Almost there, I mean it this time!

We truly are almost there. I think we were right to say the end of June for our revised deadline and I don't think we will be far off. A great deal has happened since I last wrote. Our kind neighbour, Nigel, has taken a look at our electrics and ran a couple of checks. Morris passed these with flying colours and with a few little tweaks, we shall soon have a safety certificate. An old school friend, Matt, has very kindly taken a look at the gas for me. He has decided that to completely disconnect the old copper system and install a new high pressure gas hose system would be much safer. I have therefore got a shopping list of things to buy from our local caravan parts retailer and we will have a completely new and safe gas system soon. I will then have a gas safety certificate to match the electricity one!

Once we have these, we are going to consider looking into public liability insurance. If this is reasonable, we will consider hiring Morris out for other lucky families.

As well as this, we have made huge progress with finishing off the interior of the van. As you can see, just before the weekend, my husband (mainly - I helped a little) had managed to finish the fibre board coverings (with new wooden frame and insulation) at the front.

Then, by close of play Saturday, we managed to finish the blue wallpaper. Not only this, but I managed to have quite a spending spree at Dunelm. I got some lovely vinyl with similar caravans on it to Morris (for the door) and I got a cracking deal on my curtain fabric. I decided to go for a pink to give a shot of colour. The material I got is really good quality and enough to cover all the windows (5.5mtrs) only cost me £16!!

Then, by the end of the day today (Sunday), all the wallpapering and painting is finished, new crystal door knobs have been purchased and fitted all round  and other than re-fitting the beds at the front, putting in new flooring and a couple of new lights, we are done!!

A big thank you to my husband Pete, who has made the door look fab now!

We are hoping by the end of this week we will have the van finished entirely and can move it to its new home on a little farm. We are then all ready and set for the summer to carry on our adventures.

Thanks for reading, Tanya (Pete and Winter the dog).

Missed the deadline but still going!

So, when I set up this blog, I promised that we would get Morris finished by 28th May, 2013 (our wedding anniversary). Well, if I am going to be completely honest with myself and you, we have missed the deadline. I can't really give an excuse, other than the winter this year has been bitterly cold so it has taken us quite some time to feel warm and motivated enough to get outside and get the work done. Also, we have just come back from a week in Norway to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. Another place I would like to go in the van!

However, we have still made a a great deal of progress and I feel sure that by the end of June 13, we will be pretty much finished.

We have now taken apart the front end of the van and were pleasantly surprised by the state that it was in. Yes, it was damp, but a great deal of the wood frame-work had not been affected and was still in one piece. It seemed to be a rogue screw in the top corner of the right side of the van at the front that was causing most of the problems, as you can see.

However, we have rectified this problem. We have removed the rusty screw and replaced it with a new one, and has used Sikaflex to seal the screw hole on the outside and inside. This has seemed to be effective.

We have then removed the old and rotting wooden frame, added a new wooden frame, and tonight, on one side, added new polystyrene insulation and wood panels.

I am now hopeful to have the rest of the insulation and panels on by the end of the weekend. I then just need to paper the front (as per the back's theme) and re-attach the seats and cupboards. I have painted these, around the kitchen, the ceiling of the bathroom and made a strip of quirky tiles to get a great deal of the finishing touches sorted.

After this weekend, and the bits are re-attached, there are a few little jobs I want to get done (however, me and Pete can get away before this). These are:
*New LED strip lights around the front and back cupboards
*New boat effect pine table at the front
*New metal cover for the hobs to ensure the kitchen area is safe
*New boat effect flooring made of lino
*Few bits of the ceiling re-fitted
*New porta-potti
*Get the gas and electricity safety tested

We are then considering the possibility of hiring Morris out to other families for cheap holidays. We are not sure of the implications of this, or whether there would be any interest. Email me on t.malam@btinternet.com if you would be interested in hiring Morris for vintage shows, weekends, weddings, parties or holidays and we would be happy to consider your suggestions.

As ever, thank you for reading.

Tanya, Pete (and Winter the dog - she likes to get in the photos where she can!!).