Holy cow, it's been a couple of weeks, eh? We went camping for one of the weekends, during which my youngest broke her wrist. So that was exciting ;) Then the smoke rolled in, which made it impossible to be outside to work on Maude at all, and made me really want to skip town, since it was really kicking my butt.
BUT, if there's a good side to all of these happenings, we got a bit of a break from working on Maude, so we were more ready to get back to work :)

So last time, we left off with me being frustrated with the endcap LOL. The picture above on the left was where we left it. We had actually gotten some of it riveted into place! Well, this weekend, Mike pushed and prodded and cussed the right side of the endcap into place and got it riveted! Unfortunately, the left side wasn't wanting to mold into the proper position, so we set it up with 2x4s and clamps pretty close to shape. We're going to let it rest in this closer-to-correct position and we'll try to get it next weekend :) These endcaps are.... really stubborn ;)

While Mike was working on the endcaps inside, I was working on more patches! We have 2 more to go before we're done with them and can check them off our list! I'm TOTALLY loving my porcupine and beaver patches!!

Another chore on our check list was to finish getting Maude's trim (we call it her belt!) installed. Installed PROPERLY. So, you may remember that we started installing the front belt. Well, the screws that we had purchased to do so were CRAP. They ALL either stripped before getting the trim on tight, or the frickin' head of the screw just popped off! Well, this weekend, we addressed it. We started by grinding a little slot in the stripped screws and then removing them. The ones with popped-off heads we had to use vice grips. But we got them all! And we had complete success with the new screws! The front belt went so quickly and smoothly that we decided we had time to get the rear belt installed as well :)

All cleaned! And it was pretty exciting, as the belts have just been sitting standing up against our back fence for a whole year. I'm happy to see them reinstalled so our yard looks a LITTLE bit less like a junkyard. *Note: Inner skins still leaning up against the side fence LOL

Maude Beltless.  She's looking a little naked!

And Maude fully accessorized!

It was nice to have some wins this week, since the endcaps have been SUCH a blast!

OH YEAH! And another piece of great news! We found a replacement window for the last window that we haven't addressed yet. Our current window has the part of the frame that attaches to the shell, but we're missing the part that would hold the glass and allow for the window to open and close. Well, some guy on Ebay had just the window we needed! It was a bit spendy, but now she'll be complete!

Alright guys, stay healthy and we'll catch up again soon! <3 Becca

We last left off at us having started applying the Reflectix to Maude's end caps, but we ran out of materials.

​We got more Reflectix and spray adhesive, so we were able to complete the job :) We also were able to put the Rockwool Insulation in place! We were really excited when the spray adhesive held it in place really nicely (we weren't sure if it'd be too heavy). This part went really quickly and smoothly!

We might have gotten too excited about getting the endcaps into place - the rest of it isn't going as smoothly as one would hope ;) 

We seem to have several factors working against us : 1. The endcaps sat in the shed for a year, so perhaps the heat allowed them to shift shape a bit. 2. The trailer shell might not be in the exact shape as it was originally since it had deteriorated over her 60 years. 3. We're working against a thicker insulation than she'd had originally.

Regardless, we're having trouble getting the endcap into anything resembling an original location ;) We're using the boards to hold it up, but to try to get it to form to the curve better. Another complicating factor is that there aren't any ribs under the endcap! The only places it attaches to the shell is around the window frame and at the front of the endcap at the big archway. So trying to get all of that to line up while not creating gaps along the curves is super tricky!

We got frustrated enough with it, that we left it for the day. ;) We find that taking some time to think about a problem really helps figure out our next steps. We still had a lot of time left in the day, so we started working on some other projects that still need to be completed before the inner skins can go back on.

Above is the doorway and stairs. As you can see, the plywood subfloor ended up with a join right in the doorway. It made for a really wussy entry that bends under our steps. Also, the stairs are uncentered in the doorway, which was driving me nuts. This was not gonna cut it! So we cut it out ;) We did some problem solving to figure out how to remedy all of these issues, and decided that a trip to the metal scrapyard was in order. But we wouldn't be able to make it until the following weekend. So.... onto yet another project! LOL

I removed and cleaned all of Maude's emblems to get them prepped for repairing, polishing and painting. At this point, the day had been a bit disappointing in that we didn't FINISH anything, but we called it a night.

