The Calm Before the Remodel Storm

We knew right away that there were changes we wanted to make to the RV. 

The bathroom was way too small. The shower would have been impossible for us to use. It was made for tiny people, people who were less than five foot tall and weighed less than ninety pounds. The original shower/tub was for children. The toilet was nasty and I wanted a new one.

The flooring had to go.  The original decor of the motorhome had baby blue furniture and valances with a mauve carpeting that had long since turned a funky orange. There was linoleum flooring in the galley area, but I think linoleum is impractical for us. There is no simple way to repair a tear or rip, and with my crew it would happen. 

We had a goal to get the Big Lebowski comfortable enough for us to move in full time by the end of January. We wanted to get out of our house and into the motorhome full time so that we could pay off what few bills we had left and start socking more money into savings. 

Here are some before pictures of the interior.

Interior before: Captains Seat, "Dog House", and Sofa.
See the ugly orange carpet on the "Dog House"
(the thing between the seats)

Interior Before: Navigators Seat, and "Dog House"

Interior Before: Front and Overhead

Interior Before: Looking towards the back, Galley on right

Interior Before: Passenger Seating 

Interior Before: Galley

Interior Before: Bedroom

Interior Before: Looking towards Bedroom

Interior Before: Left Side of Bedroom

Interior Before: Right Side of Bedroom

Interior Before and During: Looking towards front, Doug and Tracy removing Dinette

Interior Before: Hallway

Interior Before: Bathroom - Shower and Lavatory

Interior Before: Lavatory and Vanity

Interior Before: Bathroom - Medicine Chest looking into shower

Interior Before: Toilet

Interior Before: Location of old Dinette Table I accidentally tore out

Interior Before: Bathroom and Doug

Interior Before: Shower and Skylight

 We knew that some changes were going to have to wait. 

Along with the remodel there were also some mechanical issues that had to be made. As we established in a previous blog post, The Big Lebowski needed brakes. It also needed an oil and fluid change, new tires, radiator, and all new hoses. The furnace, generator, roof, water filtration, and water pump were also in need of repair or upgrade.

In addition to the remodeling we had some large purchases to budget. We needed a new mattress, furniture and drapes, and a solar power system. The windows needed to be tinted and the Big Lebowski needed a good bath and wax job. 

The first thing we did was register the Big Lebowski. 

Before Tracy could dive in and get to work on the Big Lebowski the issue of registration and title change had to be taken care of. These were the easiest tasks to knock off our lists. We also needed a new inspection so the brakes were at the top of the list.

On Monday morning I called our insurance agent to drop my car and add the motorhome. We got the new proof of insurance instantly and then Tracy was off to the tax office to take care of the registration and title change. It took the State of Texas a week and a half to send us the new title. 

Once all the legal stuff was taken care of Tracy dove in and started tearing the Big Lebowski apart. 

During: Tracy and Doug removing the Dinette

During: Tracy removing the dinette

During: Tracy and Doug removing dinette

During: No more ugly dinette

During: No more ugly dinette

During: everything removed

Once everything was removed we were better able to asses any additional repairs or upgrades that needed to be made. We discovered that the sky light in the bathroom was cracked and leaking. I quickly saw that the Big Lebowski was a project that would keep both Tracy and myself busy for quite a while.

I felt anxious about getting everything done and it not costing us a small fortune. We had a budget and needed to stay on track. With every new expenditure I started to think more and more about the movie The Money Pit. Everything we ordered took "two weeks" to be delivered. We had done our research so I wasn't surprised when everything we purchased fell into one of three price ranges - $300, $600, or $1,000. 

Our next post will feature the brake repairs and new flooring installation.

We start our trip on the road March 6 so be sure to stay in touch. We added a subscribe option for those of you who want to be notified by email when the blog is updated. This feature can be located near the top on the right hand side.

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