Friday, September 16, 2016
Happy shoppers
To the best of our ability, we are trying to make this a project that is fun for the whole family. Often we succeed. But, well, so things are just not that much fun for anyone. Or the task is too hard for a kid to do, or too dangerous. And really, after about the 10th time, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore just isn't that fun
Lucky for us, our ReStore has a used book section. This will save us years off of the future therapy bill for our children. They have a safe place to read and hang out so they don't have to listen to mom and dad discuss the benefits of stainless steal over porcelain, weather the cabinets are too dark to be painted and if the hideously ugly couch is salvageable.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Floors
We have gone back and forth on what to do about flooring. We have a couple of things to consider:
- One of us is tall (Hint: It isn't Matt) so the floor can't be more than half an inch thick or I will be smacking my head on the roof.
- Durability. Not much floor will show. There will be only one "hallway". We have 4 kids who are the great destroyers of all the things. I just want it to hold up.
- Cost. We are trying our best to be budget friendly.
- Order. Do we cover ALL the floor and frame in over the top, or do we put everything in and floor around it?
We talked with our brother in law and he suggested just putting flooring in first then framing. Seems like good advice, as this will make sure the sub-floor is all covered and will hopefully prevent water damage.
Off to check out my options.
I went to both Home Depot and Lowes. Home Depot had a nice dude named Sean who was very helpful. He answered a ton of questions about application and durability. Lowes had a better selection but was staffed with a teenaged girl without a clue. I brought home some samples.
Some was just ugly. Some was too thick. But, I think we found what we will go with. It comes in a 12 foot roll, so we will have less seams for water and dirt to get into. It is thin and supposed to be durable. It is glued to the sub-floor but should be an easy weekend project. Wish us luck!
- One of us is tall (Hint: It isn't Matt) so the floor can't be more than half an inch thick or I will be smacking my head on the roof.
- Durability. Not much floor will show. There will be only one "hallway". We have 4 kids who are the great destroyers of all the things. I just want it to hold up.
- Cost. We are trying our best to be budget friendly.
- Order. Do we cover ALL the floor and frame in over the top, or do we put everything in and floor around it?
We talked with our brother in law and he suggested just putting flooring in first then framing. Seems like good advice, as this will make sure the sub-floor is all covered and will hopefully prevent water damage.
I went to both Home Depot and Lowes. Home Depot had a nice dude named Sean who was very helpful. He answered a ton of questions about application and durability. Lowes had a better selection but was staffed with a teenaged girl without a clue. I brought home some samples.
Some was just ugly. Some was too thick. But, I think we found what we will go with. It comes in a 12 foot roll, so we will have less seams for water and dirt to get into. It is thin and supposed to be durable. It is glued to the sub-floor but should be an easy weekend project. Wish us luck!
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Floor and Ceiling
Add the word "ceiling" to the words "minute" and "calendar" and "schedule" as words I will never learn to spell correctly. Really. Never. Thank sweet bejebus for spell check.
My lovely better half came up with the idea of painting the ceiling before adding floors. That way it doesn't matter if (when) we spill a bit. He knows us well.
The world is made up of two kind of people: those who are neat painters and those who are...less than neat. I reside firmly in the second category. My mother is in the first and I will always feel she is superior.
Now that all the hardware is removed and the rust is treated, the floor is ready for its coat of rustolium too. Painting day!
We had lots of help.
The kids did great, as did the neighbor kids. They first washed the ceiling with spray bottles and rags. Then we went back and did a bit of QC.
Next was the floors. We used rustolium to seal and prevent any more rust from forming on the floors, or at least slow it down. I have never used that stuff. It smells...a whole lot. It is also sort of like painting with elmers glue. Crazy sticky stuff, and NOT water soluble.
Of course, the kids thought it was good fun.
My lovely better half came up with the idea of painting the ceiling before adding floors. That way it doesn't matter if (when) we spill a bit. He knows us well.
The world is made up of two kind of people: those who are neat painters and those who are...less than neat. I reside firmly in the second category. My mother is in the first and I will always feel she is superior.
Now that all the hardware is removed and the rust is treated, the floor is ready for its coat of rustolium too. Painting day!
We had lots of help.
Next was the floors. We used rustolium to seal and prevent any more rust from forming on the floors, or at least slow it down. I have never used that stuff. It smells...a whole lot. It is also sort of like painting with elmers glue. Crazy sticky stuff, and NOT water soluble.