The next day we decided to retry tackling the endcap. We used more boards to help support and shape it. This seemed to go a bit smoother! Plus, I think letting it sit overnight allowed it to heat and cool in a position that was closer to it's original shape!

We were able to get the rivets in around the windows this time!! This was quite the win after our struggle the day before LOL!

But we still had a hard time getting the edge of the endcap to meet up with the rib properly. We decided that we were never going to be able to get the old rivet holes to match up - so we drilled new ones. We got some rivets in at the top of the outer curve right by the AC unit, which was a huge win! But we found that trying to get the curves to fit as well as we would like wasn't working. We again stopped for the day. We're hoping that more resting in the heat will help us some more? We'll see!

We're taking a little break from working on Maude while we get the girls settled into the new routine of school, so you won't be seeing new progress reports for a couple of weeks, but don't worry, we'll get back to kicking butt again soon!

​Until next time! <3 Becca

We went camping this weekend, and so didn't get any work done on Maude this weekend. It's perfect timing, though, because we've had Maude almost 1 year! On August 25th, 2019, we brought this sweet, little old lady home, and we've been working our butts off to help her shine again!

We had originally hoped that it would take about a year to get her ready to turn her into my new practice space. Obviously, that didn't come to fruition, but we've made HUGE progress with her!

Maude - my diamond in the rough!

Poor thing had been so neglected!

She's been gutted.

We've removed her inner skins and gotten rid of her mouse-destroyed insulation.

We've spent time at DMV getting her re-titled. We've made MANY temporary repairs until the proper fix could be performed.

We nearly gave me a heart attack lifting off her shell! (Holy CRAP, it was terrifying!)

We discovered that her frame was not salvageable.

But we weren't deterred! We had a new one fabricated for us in no time flat!

And then we stopped pulling so many things apart and started putting them back together all nice and new and clean :)

We've reused parts that were salvageable, and recreated new pieces to fill in when they were just too far gone.

We struggled with that stupid belly pan for WAYYYY too many hours ;)

And we gave me more heart attacks lowering her shell back down onto her new frame!

We started to see Maude coming together!

We got her floor plan all figured out and gathered almost all of the fixtures that will make Maude a cozy treatment space for you all! 

We've made TONS of cute patches, with more to come!

We cleaned up the door and got it to stop leaking.

We removed, cleaned, repaired and replaced WAYYYY too many windows!

We fixed the door latch and started wiring!

We installed all of her external lighting. (Look at that cute butt!!)

We installed her new power plug!

We installed Air Conditioning/Heater units!

And, finally, we've begun the process of insulating her!

It's been an amazing year of ups and downs, easy and hard days. We've had multiple (minor!) injuries, but what project would be complete without a blood sacrifice to the gods? ;)

We're learning so much about Airstreams and their construction, and we're having a ton of fun doing so. 

I'm super excited to continue on with our Maude Journey and get her finished so that (once the COVID pandemic is over) I can introduce her to you all in person :)

​Happy Gotcha Day, Maude! <3 Becca

We're continuing to press forward with Maude! We're trying to finish up the exterior details, while also getting antsy and wanting to work on inside stuff ;)

On Saturday, Mike worked on the other 2 cloud patches!

These two vent holes were responsible for a LOT of leaking over the years! Luckily, the duct tape helped put a stop to it until we were able to get to patching them!

The usual: remove old bits, clean and polish the surrounding area.

Then rivet on new patches!

​I know no one will ever be able to see these cloud patches, but I love them and they make me super happy! *I* will always know they're there :)

While Mike was working on the patches, I got the GLAMOROUS job of scrubbing the fiberglass end caps! LOL SO NASTY.

These are part of Maude's inner skin. They've been in our way for most of a year now (they've been stored in the shed which makes it really tough to get to our garden tools!), and we're ready for them to get back to their rightful place ;)

Since nothing other than insulation goes under the end caps, we're getting them prepped to be reinstalled!

