More Photos!

The weather has been really nice lately and I've been spending as much time outdoors as possible...

ttDOG sunbathing by the lake

and each time I think of doing a blog update, I end up choosing to go out to play instead :)!  But people have been asking about what is happening with the big yellow school bus, so I'm doing another mostly-photos-update.

tCarpenter using creative ways to ensure that the shelves are perpendicular
(another challenge of working with the curved ceiling of the bus)

Ceiling before the panelling

Getting ready for the panelling.  Covering the appliances and countertops.

Method #1: Glueing the panels to the ceiling.

We quickly realized that method #1 was not working.
The glue took 10-15 mins to dry and required pressure to stay on
the ceiling.  It would be too inefficient to have us stand there holding it
until it dried.  So we went to method #2: Screwing the panels (with glue) on
the metal to hold panels in place until the glue dried.
(Future project for tBOY and me: remove the screws and fill the holes.)

Method #2 working well.

Voilà!  Beautiful :)!

tDog hanging out.  The back of the bus (emergency door sign)
before the panelling.

The back of the bus panelled.

The shelves that run along both sides of the bus.
Held up with metal rods that need to be covered up...

Instead of using pre-cut wood from the big box store,
we decided to go with a more natural material.
A felled tree from a nearby forest...

There it is!
And that's me holding up the panel covering the wiring for the lights.

Tah Dah!

We have decided to go with 2 of these base board heaters instead of a wood stove (for now).
Wood stoves take up quite a bit of space (in the small bus space) and it also requires
space around it.  We decided that for now, we prefer to have a couch vs. a wood stove.
We will see how it feels this winter.  The layout is designed so that a wood stove
can be put in on a later date.

The metal between the windows are covered with wood.
The metal casing for the plugs and switches will also be covered by wood (below).
Note: the grey covering is temporary. All switches and plugs will be white.

Our cast iron sink has a brand new faucet
(that I got from Craig's List for a great price!)

The bus has a real door!

Door from the inside.

This is the bench where the driver's seat was.  It can be removed so
the seat can be put back when the bus needs to be driven.

It is in fact a chest to store mitts, toques, scarves
and doubles up as a bench for putting on shoes :)!

Covering the metal along the front of the bus.

The bathroom walls have been covered up.

The inside of the bathroom has been insulated and cedar panels will line the walls
(as cedar is naturally resistant to water).

Meeting with tPlumber about the shower.  We have finally decided to scrap the barrel idea and have
 ordered a shower base.  So now we will have two planters (the metal one and this plastic one!)

Plumbing under the sink

Plumbing under the bus.

And where is this bus going to reside you ask?  Well.  A few hundred meters from our current cabin!  So moving will be made easy.

The land is treed...

So the landlord cut some trees and flattened the area with a tractor.
The bus will sit inside below the trees (to the right of tBOY).

This is what we will see when we look out the bus (you can see our current cabin on the far left).
Where tDog is, we will build a tall fence for privacy and create a closed area for our patio
where tDog can hang out.  Beyond our fence, the cows will be grazing!

Phew!  That was a lot of work!  But luckily there is always time for some lunch.

As I type this, an excavator is clearing more trees/roots to create a clearing for the bus.  It will also dig the trench for the water pipes.  When that is done, the electricians will come and build a power pole and set up for the local utilities company to give us power!

Well.  There you have it.  We hope to move in by July 1 (or before!)  We can't wait to finally settle into our new home.