Steam Fair at Pembrey Country Park, Llanelli

Insulation

Didn't have much time to pimp the caravan yesterday. I did manage to get out and purchase some bits. I was toying with insulation boards but settled on rolls of foil insulation. These will be stapled to what is left of the old boards. After further investigation I found a few holes in the fibreglass panels at the rear of the caravan. These have now been rebuilt using fibreglass sheets and resin. I also coated the old walls with some damp back paint. All I have to do now is get rid of all the old rivets holding the old furniture panels together. Next stage will be to use thin ply to cover the insulation. Then a coat of wallpaper over that.

Expanding Foam The Panacea For All Ills

What do you do with a stripped out caravan full of holes? O.K. Keep it clean.... You get a can of expanding foam and unleash hell. I don't think I could face seeing another 1970's laminated cupboard. It has all been recycled and should now make a nice dining table for the next Prime Minister. The next stage is one of thought. I have to work out how to best waterproof the walls and how to redesign the windows. The floor also has to be upgraded. Any thoughts, photos or tips welcome. Perhaps I should go for a themed look. Make it look like an army tank or a pirate ship or something else, which takes away that 1970's paint job. Maybe turf the roof or throw a camouflage net over it. Whatever I choose, it will appear here. Thanks for viewing.

Another Tip run

After a busy day elsewhere I managed to get some work done on the caravan. I stripped out the remaining wood, shower and sink units and managed to fill quite a few of the holes left by the removal of various pipes and leads. Those coach builders knew what they were doing. It was easy to follow their methods in reverse. The problem with these old caravans is that they were made for a time when campsites didn't have many facilities.The well intentioned shower and sink were fine back then but nobody wants to shower in a cupboard anymore right? So what we are left with now is a totally stripped out caravan. No plumbing, no electrics and one wall in a bit of a mess. The ceiling looks like a machine gun has gone off at random. The dilemma now is whether or not to block up the windows or remodel them into a different shape or possibly go for stained glass. There is an abundance of double glazing being thrown away so one or three of these units could do the job. Failing that I intend to make a custom window frame for each of the windows and glaze with some strong perspex. Just a few items left to dismantle and work can begin on tarting the old girl up or (Pimping My Caravan).

Day 2

Who's idea was it to buy a tatty caravan? Two days later and I am still stripping out 1970's furniture. Almost a blank canvas inside now but still lots of work to do on the walls, insulation, waterproofing, flooring and then the vintage wallpaper. From there the plan is to gather all the shabby chic furniture we have been restoring and try somehow to get that in. A few throws, a tea set, a book shelf and a nice comfy chair and occasional bed and hey presto.I managed to remove the water pump, shower, electric circuit boards and a whole lot of other stuff, which may have worked, but it is far easier to just install a new fuse box and forget about the water. A nice big bowl and jug on a stand is just the job. The trouble is that it is easy to see the finish line but there is a heck of a lot of work in between. I am discovering a few more problems as I strip it back. There are definitely areas, which will need resealing. I will be blocking up most of the vents too. They seem to be everywhere and Welsh weather finds them easily. I am considering lining it with insulation boards and then covering with ply. The floor is spongy in parts so I will have a look at that tomorrow. The caravan is now extremely lightweight and easy to move. We intend putting moveable lightweight furniture back in. The only original item going back will be the fold out bed. As I take it apart I can se the methods used by the coach builders. It is good stuff but the down side is that they used big nails to fix the top rails holding the furniture in place. It is difficult to remove those without damaging the ceiling board. All cupboards were fixed to the walls with demonic rivets with claws. When these are removed they also leave their mark. I cut off all the gas pipes and the electrics. I would not be happy with gas in there. As soon as the inside is finished and if I have the energy, I might just paint the outside.

Creperie in a Caravan

I love the stuff you find on this new fandangled thing called T'Internet. Just look at these pics. There I was thinking about what I could do with the caravan and i find this La Boheme CreperieWe will see what develops. It could be the first creperie in Pontyates.

Caravans

Some Inspiration