking toward the driver's side).

We then took another piece of 1x10 and trimmed it to fit the roof/wall corner and attached it to the 1x6. This is the top of the face frame. Once attached, we had to do a little more trimming to get it to fit, but it fits in there nicely now. The first photo below shows inside of the face frame of the front cabinet (complete with pocket screws!). The bottom is near the top of the photo.

By the way, I have to say I LOVE pocket screws! I have no idea why I didn't own a pocket screw jig years ago!

Anyway....the second photo shows the face frame being test-fitted. You can see the 1x10 at the bottom and the 1x6 up the side. The top of the face frame is just out of the photo. To make sure the fridge and A/C unit fit where we were planning they would, we brought them out and let them have a trial fitting! The 1x2 coming across from the top of the fridge was just for fitting...well, initially.

It was at this point that I made a design change that I think will work out far better than initially planned. Originally, I was thinking the closet just inside the door would go all the way from the ceiling down to the A/C unit. The space then between the closet and the fridge would then be a drawer. However, once we put that 1x2 all the way across from the kitchen cabinet, I saw an opportunity to gain more drawer space. At this point in the build, there wasn't any...oh, sure, we have the baskets and all, but that's not the same. We really needed someplace for kitchen utensils, silverware, etc., and the one little drawer I planned just wouldn't cut it.

I decided to cut the "closet" short and widen the drawer. Much nicer and a cleaner look, I think. This design will allow us to extend the countertop into the "closet," providing a solid shelf bottom. The long skinny door at the top is the "closet," or storage, the hole below that will be the drawer, and the big hole below that will be the A/C unit.

[Sohkraites]

Now we also had a fairly good sized hole on the driver's side of the fridge we needed to plug. Had to go get a 1x8 from the local home improvement store, trim the board so that only 1/4" remained to cover the black metal frame, and then notch it so it slid under the kitchen counter. We then cut pocket screws to attach it to the top rail and the stile from the kitchen cabinet. (Did I mention how much I love pocket screws?! )

Now the space behind the 1x8 will actually come in handy. That's where we plan to put the 110v outlets for the fridge and the A/C unit...they'll be reachable from inside where the baskets are...

[Sohkraites]

Now our A/C unit doesn't look like it has anywhere for it to leak, except for one hole in the very bottom. Still, following the suggestions of others, I opted to put a drain pan under the unit -- just in case! The pan is a simple metal paint tray. We started by building a frame around the tray for support (that AC unit is HEAVY!).

We then topped the build with a piece of plywood with a hole cut to match up to the one in the bottom of the unit to allow any moisture coming out of the bottom of the A/C unit to drip into the pan.

We then mounted the frame inside the trailer at the bottom of the cupboard, using the leftover L-brackets we used on the enclosure under the kitchen cabinet.

I wasn't certain about using the plywood platform as initially made. I know A/C units leak condensation, but I can't see where this one would, unless it's off the back through the cooling fins....if that's the case, I would have to trim off some of the back of the plywood to allow water to drip into the pan. The more I thought about it, the more inclined I was to make the hole bigger so that the fins would be over the drip pan. There's still plenty of wood to support the A/C unit but I feel better giving the unit more room to drip if it decides to.

Next we needed to figure out where to drain the water if any should drip from the A/C unit. I was puzzled for quite a while when my eyes fell on the old sink drain that I removed from the stainless steel sink that came with the trailer (BTW...I replaced the sink drain with a nice new one with a P-trap built in...). The old one was not very nice looking, but it had all the parts. Using a drill with a fairly small bit to drill several holes around in a circle, we were able to get a hole in the pan. I applied some butyl tape and then tightened the main nut. Now the beauty of using this for the drain is that I can put a small piece of screen mesh on the drain at this point, just before I attach the silver collar and the black plastic drain piece. This should keep out any unwanted critters from crawling up inside the drain and into the A/C unit. I didn't have any on hand (we'll add that to our next shopping list!), but it won't take much more than a couple of square inches to finish that part of the project off!

[Sohkraites]

Once the drain was assembled, we needed some place for the drain to drain to. That meant we needed to cut a hole in the floor. After all the time I spent plugging holes in the trailer you can understand why I am somewhat hesitant to create any new ones! But this one is fairly simple and once we get the drain in place for the final time, I'm gonna seal it up good from the underside....I don't want any water finding it's way inside! Tracing the hole from the pan, I used a hole saw to drill a hole large enough to accommodate the silver and black ring.

And the drain is in!

[Sohkraites]

Another small, but important job was to get a weather resistant clamp to replace the old strain relief for the wires coming in from the wiring harness and battery. I really didn't like the thought of using a standard clamp - it wasn't waterproof . Then after spending some time staring at all the various clamps in the conduit aisle of the hardware store, I came across this little thing...

The way it works is pretty ingenious - the tighter you screw down the outside nut, the smaller the opening gets on the inside (it's a silicone-like insert that squishes down the tighter you make it.).

Whew! After getting all this stuff into the Mansion, it amazed us how small things suddenly got - and this is without the cabinet on the rearward side of the door! That front cabinet is nearly 30" deep at its widest...which pretty good size! Myka is looking forward to using that for food prep, for a TV, or plug in things like our cameras, crock pots, etc.

[charlsara]

Cool. We enjoy seeing your photos. That's a big project.

[Gardnpondr]

Looking mighty good! I love seeing all the progress.

[D Davis]

WOW!!!! Industrious project! Love the floor plan! Great job!

[Borrego Dave]

Looking good Tony. Just a comment on the refer though. Seems to me reversing the door opening may be more user friendly. You can reach in from the outside to grab a beer

[Sohkraites]

Great idea, Dave! Frankly, we haven't gotten that far. I am more worried about getting the cabinets and all their innards done...swapping the door on the fridge will be cake compared to the rest of this!