Here, you can see where I remembered that I should probably take a "before" picture ;) 

You guys, these were SO disgusting! Even after sitting for a year, they still smelled of mold and mouse pee :P

BUT! They cleaned up super easily! I'm still going to use Kilz paint to seal them up and make sure nothing grows back, though, just to be sure ;)

And after! Nice and clean and drying on the nice warm day :)

On Sunday, we began insulating the rear curve where one of the end caps will go! We used spray adhesive to stick the Reflectix insulation to the outer skin. Unfortunately, we didn't get too far before we ran out of both Reflectix AND spray adhesive (we were using what was left over from installing Reflectix under the subfloor), so the rest of the time we had available to work, we spent running around getting more supplies ;) I probably should have been keeping a record of the number of times we've had to run to a hardware store during this project, LOL! #BFFs4everWithAceHardwareEmployees

Until next time! <3 Becca

After finishing installing the rear air conditioning unit, we were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves and our progress. We had planned on an easier weekend of work, since last weekend was SO hard. We were just going to do some patches and prep the front vent for its AC unit, but we ended up just going ahead and installing the front AC! Oops! LOL

This is the front vent that needed to be resized to accommodate the AC. It's called an "astrodome" and originally would have had a fiberglass cover to let light in. 

Yet more cleaning was done! Surprise! LOL

Here, Mike created a new frame for the resized vent hole which doubles as the supports for the AC.

Patched and resized! Not the cutest patch, but no one will see it underneath the butt of the AC unit ;)

While Mike was up on the roof, I was, once again, not really able to help, so I got to work finishing up caulking the interior seams and rivets! Thankfully, we were able to have the first AC running during all of it, so I didn't cook! Previously the caulk that we had used was white. All of the black was what I used this time around! Above, you can see all of the newly-caulked rivets around the reseated window and the fox patch!

(We're working toward installing the end caps which are big, curved pieces of fiberglass that are the inner skin for the big end curves. They're sitting in our garden shed, making it difficult to get to our lawn mower - we're ready for them to get out of our way ;) )

​At this point, we were pretty done for the day, so we left the actual installation of the AC until Sunday :)

First thing on Sunday, Mike caulked the area around the new AC roof vent to seal it up, so while it was drying, we added our first (of 3!) cloud patch! The cloud patches will all be covering various holes in the roof. SO frickin' cute!

Once we were done with the patch, we moved on to hoisting the AC unit up and into place and got that sucker wired! Because we were working on the wiring, we couldn't run the first AC unit, so we were DRIPPING with sweat - and it wasn't even noon!

Seriously, she's pretty, but she's a glorified OVEN!

And after all of that sweating, here we are! Two AC units installed, wired and RUNNING! Well, until we blew the fuse for the outlet we were using on the side of the house. When we figure out the permanent electrical hook-up for Maude, it'll be the appropriate amperage to run both at the same time. But for about 4 minutes, we had sweet, sweet, cool air a-blowing!

Stay healthy and cool, you guys! <3 Becca

Last week, we got the air conditioner put into place on Maude's roof.

It was super hot again this weekend, so we got started super early in the morning, because even at only 70 degrees outside, Maude's interior becomes unbearable as a workspace ;) We started this week by wiring the outside plug to the fuse box (orange wire). Don't worry, these pictures are a little bit out of order: we didn't plug Maude into the electrical source until all of the wiring was done and we were ready to test the AC ;)

Then we connected the yellow wire to the fuse box and to the AC unit. Not shown: a heater module was also added to the AC unit, so we'll have heat as well! We tested the heat JUUUUST long enough to know that it was working, then switched it to AC ;) It was SUPER exciting to feel that cool cool air blowing on us!

On Sunday, we decided to wire the outlets for the treatment room so we could run a fan to help circulate the cold AC air. This is the first time I've done electrical work myself! Mike wired one outlet, while I did the other - no fires or sparks, so it must be good to go ;)

With the AC and the fan running, it got pretty comfortable in Maude's interior! Eventually, we'll be adding a second AC/heater unit and she'll be insulated, so she should be pretty cozy year-round! :)

Stay cool! (We will ;) ) <3 Becca

This weekend we worked on getting the Air Conditioner installed. Of COURSE it was approximately 1 million degrees outside while we were trying to do so ;)

Here they are! We will eventually be installing two A/C / Heater units, but we're starting with the easier one so that we can make working on the inside of our glorified solar oven tolerable ;)

This is the rear vent cover. If you've been following along, you'll recall that we manufactured the temporary cover because it had been covered with a piece of plywood that hadn't held up over the years. It was finally time to retire our temporary cover! Mike spent SEVERAL hours up on top of Maude with a heat gun melting and scraping the tar that someone had used to try to get the vent to stop leaking. 

