So the floor. I’ve spoken of it many times and its what’s kept me from making any forward progress. I talked to Colin Hyde and may take the trailer up there sometime soon.

In a previous post, there are pictures of the area near the door that has the water damage and the floor we cut away. Here is a close-up of the frame and the rust damage that I’m concerned about.

To do:

1. Tim reminds me that I need to check the tires. I’m pretty sure I need to replace them. They were borderline 2 years ago and the trailer hasn’t moved out of the driveway since Fletch delivered it.
2. Fix the lights (some are totally disintegrated).
3. Replace the break away brake switch.
4. Find a tow vehicle to borrow (Tim?, Dean’s truck?, rental?).

Marc (my sister’s sweetie) generously offered to replace the rotten floor in Rosie, in spite of the fact that he recognized what a pain it was going to be and that I would be of no help.

As mentioned earlier [1] [2] in the blog, I have a hole in the curb-side floor and a large area of punky wood from water leaks (the analogy of the punky wood to my osteoporotic bones does not go unnoticed by me).

We debated about what area of the floor to replace given our inexperience and not knowing the entire layout of the frame. At first we were going to just do a 1.25ft x 4ft area under the vista window (next to the door), but then we decided the area in front of the door was not solid enough (you could poke a drill bit in it like paper mache).

We could tell where the ribs were running width-wise, but thought there was no support for the length-wise seam between the new and old plywood. At this point, we figured it would be better to replace the whole sheet of plywood from the door to under the kitchenette. I was planning on working on the kitchenette anyway.

So Marc dismanteled the kitchenette and was amazed at how much stuff is crammed in that 8 sq.ft. of space:

• Plumbing, gas, and electrical connections
• Hot water heater (functional? replacing?)
• Water pump (functional? probably replacing)
• Furnace (don’t trust it – replacing with catalytic or new furnace)

When Marc realized he couldn’t easily remove the rusted floor screws connecting the plywood to the metal frame, he went back to the water damage hole in the floor and cut away the rot to get a better view of what was going on and found out that there is supports in the frame length-wise that we didn’t know about.

Then he ripped out a section of the floor in front of the door that was punky and we abandoned the notion of replacing the whole sheet of plywood since we had more support that we thought. I also need to ask around about the aluminum shield under the plywood in front of the door. I assume its extra protection for the entry area.

So I got good news about the floor and a BONUS of having the kitchenette and furnace pulled out! Because my body is still under restoration, I was resigned to nothing happening to Rosie in 2006. It was a real treat to see some progress made. I really appreciate Marc making it happen, WHAT A GREAT GUY!

[Marc and the displaced kitchenette in the front section of the trailer]

I read online that I could remove the inside pane of the broken side window by disconnecting the big window arm openers (bolts), removing the big screen (sheet metal screws), the plastic cover over the side window (drilling out the rivets), and then unscrewing the frame of the inside pane (sheet metal screws). Well, I got to the last step and the screws look like they were sealed at the factory with liquid metal.

I tried every implement and tool I have, including a propane torch with no luck. I’m afraid to use an impact wrench for fear of breaking the good pane of glass. Soooo, I took out the broken safety glass by hand (literally) and dug out the 3/8 inch groove of chunks of glass and scraped off the window seal that was between the panes. In the end, I decided it looks fine and will just not have a storm on this window.

I couldn’t stand the subfloor anymore, so Cay gave me some floor paint that she couldn’t use because of the color – its pumpkin. Perfect for this lovely fall weather. I put two coats on, only two hours of work and its so nice to have it sealed.

I took the credensa out to be able to watch the leak and to fix the floor and in the process went right through the floor.

Bag-o-wasp nests… the top front vent was so full that when it was cleaned out I kept thinking there was a light on since I was used to no light or air coming through. Thank heavens the wasps were dead!

Inside view of the broken window. Its only cut me twice now.

Tim visited on his way home this AM since we had no Internet or phones at work d/t to the optic fiber catching on fire. He thought she was in good shape and not as big as he had imagined. Thinks she’d be easy to tow with a 4runner.

Cay came by after work to give her a look-see in the rain. She was surprised how big she is. Offered to help sew some curtains.

Carol and Marc called to say they’d be over this weekend. Carol offered to help measure and prepare for replacing the cushions.

Corey’s due home this weekend and mom will probably come up with Wayne and the kids. Leslie wants to go camping in it asap.

Ripped up the rug in the front half.

Found two major wet spots. The one under the curb side front window is very punk.

The leak from under the stove has not caused as much damage yet.

Craig helped take out the cushions and I took a pic of my first bag-o-rug trash.

Gonna cut out the wood in the cushions and label/save it for a template or reuse.

Next up: Rest of the rug, mattresses out, curtains out and a dump run.