Rookie vs. 1990 Casita (Project Thread)

[Patricia D.]

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the cleanliness and tidiness of the interior of your trailer. Of course,cthis shows in the finished results.
I, on the other hand, have piles of wood and debris outside and my floor is splotched with paint and glue and often footprints. A soory sight by comparison.
So much to admire about your project. I look forward to each installment.

[shaggydoink]

The past couple weeks have been crazy, I'm finally at a point where I'm able to get this thread updated. A few days after my last post I packed up the camper and head out on a short trip to work on trail mapping project and attend one day of an event called the American Adventurist Appalachian Rendezvous. The poor camper looked just as sketchy the previous trip:



But I didn't encounter any new issues (whew!) and overall it served as a great home for a couple days. Crazy trails:



Fire-roasted dinners:



All in all another wonderful trip!

Today I was back to work, the highlights included getting the spare tire holder modified so it doesn't drag:



Getting the inside stove finally functional:



And getting some initial framing done for a storage cabinet just inside the front door:



I had originally envisioned filling this space in with shelves floor to ceiling, but opted to go with just a partial set of shelves which will leave space to hang some coats and keep the interior a little more open... or less claustrophobic depending on which way you want to look at it.

More updates soon!

Jonathan

[k corbin]

A low counter surface below where coats hang is not a bad idea. At least you can put a drip catch pan there for those soggy camping weekends.

Of course I am thinking of that since I just got back from walking the dogs in the rain. No other choice but getting wet as it is not going to clear up today.

[shaggydoink]

I took a short trip to the beach with my family this past week, today was the first day I was able to get back to work on the camper. I made some decent progress on the storage cabinet inside the front door:



I still need to patch, paint, install the top and build/install a door, but it's coming along. While I was in fiberglass mode, I got the facing installed on the additional kitchen unit:



This too will need patching and painting, but it's getting there.

I also made some good progress on fixing the door gap. After getting the camper into the driveway and on its wheels I fussed around a bit to determine what I needed to do - ultimately I ended up adding some shims to the additional kitchen unit to push the shell out, then made some additional kerf cuts in the door in order to crank it down into shape:



There are still a couple spots that have a gap that's around 1/8th of an inch which I'll need to figure out how to close, but it's considerably better than it was before!

Last but not least, I spent some time working on a counter top for the additional kitchen unit. I didn't luck into anything great at the local ReStore, and couldn't stomach the thought of spending almost $100 on a butcher block slab, so decided to make a butcher block style counter from scratch. In order to save some weight I opted to use pine which means I won't be able to cut directly on it, but theoretically it should look decent after some stain and not a big deal just to use a cutting board when needed:



If this ends up coming out OK I'll do the same thing for the tops of the two new storage units I've added.

Lots left to do, I'll post up as I make more progress!

Jonathan

[shaggydoink]

Quick update on the camper, I did something stupid and had to reconstruct part of the kitchen counter top which set me back a bit, but I managed to get it sanded and stained this evening. Here's a shot with it temporarily in place:



I like the way it looks so I plan on making similar ones for the other cabinets, the only difference being that I'll probably end up using 1x2s vs. 2x2s so the tops on these are not quite as hefty looking.

Jonathan

[Valerie Rachal]

Thanks so much for continuing to share your project with such great photos and descriptions of what you're doing. Gosh you're talented!

[shaggydoink]

Originally Posted by Valerie Rachal

Thanks so much for continuing to share your project with such great photos and descriptions of what you're doing. Gosh you're talented!

Thank you for such a kind compliment Valerie, it's been a real pleasure sharing this crazy adventure with everyone here!

Jonathan

[shaggydoink]

I've really busy the past few weeks so haven't been able to post up my progress, here's a recap for y'all.

Out of principle I didn't want to pay $4.00 each for replacement latches for the cabinet doors, so I ended up fabricating my own out of some plastic sleeve material and screws... total cost was $1.12:



It took a fair bit of time, but I got tops for both cabinet units built:



While I really like the sliding drawers, I wasn't thrilled about seeing the contents within them. My solution was to weather some of the galvanized sheet I had left over from the door, and install a piece as a face to each which came out great:





I also whipped up a coat rack, to give it a rustic lodge look I used some wood from a busted up pallet I found behind Lowe's:





The remainder of the updates will follow in the next post!

Jonathan

[shaggydoink]

Last but certainly not least is the floor installation. Step one was to belt sand down the sub-floor to level things out:



From there it was a fairly simple, yet time consuming process of cutting and installing the stick-on floor pieces. I still have the floor under the bed to do, but the rest of the interior is done... here are a few pictures that capture the camper's current state:







This coming week I'm spending four days out on the trails and the week after I'm making an off-road trek across the state of Georgia... it will probably be a few weeks before I'm able to put in more time on the camper, stay tuned!

Jonathan

[emij]

That looks INCREDIBLE!! Very nicely done!

[Jon in AZ]

I agree! I love the easy chair!

I noticed you eliminated the rear bulkhead... wondering how you are supporting the upper shell at the rear?

[Marion]

Your very hard work is definitely paying off.
It has come a long way
Looks great
Marion

[shaggydoink]

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

@ Jon - I wondered if/when someone would notice that and ask about it. I'm hoping to add a thin rib around the rear area to give it some support, yet keep the open look and feel... although I must admit I haven't completely figured out how to implement this yet so it's going to be a little wobbly until then.

Jonathan

[Donna D.]

Don't wait too long to get that support in, you've done terrific work and I'm sure you don't want the top to start settling down. This is a picture of Ian Giles Boler, maybe it will give you some ideas.

[TheWanderers]

Looks really awesome AND comfortable. What great work you do and I love your customizations and lodge style. Enjoy your adventure!

[k corbin]

For the structural upright support near the door. See section 3.0.1 with image describing an active core stringer. Piece of plywood cut to curve shape and then fiberglass over it attaching it to the shell.
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/...aintenance.pdf

[shaggydoink]

Thanks for the ideas, I will definitely get working on this as soon as I'm able!

Jonathan

[rharlow]

I agree, I am to this exact point on my new project Casita. I was wondering if that was factory install for the AC and when I saw this pic, I knew it was!!! LOL
Excited to read on since I am attempting to remove shower tonight!

[rharlow]

Originally Posted by shaggydoink

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!

I'm afraid I don't have a definitive answer on the floor question, although I do recall reading a post or two on the subject - if memory serves the general consensus was/is to not encase the wood with fiberglass so it can breath more?

This morning I made pretty good progress on the shower stall. In order to have a completely free space to work with inside I decided to dismantle it completely which will simply mean a little more reassembly down the road.

Going...



... going...



... gone!



My decision to remove the shower stall was a good one, the floor was completely disintegrated!



Carpet removal is up next, then foam removal probably for the remainder of the day until I get worn out.

Stay tuned!

Jonathan

How do I get the drain out? It seems to be the only thing left attached to the shower pan....

[shaggydoink]

Originally Posted by rharlow

How do I get the drain out? It seems to be the only thing left attached to the shower pan....

Sorry for my delayed reply, I've been out in the wild for the past several days.

On mine, there was a thin, large nut that secured the drain to the shell - it required a big monkey wrench to remove. I might have a photo which I can post up if you need it.

Jonathan