Going Big(ger) and Going Home

When I originally purchased my Casita, I knew there was a soft spot in the floor in front of the bed. Soon after purchasing, my dad ripped up the flooring and carpet and replaced a small section of the sub-floor that was rotted. Done and done.

Not so fast. You see, as time has gone on I’ve found multiple things “wrong” with this camper that weren’t immediately apparent. Now, I’m really not trying to say that the guy I bought it from purposely deceived me. However, I do think that he took the opportunity to use my naiveté to his advantage and not tell me the whole truth. I didn’t ask, he didn’t tell.  That brings me to my present situation: a mostly gutted camper.

Inside Out

You see, as we prepared to finish putting a new floor in the camper, we discovered SO MUCH rot. The floor underneath the side dinette was rotted, as was the floor beneath the rear dinette benches. Older model Casita campers like mine had a raised area underneath the side dinette, which houses some pipes and wires. I have always disliked the way this made the interior of the camper feel and look, so I decided that during the floor installation it would be removed. I’m glad I went this route, otherwise I may not have discovered the extent of the sub-floor rot.

Before raised floor and carpet removal

After raised section was removed and all carpet pulled out. Black area is fiberglass – that should be covered with wood.

I also decided that I wanted to pull the carpet underneath the bed (rear dinette). I was only planning to pull the carpet up in the center, but not underneath the benches. However, once I started tearing out the carpet I realized the rot problem extended all the way to the back of the camper, and the sub-floor was completely disintegrated in areas. It was decided that the rear benches would have to come out as well.

Initial center-aisle carpet removal, which revealed the extent of the rot.

After removing the left dinette bench – again that black area is fiberglass that should be covered with wood.

Now that the camper is completely gutted aside from the galley and shower (which honestly should probably also be removed, but that is a huge job that I’m not sure I’m ready to tackle), we wait to begin the next step: replacing the sub-floor. Most of the existing wood will be removed and replaced with a marine-grade plywood that is rot-resistant. Why do we have to wait? Because it is freaking cold. The adhesives that we need to use won’t set in cold weather. For now, my camper is torn apart and it will have to stay that way.

New home, who dis?

I live in this camper full-time, and now it isn’t livable. Thankfully, I have a bunch of awesome friends. Said friends hooked me up with a super sweet tiny cabin apartment in Franklin to rent for the next couple of months. This solves two problems: it gets me indoors for the coldest two months of the year (which would have been uncomfortable and difficult in the camper) and it allows me to leave the camper with my dad so he can work on this project in his free time.

While I hate not being there to contribute to the re-install, I had no choice but to come back to Franklin for work. I’m super grateful for my dad being willing to help me with what has turned into a massive restoration project, and I can’t wait to see the final results.

What do I do with all this SPACE?

I moved out of a 16ft camper and into a 400sq foot tiny home and I think I have too much room. My new “home” is two “rooms” separated by a doorway, no door. It’s above a wood shop that belongs to an elderly gentleman. I have a full kitchen (with an OVEN!), a toilet, a shower, and a bed. The room came furnished, which was one of the selling points. Out of 6 dresser drawers I have one full drawer and one that is half full. Out of 6 kitchen cabinets, I’ve put belongings on two shelves and under the sink. Out of 4 kitchen drawers I have stuff in one of them.

I awoke after the first night in my new place having a fit of anxiety because I couldn’t remember where I had put everything the day before. I was stressed out because suddenly everything I own wasn’t within arms reach. Trying to make sense of all this living space felt overwhelming and when I left for work, both the room and myself were a mess. I came home with a plan to ultra-organize and condense everything as much as possible.  I’ve managed that and am feeling much more comfortable in my new temporary home. Now, if I can keep the pipes from freezing every night I’ll be good to go.

The perks of this new living situation are being indoors for the winter and having time to work on my camper without living in it. The drawbacks are the cost (it’s double what I was paying to park my camper) and the distance from town. Winters in Western NC frequently bring a few inches of snow which quickly turns to ice. I’m at the very top of a hill about 3 miles from town, so it will be next to impossible to get into town if the driveway ices over. The spot I park my camper is only a couple blocks from downtown, and is walking distance to work.

In all, I think this was the correct move to make. I’m hoping to be back in the camper within two months and to have a LOT of cool upgrades to share with you at that time. In addition to getting a new floor, the Casita is getting a new side-dinette configuration and possibly a few other new features. Stay tuned!

Now back to your regularly schedule programming.

You may know that I’ve set a lot of hiking goals for 2018 (if not, read about it HERE). I got started on January 1st with a First Day Hike and have already completed three hikes this week! I’m nine miles into my 365 Mile Challenge and can’t wait to hit the trails again soon. I’m also overwhelmed at the number of people who have expressed interest in joining me for the 52 Hike Challenge this year and can’t wait to see how the year unfolds.

My second hike of the year was 4 miles on the Florida Trail! This was my first time hiking on the FT and definitely won’t be the last. Like the Appalachian Trail, the Florida Trail is a National Scenic Trail and long-distance footpath. While not fully finished and still including some road walking sections, the Florida Trail is about 1500 miles long and extends from the Everglades to the Panhandle.

Hike number three was 3.7 miles in Oconee Heritage Park. This park is near Athens, Georgia (where I used to call home) and features several miles of trails that criss-cross each other and serve multiple purposes. This park is more popular with horseback riders and cyclists than hikers, but all of the trails are open to hiking. I stopped on my way from south Georgia back to Franklin and it was nice to stretch my legs and let the dogs romp before continuing the drive north.

That’s all for now!