With a ton of elbow grease, he got it super clean! Maude is such a pretty girl underneath it all!

Once he got the vent frame removed, he passed it down to me for cleaning so that it could get replaced. It felt just like doing the windows. UGH ;)

The vent frame almost finished being reinstalled here!

While Mike was working on top of the trailer, I couldn't really help, so I worked on patches. This was the first time doing them completely by myself - I've gotta admit, it made me feel like QUITE the badass! Okay, a cutesy badass, but a badass nonetheless! ;)

It was at this point that we went to install the AC unit! UNFORTUNATELY, we hadn't read the instructions very clearly... the AC isn't installed over the roof vent frame. You're supposed to REMOVE the frame. *sigh* ALL of that work for nothing! LOL

After realizing our mistake, we called it a night. I'm pretty sure we both sweat several gallons over the course of the day and needed some time to re-hydrate and problem-solve the way forward ;)

The next day, while Mike was working on prepping the vent hole for the AC, I decided to clean up Maude's "belts." They're called rub rails and cover the area at the front and rear of the trailer where the shell meets the belly pan. Everything cleaned up nicely! Unfortunately, the screws that we had purchased were complete GARBAGE and kept breaking off! We did get the front belt mostly screwed into place, but we're going to replace the screws later. I'll take a final picture when it actually looks right. *sigh*

Mike spent the day building a frame to strengthen the vent hole to support the weight of the AC. The frame also keeps the AC from pulling air from the space between the inner and outer skins as well as giving the AC something substantial to attach to. The inner "panel" and the external compressor screw together with the trailer pinched between them.

This weekend was a real mixed bag in terms of wins and losses ;) But the AC is ready to be wired! And those patches are the cutest! And we survived a REALLY hot weekend (with the help of tons of water and gatorade!)

​Stay healthy! <3 Becca

We went camping this weekend, so we didn't have as much time available to us to work on Maude, but we still got quite a bit done, all things considered!

We decided that it's time to get the air conditioners installed. Even on a mild 70 degree day, she's a frickin' oven! So we're moving forward with wiring! 

One hurdle has been finding the correct size of grommets. Or rather, finding a grommet that would accommodate the wire that we had purchased. We purchased marine-grade wiring which would offer additional protection against moisture stemming from any potential leaks in the future, as well as give a thicker coating to protect it from rubbing through the casing and shorting out. Well... Turns out the marine-grade wire is too thick for any of the appropriate grommets we could find (and we looked at all of the local hardware stores and purchased several different batches of grommets online) for passing the wire through the ribs and rails of Maude's shell. (Hint: the grommets are the little black rubber circles ;) ) So part of our time on Sunday was spent running to the store to get regular house wire. WE GIVE UP! LOL

Once we got a wire that would work with the grommets we had, the wiring was super speedy! The toughest part was getting the grommets into place - they're a pretty tough rubber (which will keep them from rubbing through on the aluminum), and aren't especially flexible.

The yellow wiring you see is all of the 110 electricity! Trailers have 2 types of power - 110 and 12 volt. The 110 is for the A/C and all of the power outlets. 12 volt is for all of the internal and external lighting. We'll get to the 12 volt later ;)

Once we had pulled all of the 110 wire, we didn't feel quite ready to quit for the day, but needed a small project, so we worked on where the trailer will plug into the shore power!

Drilling this hole was.... unnerving!

What a cute little plug, you've got there, Maude!

And here's what it looks like from the inside of the trailer! That orange cable will run to the fuse box, and then all of the yellow wiring will also get plugged into the fuse box :)

Having such a large project completed on the inside felt REALLY great! So far we've been focusing almost completely on Maude's exterior and getting her waterproofed - it feels MOMENTOUS to start working on her insides! Don't get me wrong though, there's still QUITE a bit of work to do on her exterior ;) But at least we're a step closer toward being able to work on her interior without roasting to death ;)

​Have a great week! <3 Becca

Prior to Coronatimes, we had planned on going on a 3-week road trip this summer. We would have been in Wisconsin visiting friends on Lake Superior right now! While we had to cancel the trip, we decided to still take a week off to put in some more hours on Maude - and boy did we, just under 20 hours!

