I'm a 30-something Millenial with an advanced degree in Environmental Science, a botany field science career with the US Forest Service, and a love of hiking, backpacking, gardening, and making a difference in my community.
I live with my husband in a 30ft travel trailer, a 1997 Fleetwood Mallard, that I completely demolished and rebuilt while living on my family farm in VA. Why? Because we wanted something simpler, to find what was really essential, and to live outdoors as much as possible. We wanted our own home, to live on the coast, and to save money, without compromising on any of those things. I found a way to make it happen, and all I had to do was reject the expectations of society and the “normal” way of doing things. I’m so glad I did.
What’s so exciting about insulation? Imagine a cozy, warm, travel trailer surrounded by snow on a dark winter night. That’s what insulation does for you.
The next hurdle in the rebuilding process was the massive changes I wanted to make to the bathroom. The old bathroom was incredibly tiny and not very functional.
Once I get the siding back on and the corners sealed up, I can replace all of the vents in the roof. I can’t wait to have a fully sealed, weather-proof trailer.
With the floor successfully replaced we were ready to start framing the front. The first thing to do was to replace the rotted wood from the side framing.
Unfortunately, we could see that the water had damaged the bottom of the floor joists for a way along their length. Replacing the floor was not in my plan!
The next thing I needed to deal with was the roof. The rotten wood framing inside the trailer was proof that water was getting in and the roof was suspect.
I dove in and went full-on Destruction Mode. I ripped and tore and pried. I spent days manhandling all of that luan and I was really glad it wasn't hot.