Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
Every home needs a door. It's a tricky bit that must fit well, open and close easily, provide some security, and hopefully, look good doing it. We found a mahogany, two-panel door at the Habitat Re-Store in Lubbock a couple months ago and since the price was right ($10), we bought it. It was …
Continue reading "Door and Frame, Vardo Remodel Part 8"
The weekend was cold, I was tired (read lazy), and other things had to be attended to so this update is just baby steps in the big scheme. Although mine is a purely pragmatic build, I wanted an homage to the classic Dunton Reading wagon. Taking a plain profile and giving it simple compass curves …
Continue reading "Progress is slow but steady, Vardo Remodel Part 7"
What follows is a somewhat terse step-by-step of the past couple weeks. I had about a week of stolen moments before the winter holidays to dive in and make as much progress as possible, knowing that winter could bring just about any kind of weather and a 60 degree variance in daily temperatures. My goal …
Continue reading "Fitting the exterior, Vardo Remodel Part 6"
"We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities." — Oscar Wilde I'm not one for New Year resolutions. However, it is a time of reflection and I'm glad for the progress I have made in decluttering my life and prioritizing what truly matters over the past few years. Maybe 2016 is …
Chief of sanding, varnish, and stain department while we remodel and rejuvenate the vardo. This was tedious and difficult job that needed to be done. During this phase, we took the opportunity to fill holes, plug countersunk screws and rethink the interior furnishings all around. It will be a cozy little palace when we're finished.
All earthly structures begin with a foundation of some sort, even living wagons. In our case, the trailer frame is the earth, the ledge and subfloor serve as the foundation upon which, all is built. I proposed to attach the new section pretty much the same way and addition is connected to a house, by …
Continue reading "Tying it all together, Vardo Remodel Part 5"
Taking the Biggest Step of All; Transferring the old vardo to the new trailer. Now that I was confident that the box was going to hold up under the stress of the transfer I was ready to slip the trailer under the body. It was a whole lot less dramatic than I was afraid it …
Caution - suggested nudity, implied whiskey, and some old-fashioned Scottish engineering to liven up the day. Now that I have your attention: Saturday morning came and it was time to start stripping down to the bare essentials (hence the first part of the title, suggested by SB). After an evening of pulling everything out of …
Continue reading "Naked and Afraid! Remodel of the Little Green Vardo, Part 3"
Preparing the trailer and laying the foundation for the Vardo. A couple of issues had to be addressed before any real construction could begin. Unfortunately, a day job and early sunsets dictate my work hours so I only have a short time each night to get something done throughout the week. Here's the summary: The …
Continue reading "Remodel of the Little Green Vardo, Part 2"
It just seems right. The timing, the monetary investment, the effort. After adding up the mileage from the log book I keep with the Vardo, I see we have clocked over 21,000 miles since she was first put to the road in February of 2010. I have, no doubt, missed some small side trips and …
Continue reading "Remodel and Rebirth of the Little Green Vardo"