Oh my god, you guys, this trailer has too many windows! Okay, it's true, they'll be nice when all that natural light is bathing you while you're on the massage table, but I'm tired of reseating windows! In total, all but one of seven windows is done! The remaining window will get done soon, but we couldn't fit it in, either mentally or physically ;)

While two were already done prior to this week (so we really only did 4), I'm sharing pictures of all of them in all of their "You can barely tell anything was done" glory! LOL

These windows have been, psychologically, a really difficult part of this project! They each took about 4 hours of REALLY strenuous work to complete, but when they're all done they look exactly the same as before all of that work! That's one thing that has helped keep us going - that at least at the end of the day, you've got something to show for the work. But not with these dang windows! ;)

Don't worry though! We went inside Maude yesterday to measure something, and the inside was noticeably dry and clean-smelling (like fresh cut lumber!) Yay!

As a bit of a reward, we also got some fun, pretty parts done on Maude this week - we installed all of her external lights! They REALLY helped make her look that much closer to being done, which was just the motivation we needed with all of those frickin' windows ;)

Maude even has a cute little porch light once again! Maude's gettin' the upgrades - it's a reproduction, LED fixture! What you'll also notice in this photo, is that we've started patching up all of the holes on and around the door where someone had installed a padlock when the door handle and lock assembly wasn't working :) (it's that tiny patch between the bottom window and the door - hardly noticeable, huh?) We're cooking up some cute ideas for the corresponding holes in the door - Stay tuned!

Another rewarding project: every time we hang out in the backyard, this ugly temporary patch has been bugging me.

So we fixed it :)

This sneaky little fox joins the shape of Oregon on the street side of Maude! I'm pretty sure I'm in love with all of her cute patches! We've got several more patches to go, which will all follow in the woodland creature theme :)

One of the days, we just couldn't make ourselves do another window, so we picked out a bathroom sink and faucet from Ikea. We also visited Goby Hardwoods and found a butcher block slab for the counter tops for the kitchen and bathroom! 

The weather hasn't been cooperating for much of what needs to be done in order to continue forward - trying to get Maude waterproofed in the rain just doesn't work ;) So we've been a little frustrated and trying to make some progress on the inside of the trailer projects that we're not QUITE really ready for ;)

So we've got some of the electrical bits and pieces ordered and we're getting them assembled.

Here's Maude's electrical panel! Putting those fuses in required the help of beer ;)

We pulled a few wires before we realized we needed some different grommets. All of the wiring gets passed through holes in the ribs (the vertical aluminum framework) and are protected by plastic grommets to prevent rubbing through the protective wire casing. The ones we'd originally bought aren't big enough for the wires to pass through ;) BUT! The wire you see here is for the front air conditioner/heater! Woohoo! We're hoping to get the air conditioner units installed ASAP so that we can stand working on the inside this summer. Even on just a 70 degree day, she gets HOT inside.

On Sunday, the weather decided to cooperate! So we were back to working on waterproofing her from the outside. Replacing these freakin' windows takes FOREVER! We kind of thought that once we had figured out the process of reseating the windows that the subsequent ones would go faster. Nope! Still took right about 4 hours. Another one down, 5 more to go! LOL

After the window taking so long, we decided to try to find another small project to finish out the day, so we tackled the main door lock! 

Here's what was left of the door handle/lock when we got Maude. It's broken off and we have no keys. Luckily, we found a replacement for the handle part, including a new lock barrel (but not the face plate - we'll see what we decide to do about it later).

Some wasps had made a home in the door! We'll be dismantling the door at some point to replace its insulation and to get it all cleaned up, but we didn't have time for that ;)

Not shown is Mike dismantling the entire locking mechanism and cleaning and oiling it up so that it would work. Sorry, I'm a terrible documentarian ;)

But here's Maude's new locking door mechanism! Her door actually closes AND locks now! I was also super excited to get Maude her own key chain (is it kind of like picking out a collar for a new pet? LOL).

Hopefully, the weather will continue to cooperate and we'll be able to get even more done this coming weekend!

Stay healthy! <3 Becca