Well folks, I’m happy to report that progress on the bus is moving along at a steadily glacial pace. I know, I know, you can barely keep up.
So the honest truth is that we really haven’t worked on the bus much over the fall. We have a number of excuses ranging from my work schedule, several trips out-of-town, 1 half marathon, the holidays, to nasty weather. While these all serve as valid rationales behind our startling dearth of activity, in truth the big underlying issue is that we’ve reached the point of making real decisions about plumbing and electrical work and frankly, we’ve been hemming and hawing.
One interesting (or painful- I guess it depends on whether you’re a glass half-full or half-empty type) thing about this process is that it’s forcing us to face-up to both of our well-entrenched streaks of procrastination. Unlike other procrastinated-upon projects that fade nicely into the background noise of our daily lives with nothing more than a minimally intrusive hum, the bus happens to be rather large and obnoxiously yellow. With such a blatant reminder of a job left unfinished, our only option is to peel ourselves off the couch, turn-off Netflix, and get to work.
On a semi-related note, I can’t imagine why this kitten was doing pull-ups in the first place.
Historical Note: Kitten athletics were a highly popular and elite sport in the 1970’s.
In the meantime, here are some interesting (at least we think so) photos of the most recent thing we’ve managed to accomplish to date:
1. Windows:
We’ve removed and replaced a total of 8 windows (4 on each side) to allow us to build over the interior spaces without issue. The spaces behind these windows will be occupied by our pantry, closet, shower stall, and toilet.
After an extended debate over the merits of sheet metal , we ultimately opted for a lighter (and, let’s be honest, cheaper) option of using waterproof FRP board layered over foil-lined plywood panels. The panels had to be cut to fit each window space before the layer of FRP and plywood were joined together with liquid nails. We also spray painted the FRP to a more neutral (re: less ugly) shade of grey before installing each panel into the window frame. For this we were thankfully able to use the existing screw holes. The exterior was then sealed with caulking for a water-tight fit. Happily, I can report that these puppies have weathered some truly torrential rain storms (and yes, we do occasionally get those in Texas) without a single leak. It’s the little victories that matter.
Join us over the next few months for more sporadic news reports from the exciting world of bus construction!
We Got Schooled 