Rebuilding!

The kiddos have been so good while I have been busy working. Thankfully the weather has been cooperative as well. They don't usually get to play in the front yard (we live on a busy corner) so its an extra treat to explore. Sidewalk chalk on the driveway has been pretty fun too! 

Getting all the old walls down and insulation out has been a real eye opener. It was so very tempting to just cut my losses and post it on craigslist. There is SO MUCH to be done! Lots of repairs to the structure before we can start putting everything back together.

We pulled out the front windows so we could repair around them and then re-tape them and put them back in. On these old trailers anything that is attached to the the trailer you have to apply using putty tape to help seal things up. I brought about 100 ft of it, hopefully that will be enough to get everything sealed up. As our luck would have it, just as we pulled the windows some very ominous clouds rolled in and it started to rain just as we tossed the tarp over the trailer.

This door... It looks like it has been repaired a few times. I can't figure out how to get it to go back together and kiddo number two has already sliced her hand open on the exposed sheet metal. I would love to just get a new door but after a quick google realized a new door would cost about twice as much as we paid for the trailer. Plan B would be to build a new door, put the timeline for getting this project on the road is already rapidly expanding. So plan C is to try and repair the door so it will keep water/bugs out and open and close (lofty goals for a door right?)

This used to be the cover to vent the icebox to the outside. I had planned to leave it in place but I can't figure out how to cover up metal screen sections so the water stays out. The screens were attached using some kind of rivet in the corners, so anything I try to put on top will have a gap of about a quarter inch. I will have to think this one over a bit more.

The front stone guard is in good shape other than it is missing its support arms that hold it up. I found some to order online, but again the cost was a bit more than I was looking to spend. I did some googling and some wandering of local stores and I stumbled on these flag pole brackets! They are metal and they are positional at different angles! I bought two, one for each side and some PVC pipe that fits.

I love that I can change the angle, if it is a bright sunny day I can let in some light and if its a bit rainy I can angle it down a bit to encourage the water to run down instead of into the window. With the three front windows it really helps things feel open and airy!

Once I was able to get most of the structural repairs done I had to replace the roof vents. I did the rear vent first, I was able to reach it with a ladder at the back end of the trailer without climbing on the roof. The front vent however was going to be a bit more tricky. It was way beyond anyone's reach and would require being on the roof. I was very nervous about falling through the roof, considering it was thin metal and 1x2 and 2x3 supports. I had some scraps of plywood and 2x4's so I used them to brace where I would be putting most of my weight then on the roof used more plywood to lay on so hopefully my weight would be spread out a bit.

It was an easy swap once I got everything in order. Somehow I didn't take a picture of the new vents... I will have to share that later.