Of course, the kids thought it was good fun.
Fun Fact: Did you know if you mix shampoo and sugar and scrub the crap out of you hands they will eventually be paint free? True story.
Obviously, this is something I might find useful
Obviously, this is something I might find useful
Friday, September 9, 2016
Stuck and broken
The floor was the next thing to tackle. We had done a lot of rust treatment, but still had some work to do. For instance, there were several areas where the screws were either stripped or rusted...sometimes both. Then there was the spot by the door where the rust had eaten away the metal. And the last two "kid bumpers". Ok, so that is probably not the name of those things, but I have no idea what they are actually called. They are the things that look like seat backs, in place, I assume, to keep kids from going airborne in the instance of sudden stops.
Matt got to use the angle grinder. I am pretty sure he was giggling the entire time. The thing smells awful and creates a fireworks show of sparks. The kids were totally impressed. I think Matt ended up using upwards of 10 metal wheels. Don't worry, he also used gloves, a mask and goggles.
Finally, we can paint!
Matt got to use the angle grinder. I am pretty sure he was giggling the entire time. The thing smells awful and creates a fireworks show of sparks. The kids were totally impressed. I think Matt ended up using upwards of 10 metal wheels. Don't worry, he also used gloves, a mask and goggles.
Eventually, we got all the brackets removed. Not a quick and easy task.
As he removed them, I followed along and used the wire brush to remove surface rust. That guy and I make a good team, pretty happy I married him. And I have I mentioned what adorable children we make?
Finally, we can paint!
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Up on the roooooof
Please tell me you sang the title of this blog post, because I sure did.
Buses are like big tin cans. Sturdy. And just like a big tin can, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Buses are made with some insulation, but pretty much count on the heat from big arse heaters and lots of little humans to keep the temp warm in the winter. Windows come down in the summer and no one really cares about sweat school children enough to add AC (though, to be fair, some buses do have it).
I am tall. Matt is not. Betty Lou, sadly enough, takes after Matt in the height department. She comes in at around 6 feet. We are adding insulation to the floor which means we can't add it to the ceiling and still have enough room for me to walk around without whacking my head.
Meet Henry. He makes a nice (if not a bit spendy) type of paint called Elastomeric Heat Reduction and Roofing Sealant. This stuff will bounce some of the heat of the sun off the roof and help seal all the rivet action that it has going on.
First, though, sweet Betty Lou need a bit of a bath. She has been sitting in a field and heaven only knows when she got her last scrubbing. Up to the roof top with a spray bottle of TSP and a bunch of rags I went. I grabbed a wire brush too, to knock off any loose paint, and was pleased to find most the paint was still in good shape with very little rust and flaking. Side note: while it is easier to walk on the roof of a bus sans shoes, it does get hotter than a mo-fo when the sun is out.
All the neighbor kids (and our own) tried to convince me that they should come up too. I politely declined their assistance as I would like to remain friends with their parents. I did let the climb the step ladder inside the bus and pop their head through the sun roof to hand me supplies. I'm not a complete fun sponge.
Once Betty Lou was clean and shiny, it was time for a new top. Thats me, with a cup of iced coffee passed up to me from the Mr. He love me and knows what it takes to get this girl moving in the morning. The paint was rolled/brushed on, much to the amusement of my neighbor, who made the comment that his car needed a new paint job but it never occurred to him to use a roller. Small minds.
This is Betty Lou after one coat. I did two.
Day one I was smart and wore a hat. Sure, I got a little pink but was still ok. Day 2 I was less smart. I forgot my hat. I also forgot I had gotten pink on day one. I am now a bright, slightly painful shade of fuchsia. Oops.
Buses are like big tin cans. Sturdy. And just like a big tin can, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Buses are made with some insulation, but pretty much count on the heat from big arse heaters and lots of little humans to keep the temp warm in the winter. Windows come down in the summer and no one really cares about sweat school children enough to add AC (though, to be fair, some buses do have it).
I am tall. Matt is not. Betty Lou, sadly enough, takes after Matt in the height department. She comes in at around 6 feet. We are adding insulation to the floor which means we can't add it to the ceiling and still have enough room for me to walk around without whacking my head.
