Windows In

With the glass windows out, we are replacing them with 24 guage sheet metal, a layer of 1/2" foam board and then 3/4" plywood cut to size.  Another bonus to having some of the windows out is some much needed insulation!  Maybe it will keep some cool air in in the summer and cold air out in the winter.

Jim Bob went to our local AC place and bought sheets of metal from those guys.  He then took it up to the metal shop at school where he cut it to fit the windows using a foot shear and put this nifty 1" lip at the bottom to hold the metal in place, to give the metal rigidity and to give some surface area for the caulking.  He made the bend by using a metal brake.

A sheet of 3/4" plywood was then cut and placed on the inside of the window to finish it out.

Jim Bob screwed it all together from the outside being careful not to screw all the way through the plywood on the inside, leaving a nice clean surface to work with later on when we want a backsplash.

Jim Bob has a nice little helper these days. 

We are replacing six windows on each side of the bus.  I think eventually we will put a little window in over the kitchen sink for a nice view.  This picture shows four windows complete and two windows lacking the foam insulation and the 3/4" plywood.

It is nice and clean on the outside too.

Here is a video showing the installation of one of the windows.  In Jim Bob style, it all fits together nicely.

Nice Breeze

Jim Bob removed six windows today.  We are having to take the windows out for a couple of reasons:   1. The cabinets are higher than the windows which means that they will look pretty funky from the outside.  I find that it rather funny that we are concerned what it will look like from the outside when we are living in a bus.  I guess we have to draw a line somewhere?  2. We might need to bolt the cabinets to the plywood that is taking the place of the glass window.  3. Some privacy would be nice.  4. We are going to put a nice little tile or metal or some fun little backsplash to give a little personality to the space. (I am excited about this project!) 

JB is chiseling off the old crud that held the windows in and kept the rain out.

One window out - five more to go on this side.  Six more to go on the other side.

We are back!

Six months has passed since the bus has been touched.  Too long.  Time passes so fast and life happens too fast, sometimes we can't keep up!  But now that the weather is beautiful (at least for the next few days) and our schedules are giving us a break - it is time to give the bus some much needed TLC. 

I actually put together the cabinets for the bus over the Christmas break.  All those wonderful Ikea boxes were scattered throughout the kitchen.  I wasn't expecting it to take me 3 evenings to put it all together but it did!  Those Ikea engineers are quite brilliant.  The cabinets went together very smoothly and seem pretty durable.  I can't wait to try them out!

Here are the cabinets in the bus.  They take up a lot of room, don't they?  This isn't where they will go permanently.  This is just where they were sat down...eventually they will go on this side of the wheel wells (our bed will be where the cabinets are.)