Anam Cara Care Centre         
Reverie Harp Heart & Soul Healing   

well not quite. The tool bin on the drawbar didn't exist then. It was the first modification made to save sanity and knuckle skin on hands !

the drawbar needs to be extended (it was too short anyway) to allow the spare wheel to be afixed to it with the 9 kg gas bottle to be secured within the 'well' of the wheel. A new jockey wheel will also be attached.

In this instance the blue door actually did mean 'crawl' as a bed mattress had to be climbed up and over to get in ! Not very lady like. The white door which opened down held the jacks, blocks, cables AND the spare wheel. Removing the spare wheel skinned my knuckles daily.

These rear doors were so flimsy and insecure a whole role of gaffa tape was used in one weather event to keep them together and not blowing in !

but it is full of surprises ! This rear wall lifts up to be a roof and a floor folds down to create a 'back porch'. Brilliant. But the roof leaked like a sieve !

with ants !

It took 6 days of concerted ant eradication of squillions before the work of cleaning and then painting could begin.

how anyone can sell something they haven't bothered to present at its best beggars belief. Everything had to be scrubbed.

Once scrubbed clean the floors under the beds were carpeted to add some insulation

was filthy. So dirty.

after just one wash ! it kept coming off.

Part of the appeal of this caravan was the separate bedroom end. The single bed on the left has been removed to create a 'step thru' onto the floor into bedroom. Much easier.

nothing was worth keeping.

just wrapped around....

for some reason the recovering of this couch cushion became the hardest thing to renovate ! took months to get it to fit right but now is complete and looks great.

Four Matai homemade pantry doors were found in a demo yard

The simple homemade design made it easy to dismantle these doors and recreate as two wide doors

ready to fit.

My house trucking friend Ivan who I have known since 2002 gave his time and skill to create these beautiful timber doors. Ivan has created some of the most beautiful house trucks in NZ.

Very very happy with the recycled, upcycled Matai stable doors. trimmed with Rimu and brass screws used, old brass door handle and soon to have brass solid hinges fixed.

about to disappear ! Ivan fixed the bottom door to the top while the bed and storage bin was removed.

using long vinyl tiles glued to the floor and walls.

To complete 'self contained' certification the PortaPot has to be immobilised.... which is fully understandable. A simple U shape afixed to either wall with a beam of wood slotted down solved the problem.

This bit of timber supports a set of shelves installed to hold all 'the business end' of ACCC and LOFTour.

A $5 bit of round Rimu found in demo yard become the shelf legs at one end plus enough left to fix the top locks to back doors. Bargain.

Organisation of a small place is essential.

to each shelf will ensure what is held does not come loose in travel. Nice and bright.

Everyday gratitude is expressed to be able to step into the bedroom floor ! Such a simple thing which makes daily life so much easier. Cheers Ivan.

Whose skills and support in achieving what has taken shape with Chesney through 2017 is greatly appreciated. May your beautiful soul continue upon this earth for many years to come.

on whose property and in their huge shed this happened. The next phase of this renovation is to weatherproof the back end / roof of porch. This grill took two whole days to remove ! nothing is simple it seems.

Once removed, a grinding disc was used to clean up the edges to the blue and white paint surrounding, ready for the 'sign'.

given the only part that didn't leak was the grilll removed .... underbody car seal (bitumous) was used to waterproof. Two coats of white paint then applied.

putting the rubber trim around 'the sign' which will be seen by vehicles following Chesney .... the artwork will flow around the back to 'hold the sign' ....eventually

proved to be a laborous job with drilling out 'pop rivets' and rusted screws by the dozens, then using the chisel and hammer to remove the glue and paint on frame.

The old paint removed; aluminium polished and then etched and repainted. Eventually the poles will be 'sleeved' with the canvas that will surround the three exposed sides of the back porch.

Once the old floor ply was gone nothing held the frame down but the old paint and glue had to be cleaned off each aluminium strut.

slap me quick if I ever mention using this again ! talk about needing a dozen pair of hands all at once....

I reasonable job but not quite happy with the join ....never mind, not trying to make a silk purse from a sows ear. It can be rectified.

such as tools and great blocks of wood such as these placed over each aluminium bar after gluing the ply floor down

taking shape, but its one step forward and two back... once butynol glued on strip before doors, the big porch failed to fold up! Overnight thought came up with a solution.

best made plans .... had to gently lift the butynol, screw a guide bar down and then have Duncan 'drop' the dropsaw down to remove 10mm all the while keeping saw blade just 1mm above the steel the ply glued to.

was used by Duncan to cut out the final 6" at either end where the 'wings' prevented the drop saw reaching. Many thanks Duncan. By this stage my arms had given up !

are old tools so useful for anything. In this case removing the final 1mm of ply and cleaning up the steel ready for the butynol to be reglued. Did it work ? YES ! the floor folds shut.

The butynol is glued 50mm up the wings and back door line to ensure no water can sit and create any rot in the long term.

warmth will be provided by a small 'Spirolock tubing' fireplace which will be placed where the floral arrangment dedicated to my late son resides at this time. The cupboard above will be lost but small price for staying warm and dry.

and inside is a roomy but cosy living space. Dining table, couch seat on one side and kitchen bench, fridge etc. on the other. The yellow chiffon curtain closes the bedroom off from living end.

on either side of Chesney are two wardrobes. Wardrobe 1 on the left has a full length mirrored cabinet attached to the door. The colour cube shelves also conceal the PortaPot behind.

Unlock the cabinet and inside is a fabulous jewellery storehouse.

holds dress's and long coats

below holds several pair of shoes

holds shirts, tops and jackets with another shoe box below

on the shelves above wardrobe 2

is essential whilst travelling. One thing still to do here is build drawers and cupboards under the bed for ease of accessing what is stored underneath.

It took 17 days to complete this project. So worth the effort to have easy storage. Not so nice to do the work during a heatwave though !

back to the living area is bright and colourful all round. A very comfortable place to live.

Electrical Certificate; Self Containment Certified; WOF; REGO and once again NZMCA wings

about to begin with the outside repaint / recanvas ready for the artwork. Plenty to finish and get on with whilst I have the opportunity of being undercover in this huge shed.