LET THE DEMOLITION BEGIN...

We were so excited about our camper purchase. We knew that there would be some work involved in getting the old girl up and functioning. The camper is a 1969 model, therefore, older than either of us. As it takes a FEW cosmetics for us to look decent in the mornings, we knew that it would also take some cosmetic changes for "Barbara" to look good as well.



Our intent when we started this project was never to refurbish the camper to it's original 1969 state. Moreover, our goal was to repair it as best as our limited skills would allow us, and to add a little bit of flair.



We knew that there had been some water damage in places. It appears that the roof had leaked and damaged much of the back wall. The veneer walls had peeled like a 3-day old sunburn as you can see below.







We decided that we would start on the back wall. We removed the bunk and also the couch. With immense apprehension, we wielded crow bars with the precision of neurosurgeons. We started tearing off the veneer to reveal what was underneath.








When the dust and debris settled, we found that there was extensive water damage below the surface. We looked at each other with fear in our eyes. We sat back on our haunches, drank a beer, and deliberated our next move. We decided to dig even deeper to remove more rotten material. It was at this point, that Annie decided she was getting a sore throat due to all the mold she had breathed. We then spent the next hour convincing ourselves that it was just the start of a cold, and that there were no mold spores present.



We finally reached the end of the rotten wood when we saw daylight.

The silver door is actually the door for the compartment that is accessed from outside. We completely removed the lower half of the wall. We then started to rebuild the back wall.

We replaced the studs, and some of the floor that was rotten. This is the water tank that supplies water to the sink. But not the bathroom. There is no bathroom.

Then Annie measured how much plywood we would need to rebuild the wall.

We installed the plywood by the light of the work lamp.

Tracking material in and out caused a huge, muddy mess.

But, we were pleased with the results.

NOTE: At no time during this phase of the project did we have ANY clue what we were doing. We were the lucky victims of a series of "happy accidents" as the painter Bob Ross would say.

Stay tuned as we search to uncover more rotten infrastructure!