All the neighbor kids (and our own) tried to convince me that they should come up too. I politely declined their assistance as I would like to remain friends with their parents. I did let the climb the step ladder inside the bus and pop their head through the sun roof to hand me supplies. I'm not a complete fun sponge.
This is Betty Lou after one coat. I did two.
Day one I was smart and wore a hat. Sure, I got a little pink but was still ok. Day 2 I was less smart. I forgot my hat. I also forgot I had gotten pink on day one. I am now a bright, slightly painful shade of fuchsia. Oops.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Forget milkshakes
Do you want to know what brings all the boys to the yard? Hint: it isn't milkshakes (sorry Kelis).
Betty Lou doesn't live with us. We like her and all, but we also like to stay on good terms with our neighbors. Having a bus parked out front isn't the best way to make friends... unless you would like ALL NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN to congregate on your front lawn. A school bus does that.
This weekend we needed power so Betty Lou came for a visit. As did all the kids in a one block radius. Since we have 4 helpers of our own, it isn't such a big deal. There is a lot that the kids can do to be helpful and they were more than happy to lend a hand. Free labor, baby. Well, we did buy them all mini cans of root beer for a job well done.
The kids swept, scrubbed, sprayed, painted, picked up trash and kept some hilarious commentary going for the 3 day weekend. ("do you even know what your doing?" and "Are you going to fall off that?")
The adults in the neighborhood were not immune to the draw of a school bus either. Before we brought her home, we printed up a notice and left it on the doors of our neighbors houses, just so people would know what was going on and wouldn't call the cops on us for stealing a bus. Pretty much every neighbor popped their head in to see what we were up to.
What to get to know your neighbors? Buy a bus.
Betty Lou doesn't live with us. We like her and all, but we also like to stay on good terms with our neighbors. Having a bus parked out front isn't the best way to make friends... unless you would like ALL NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN to congregate on your front lawn. A school bus does that.
This weekend we needed power so Betty Lou came for a visit. As did all the kids in a one block radius. Since we have 4 helpers of our own, it isn't such a big deal. There is a lot that the kids can do to be helpful and they were more than happy to lend a hand. Free labor, baby. Well, we did buy them all mini cans of root beer for a job well done.
The kids swept, scrubbed, sprayed, painted, picked up trash and kept some hilarious commentary going for the 3 day weekend. ("do you even know what your doing?" and "Are you going to fall off that?")
The adults in the neighborhood were not immune to the draw of a school bus either. Before we brought her home, we printed up a notice and left it on the doors of our neighbors houses, just so people would know what was going on and wouldn't call the cops on us for stealing a bus. Pretty much every neighbor popped their head in to see what we were up to.
What to get to know your neighbors? Buy a bus.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Feeling the heat...or not
Apparently people like school age children to arrive at school in a thawed form and, to accomplish this, add massive heaters to buses.
Our family likes to be warm, so for a hot minute, we considered keeping said heaters. However, once you add walls and framing and such, the heater was not only poorly positioned, but would also be fairly ineffective. We decided to pull it. Which seems like something that should be able to done quickly and easily with a pair of wire cutters and a screwdriver.
Alas, sometimes you don't know what you don't know.
Bus heaters run off engine coolant. With big hoses and stuff. And you can't just cap the hose because the coolant wouldn't make it back to the engine. And then you engine goes boom.
After half a day of work, Matt managed to get the heater unattached from the floor, the wires capped and the coolant looped back on itself. Do you know how much coolant that thing with all its hoses held? Over 5 gallons. To make everything even more fun, coolant has to be properly disposed of. We now have a 5 gallon bucket of the dirty stuff to figure out what to do with.
Our family likes to be warm, so for a hot minute, we considered keeping said heaters. However, once you add walls and framing and such, the heater was not only poorly positioned, but would also be fairly ineffective. We decided to pull it. Which seems like something that should be able to done quickly and easily with a pair of wire cutters and a screwdriver.
Alas, sometimes you don't know what you don't know.
Bus heaters run off engine coolant. With big hoses and stuff. And you can't just cap the hose because the coolant wouldn't make it back to the engine. And then you engine goes boom.
After half a day of work, Matt managed to get the heater unattached from the floor, the wires capped and the coolant looped back on itself. Do you know how much coolant that thing with all its hoses held? Over 5 gallons. To make everything even more fun, coolant has to be properly disposed of. We now have a 5 gallon bucket of the dirty stuff to figure out what to do with.
