Start of the interior remodeling....

 

Looking for a waterproof flooring that looks like wood....

 

Ideas for curtains....thinking I will go with the bicycle theme...there are so many options on-line.

 

Thought I would clean, prime and paint the hardware.  What a disaster!!!  I was so patient and even used steel wool to clean each piece before priming.  The paint bubbled : (  I called Rustoleum and they are refunding my money.  I may either try again or opt for new hinges.  Found new hardware (handles) I will share once the cupboards are back up.

 

The cupboards came out so well!  I am super pleased.  They are being stored in our guest room while the interior is being painted.

 

I primed the interior just before leaving on our beach vacation.....more to come in August.

What a helper!

Ian has been so helpful and involved!  He took hardware off all the cabinets so they can be sanded, primed, painted, sanded, painted.....

Ready for paint....

These products worked great!  Patience is key, especially working with oil based/alkyd products.  Sanding in between coats is important too.

Remodeling a 1991 Toyota Dolphin

We took the plunge and purchased a 1991 Toyota Dolphin.  Tim wanted a "home away from home" for all the bike races he and Ian will be participating in...cyclocross and mountain bike racing.  At first we thought we struck a great deal....we are only the 2nd owners of this motorhome with 47k miles!  It doesn't have the remodeled interior we hoped for so we will get to design it ourselves...90's blue just doesn't do it for me....not to mention carpet is a bad match for my boys. 

We sat with the original owner and listened to stories of her adventures with her husband of 60 years.  Definitely getting a vehicle from good people : )  On our way home the RV lost power about 15 miles from home : (  A few days later after spending a small fortune at Toyota we had a new gas pump, a clean gas tank and new hoses....the RV sat for too long.  The good news:  contacted the previous owner who reimbursed us for the mechanical expenses....renewed my confidence in people (and my ability to judge them).  We have named our RV Faith; we believe she will take us to far away fun places!

We purchased the RV knowing there was some rot in the over cab sleeping area (these rvs are notorious for this).  Tim went to work on the rot while Ian and I started taking down cabinet doors for a face lift.

 

Purchasing Faith

We finally took the plunge and purchased a 1991 Toyota Dolphin so Tim and Ian can have a comfortable place to sleep, eat and get cleaned up during their many adventures to cyclocross and mountain bike races.  It's for me too...I will have more fun traveling with the boys in comfort.

After seeing several options we settled on a one owner vehicle with only 47K miles!  Brings to mind the saying "don't be seduced by the charm."  More on this later.  Although the RV was very clean, it left quite a bit to be desired when it comes to style.  1990's blue just isn't my thing!  Carpet is a bad idea for wet dirty boys, so we will be redoing the floors too.  We discovered some rot in the over cab sleeping area and decided to purchase the rv anyway.  Leaks are notorious in these rvs and it felt like something we could tackle.

We spent some time with the original owner, hearing stories of her adventures with her husband of 60 years.  They had a lot of fun in Faith...and seemed to keep pretty good records.  We walked away with the original brochures! 

 

 

So...here comes the bad news... the rv lost power about 15 miles from home.  Faith spent two days at Toyota ultimately needing a new fuel pump, a cleaned out gas tank and new hoses.  She sat for too long.  I contacted the previous owner who felt bad about what happened; she sent us a check for the mechanical repairs.  This is part of the reason we are calling our RV Faith; we have faith she will continue to run well and she has allowed us to maintain our faith in people.

 

 

 

The remodeling will be fun for me while Tim takes care of the rot.  Pinterest has great ideas.