Studio Raisin'

We had a good ol' fashion studio raising a few weeks ago.  Check these way cool pictures out!  We had our wonderful friends help us out - it was AMAZING!  We started around 7:30 am and had it up and socializing by 4:00 pm. 

 

The studio is a"T" style steel arch building.  The metal arch rest on 4" x 4" square steel poles. 

 

Hunter and Bob setting the first section of the arch up.  One down 19 more to go.

Dee, Gary, Max and Bill are setting the bottom section and holding the previous in place.

 

 

 

Here is a cool video of the guys screwing up the nuts and bolts.  They were really working as a team here!

The bottom section is bolted to a plate that is bolted to the slab.

Matt, Peter, Bob and Max are putting the building up!

 

 

Billy Ray and Diana are putting together the sections that rest on the poles. 

Look at these freakin' fantastic people! 

Ty and Bill were inside the arch holding the bolt while Bob and Matt were tightening up the screws on top of the building.  Those guys had a ladder on top of the scaffolding - scary!

Here is a great shot of the arch setting on the square poles.

 

Everybody brought their power tools.  I couldn't even imagine if these tools didn't exist.  I don't think we would have anymore friends!

They are on a roll.

 

This is a cool shot. I heard someone say that it looked like a wave coming up out of the ground.   

Jim Bob followed behind the arch raising and welded on brackets to the poles that were bolted onto the arch. 

A group of folks put together the sections before they were raised.  There was a ton of bolts!  It was crazy.

Peter was getting ready to hoist that piece up. 

 

 

Here they are lifting the last piece of the arch up! 

 

Jim bob was welding those brackets up.  This was actually the last bracket on the building - a very momentous occasion!

Group photo! Across the front is Matt, Ty and Melissa and standing is me, Grant, Peter, Billy Ray, Ryan, Diana, Gery, Christinia, Bill, Dee, Bob, Mary, Max, Bob, Jim Bob and Hunter.  These are the coolest folks on the planet - officially.  They showed up and worked their tails off!  Jim Bob and I are so appreciative of everyone.  We would still be there tightening up those little freakin' bolts! 

 

Way cool photo but it is missing the super cool Melissa (she was the photographer). 

 

Thanks to Melissa and Gery for letting us use their photos on the blog!  Much appreciated!

 

 

 

We are in!

I am starting the tour at the back of the bus in our classroom area.  This is underneath the bed and holds the toys, books and our clothes.  We couldn't function in such a small space with out this area. 

Our Ikea shelves hold the books, wind up toys and art supplies.

The other side holds our baskets full of clothes.  We downsized to three baskets each.  So when you see me at the grocery story wearing the same clothes as the day before, remember that girl only has three baskets! The best part of this space is that little window.  It makes the space feel bright and cheerful. 

Here is our king size bed.  In the house we slept on a queen size bed. Not so comfy!  Now we all sleep like little babies!

We have a bat, Stelluna, that roosts in our roost. 

All of our curtains are held up by magnets.  We bought regular curtains and turned them horizontal and hemmed them up.  They work out great!

Here is the bathroom.  Two words get us through the not-so-private time:  courtesy flush.

Stock tank bathtub finished.  Notice how the shower curtain rod is lowered. 

When we are not in the shower, we raise the shower curtain rod up and it isn't in head-bumping range. Jim Bob is a genius.

The curtain rod is made from copper tubing.

Pantry, dirty clothes, bathroom stuff, microwave, toaster area. 

Here is our front loading washing machine.  I love this machine.  We totally upgraded here!  This is also where JB has his clothes, the linen closet, printer and supplies and Zeb's diaper area.

We are going to hang a cool medicine cabinet here.  We haven't found the perfect one yet.  Here is one of the record clocks I make. I am mainly selling them wholesale across the country these days.  Keeps me busy.

Here is a picture of the back end of the bus.

Here is the sink side of the kitchen.

Full size fridge side.

Recipe books are stored on top of the fridge.  No space is wasted.  Our friend, Joy, made that super cool octopus mug.  LOVE IT.

Cabinet next to the fridge.

All of our dry mix storage.

Fun plants add a splash of color!

Full size stove.

All of our dishes are on the shelf above the sink.  Super easy access.

I am standing at the front of the bus looking towards the back.

I made these cool little turkey buzzards out of magnets on my laser machine.  I love the turkey buzzards around here and will miss the site of 100s of them soaring in the air.  So I made my own!

Air conditioner #2 and propane heater.

We traded our big TV for this little bitty thing that is the perfect size for us. 

Jim Bob built the box that the TV sits on.  He made this little metal ledge that slides between the metal wall and the window and just hangs there.  No screws or nails or anything in the side of the bus.  Pretty cool.  Now I just need to paint it!

Our fun couch and rug - Ikea. 

This is the dash of the bus also known as my office. 

Front end of the bus.

Jim Bob built me a cool shelf for my records.  I finally got rid of those cardboard boxes!

I love the little spots that we get to hang our favorite things.  Here is our little guardian angel made by Beverly Mangham.  Check them out:  http://www.eotdac.com/

We found this photograph at an art show in Rockport.  I thought it was appropriate for our space.  Check out www.jamierood.com for some more awesome photographs!

Jim Bob built this trap door to close over the steps that lead out of the bus.

Now the kids can't fall down into the dark hole.

Here is Lena Marie giving the trap door a try.

I am going to mosaic our back splash with beer bottle caps.  It is going to take me forever but I thought it would be fun.  Another cool thing about the bus is the little shelves that the electrical boxes make.  Perfect for our little flamingo and Clementine!

A little Todd Van Duren action on another box.   

Jim Bob put our christmas lights on a switch.  Love it!

Here we are at the RV park. 

We transplanted some of our bamboo from the house into a pot to take to the property.  It has new shoots already.

Recycle bins fit perfectly under the bus!

Here is our dining room table.  Lena Marie says that we are having a picnic every evening.  It is nice!

Wagon full of toys!

Here is our dryer:  clean West Texas air.

We have been in the bus for about two months now.   We are loving it.  Yes, it is tight but it is really comfortable and our little family fits in it perfectly.   There were a few changes in the design but all-in-all I think it is exactly what we imagined.  We can't wait for the next chapter in our adventure!