Although I had already invested almost $1000, I didn’t want to get much further into the renovation without addressing the dry rot. Now, before you shake your head in disbelief, let me assure you that the far cry majority of all 50 year old travel trailers have dry rot to some degree. (How much dry rot they have depends on how long they sat outside, with or without a tarp.) Since I was still “addressing structural issues” I went on the hunt for someone that could do what I didn’t have the tools for: replace the rotted rear corner panels.
First, a comment about tools: Throughout this project I have been challenged by many issues. Since I lack a well-stocked garage full of hand and power tools (and a man to move in and bring his) finding a tool to do the job at hand was a challenge. In a nutshell, since I wasn’t planning on making a major investment in “good” tools that I would use over and over, I found both new and used tools in three places that worked just fine: 1) craigslist 2) Harbor Freight 3) neighbors and friends.
More about tools later…
Not having the tool to do the job is one thing. Not having the tool, or the expertise, or the dry space…prompted the need for an “outside contractor”.
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| Hidden Dry Rot |
I found Roger on…you guessed it…craigslist. But before I dropped her off at his house, however, I actually got 3 bids for the same repair. I wasn’t looking for the cheapest guy in town; I was looking for a reasonable bid from a guy I liked. (And hoped I could trust)
Wait.
I’m starting to sound sexist but really, I couldn’t find a chick to do the job!
The bids ranged from $5000 to $1000. (I can only assume the guy who bid $5000 really didn’t want to fix my trailer so, if he was going to, he wanted to make it WELL worth his time.) Roger originally bid $1500 but I talked him into doing it for $1200 and his bid also included the removal and resealing of both top seams from front to back.
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| Peeling bck the aluminum |
Two weeks later she was returned to me with a new back panel and new sealant around all of the outside windows and seams. (And he fixed a dime-sized hole in the roof / ceiling that had been concealed by a pile of leaves, still stuck there.)
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| Wow! A new rear window panel. |
Intact undercarriage / frame. Check.
New brake light wiring. Check.
New tires and wheels and bearings. Check.
New rear panels and wall seams. Check.
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| Ta Da! A new rear side panel. |
Let the demolition begin!
I’d already taken out 3 bags of garbage, carpet, insulation, more carpet, rotten wood, curtains, shelves, spider webs, and more…moldy…stinky…gross…green…carpet squares.
The full demolition would, however, also involve taking out the cabinet doors (4 hinged, 4 sliders) drawers (2) the icebox, countertop, stove, range hood, sink, faucets (2), upholstered seats, table, light fixtures (3) and…I forget the entire list but suffice it to say that 3 months later I was amazed that I was STILL taking things OUT of the trailer and had not yet begun to put things back in.
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| A peek inside before demolition. |
I would like to note here that during the entire project the inside of my actual house looked like a trailer blew up in it. I had parts lying everywhere for months! I tried to keep, and reuse, as much as I could but bought new stuff as needed. Also, the time spent on my trailer was NOT being spent cleaning my house. My 17 year old daughter even commented on the fact that she pretty much assumed I forgot how to do laundry. (Out of necessity, she was doing it by that point, and that was her way of making me feel guilty…NOT!!)
Did I mention that I’m a single working mom with two teenagers?
After demolition was mostly done, it was time to move on to painting (after priming of course) and upholstery.
The fun stuff!?
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