Friday, September 2, 2016
Rust and Safety Masks
I have a new look, it is called "construction vogue". Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...
Day one of rust treatment. I attacked the rustiest spots on the floor with a metal brush attachment to the power drill. Supper satisfying since most of the rust is surface and buffs off with a bit of elbow grease. Not having done much rust removal in the past, I didn't quite realize the GINORMOUS MESS removing it creates. I was covered in a fine, red powder and spent the evening coughing up red dust. Don't tell OSHA, but I didn't wear a mask or goggles at first. My bad.
Day two of rust removal I went to our buddies at Lowes and grabbed the proper mask and glasses. I now know that wearing a mask and glasses in a 80+ degree bus SUCKS. Its hard to breathes and hot as a mo-fo.
After I got the flaky part of the rust removed, I treated the floor with rust converter. This stuff comes in a spray can and requires 2 applications within 20 minutes. It turns the rust a dark brown color and helps keep it from spreading. Also, if you decide you hate the stupid mask and spray the converter in a closed area your head might get a little...swimmy. At least, that is what a friend told me...I would never do something like that. Don't tell OSHA.
About half the floor is done in the bus, the other half is waiting until this weekend as we need to use a grinder to remove some rusted in bolts so we can sand and rust treat the rest of the floor. Then the whole mess gets a coat of Rustolium paint.
Then there is this issue with a heater...
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Floors
Fun Fact: Rubber floors in old school buses smell like stinky school children. Especially in the sun (the floors, not the children, although one can assume children left in the sun also smell less than fresh)
We went into this knowing Betty was no spring chicken. And she was an east coast girl, so that means snow and ice and salt. Add that all together and we knew rust would be part of the equation. We went back and forth on pulling the flooring out of the bus. Pros? It would allow us to assess and treat rust and start the build up from scratch. Also, see above in reference to stanky kids. Cons? It is a true pain in the arse. Also, current floor gives some strength to the floor of the bus. But not much.
We decided to pull the floor.
Some of the rubber mat pulled up pretty easily. Other sections left us with the belief that the builders of these buses are paid both in amount of screws/rivets used and gallons of adhesive. After hours of work, the floor of the bus is pretty much down to the sheet metal.
Our 10 year old has discovered the joy of demo. She loved using the pry bar to pull up the flooring and managed to not knock a sibling out cold. Wining!
On to rust treatment.
We went into this knowing Betty was no spring chicken. And she was an east coast girl, so that means snow and ice and salt. Add that all together and we knew rust would be part of the equation. We went back and forth on pulling the flooring out of the bus. Pros? It would allow us to assess and treat rust and start the build up from scratch. Also, see above in reference to stanky kids. Cons? It is a true pain in the arse. Also, current floor gives some strength to the floor of the bus. But not much.
We decided to pull the floor.
Some of the rubber mat pulled up pretty easily. Other sections left us with the belief that the builders of these buses are paid both in amount of screws/rivets used and gallons of adhesive. After hours of work, the floor of the bus is pretty much down to the sheet metal.
Our 10 year old has discovered the joy of demo. She loved using the pry bar to pull up the flooring and managed to not knock a sibling out cold. Wining!
On to rust treatment.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Betty Lou Blue
At some point in my life, I realized I wasn't normal. It took me several years more to realize I DIDN'T CARE!
Luck for me, I met a dude early on who also was a bit less than normal. Together, we made 4 children, who may or may not end up being normal.
We are the kind of people who, when others are planning a week in Mexico for spring break, we plan on fostering a litter of 6 kittens and maybe a puppy. When other spend hours on a perfect yard, we fill ours with a dozen chickens, a couple ducks, 4 rabbits and several different types of swings hanging from various trees. In the evenings, we sit on the front porch with a glass of wine and sing and play guitar/ukulele. Sometimes our kids "interpretive dance" to our music selection. We are THAT family.
The other day we noticed a family on a walk who we had seen walking before. We said "hi", invited them for a glass of wine on the porch and made new friends while our kids played tag. We talk to strangers...often. Our kids are not signed up for any sports nor do we care if they turn out to be athletic. We put being kind over being best. We value books over tv and video games. Our kids play long, elaborate games of pretend. We homeschool combined with fine arts school. We make cookies for elderly neighbors, invite all the neighborhood kids to play in our yard, take in stray animals and people. In the summer, we invite our friends kids to come over and make gloriously messy things, like hand made pasta and cheese bread.
I admit, when measured by the ruler labeled "American Dream" we might come up, well, just a little off. We don't want a bigger house. We are interested in more stuff and are looking to give away a lot of what we already have. I don't want a fancy job that puts me in the spotlight.
Which is why, when we told some of the friends in our life that we were buying a bus, they mostly just smiled that "good grief..." smile and changed the subject. Not to say people are not supportive, they might just not understand.
We have a childrens book called "Betty Lou Blue". It is about a little girl who is just a little different. People tease her, they are unkind, but when called on to help, it is the differences that allow Betty Lou to shine.
Betty Lou might be my hero.
We are now the proud owners of a 1998 Thomas International 3800 bus. Yes, a school bus. Why? Because we want to adventure big and live small. We still are not sure where this path will take us. Right now, we are building out the bus to be a tiny home on wheels. Maybe one day, we will live full time in our bus, named Betty Lou. For now we are enjoying the journey. We are learning new things, spending time together, dreaming big dreams of small spaces and wide adventures.
I will keep you posted on how things turn out!
Luck for me, I met a dude early on who also was a bit less than normal. Together, we made 4 children, who may or may not end up being normal.
We are the kind of people who, when others are planning a week in Mexico for spring break, we plan on fostering a litter of 6 kittens and maybe a puppy. When other spend hours on a perfect yard, we fill ours with a dozen chickens, a couple ducks, 4 rabbits and several different types of swings hanging from various trees. In the evenings, we sit on the front porch with a glass of wine and sing and play guitar/ukulele. Sometimes our kids "interpretive dance" to our music selection. We are THAT family.
The other day we noticed a family on a walk who we had seen walking before. We said "hi", invited them for a glass of wine on the porch and made new friends while our kids played tag. We talk to strangers...often. Our kids are not signed up for any sports nor do we care if they turn out to be athletic. We put being kind over being best. We value books over tv and video games. Our kids play long, elaborate games of pretend. We homeschool combined with fine arts school. We make cookies for elderly neighbors, invite all the neighborhood kids to play in our yard, take in stray animals and people. In the summer, we invite our friends kids to come over and make gloriously messy things, like hand made pasta and cheese bread.
I admit, when measured by the ruler labeled "American Dream" we might come up, well, just a little off. We don't want a bigger house. We are interested in more stuff and are looking to give away a lot of what we already have. I don't want a fancy job that puts me in the spotlight.
Which is why, when we told some of the friends in our life that we were buying a bus, they mostly just smiled that "good grief..." smile and changed the subject. Not to say people are not supportive, they might just not understand.
We have a childrens book called "Betty Lou Blue". It is about a little girl who is just a little different. People tease her, they are unkind, but when called on to help, it is the differences that allow Betty Lou to shine.
Betty Lou might be my hero.
We are now the proud owners of a 1998 Thomas International 3800 bus. Yes, a school bus. Why? Because we want to adventure big and live small. We still are not sure where this path will take us. Right now, we are building out the bus to be a tiny home on wheels. Maybe one day, we will live full time in our bus, named Betty Lou. For now we are enjoying the journey. We are learning new things, spending time together, dreaming big dreams of small spaces and wide adventures.
I will keep you posted on how things turn out!
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Meet the Bus
Meet the newest member of our family, Betty Lou! She is a beast, with a DT466 engine and an Allison transmission. She came to us with under 200,000 miles (Big diesels like her can hit almost 1,000,000 miles) after being retired in 2014 from an east coast school district.
The kids were happy to meet her! We have been researching, talking, planning on this adventure for about a year and they have been patiently waiting to see what we end up with.
We were lucky to find this bus that already had the seats removed. While that isn't a task that requires a ton of skill, it can require a ton of TIME. It is just straight up hard work! She also came to us with some supplies gathered, so we have some various pieces of wood, a couple big tanks, some insulation and bits and pieces of tools.
Step one? Get her parked and cleaned out. What a mess. We are luck to have a spot to work on her that happens to be close to a playground! The kids come with, help when they can, and play when the job is too dangerous or big.
Day 3 with our bus has been a success!
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