We’re HOME – Finally!

When you pull away from a HOUSE with hot water, a washer & dryer, plenty of storage and a bathtub – to start your life in a tiny RV, there are a lot of mixed feelings! There’s definitely a sense of adventure and excitement mixed with questions like, ‘will this work?’ and ‘are we totally crazy?’ Even with all the pre-packing and planning I had done, I was amazed how many last minute items we still had to pack. We’ve been ‘camping’ between the RV and the house we’re renovating, so I thought most of the packing was done. Even last minute things made me question why we still have so. much. stuff! I was thankful for the 90 minute drive to the town where Daryl works to process and prepare my heart for all the changes ahead.

It’s a funny thing – how people respond when you tell them that you live in an RV. Some people tell you how jealous they are and seem to think that 2 people living in under 200 square feet is a luxury. I think they forget that this is our home – not a vacation. Others respond with uncomfortable, sympathetic glances – people living in an RV are in fact, homeless. I try to let them know that we chose this lifestyle and we’re pretty determined to find all the joys in it, even in the hard moments! That first morning, as I sat in my recliner in our new home, drinking my coffee – my heart was filled with gratitude to the point of tears. This has been a much longer process than we expected with multiple hurdles, setbacks and unexpected real estate projects. At times, we wondered if we’d ever get here! But we never gave up on the dream! This morning, when hubby came home from work and I tucked him into a real BED in an air conditioned RV, it didn’t matter how tiny it was or how hard we’ve worked these past months. All that matters is that he can come HOME to me every single day and I can fuss over him and take care of him instead of knowing he’s sleeping in his car in the SC heat. I can do all sorts of things and make do with very little if we can be together!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 3 months since my last post, but I promise you – we haven’t been slacking! 😉 Turning this duplex into student housing (upstairs) and an AirBnB (downstairs) was meant to be a fairly straight forward process. We thought we’d touch up some paint, move in our furniture, add some cute decor and be ready to list it. But, as is often the case with real estate – the more we did, the more the projects grew! I’m sharing a little bit of our process replacing the first, collapsing ceiling in the pictures below. In my last post, you saw it mid tear down. Since Daryl and I were trying to replace an entire ceiling by ourselves, we purchased a dry wall lift to help us get those huge pieces of drywall up into the air. This project stretched on for a few weeks with Daryl working more than full time in between mudding, drying time, sanding and more mudding. There was no end to the dust and the piles of tools! Finally, we thought we were finished. We repainted, furnished the room and hung burgundy curtains – hoping that the end of all the construction projects was just around the corner.

But guess what, there was one more ceiling that had the old pressboard and plaster (from the 1950s) on it and it began cracking so badly, we knew it was a hazard waiting to happen. So, we moved the furniture out, hung up plastic and started to take down that ceiling too. When the big pieces fell, it shook the whole house and tore a huge gash in our plastic ‘walls.’ Underneath the old plaster, we found all sorts of construction ‘surprises,’ including ceiling joists that were 2″ different in places. We had to add a bunch more 2x4s to make the ceiling foundation level. Then, I put my creativity to work to design a beautiful focal point for this dining room which is the center of the open concept living area. Neither of us had ever done a ceiling like this before, but we put in long hours and made it happen! After days of clinging to the ladder with my legs, while supporting paneling or wood with one hand and nailing with the heavy nailer with the other hand – every muscle ached! But, I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out and Daryl is unexpectedly impressed too. Finally, we could get back to painting, decorating and turning this place into a haven for our guests. It’s almost ready – you can check out the full listing here: https://www.furnishedfinder.com/property/512476_1 . It’s also available on AirBnb!

We have many adjustments ahead and difficulties are a normal part of any life – even one in an RV. But there are also so many joys to be found in the every day details and opportunities that make up our lives! You may see a water filter on the floor in the RV coffee picture – that’s because it shattered in our last deep freeze and has to be replaced. Until we get it replaced, we can’t hook up to the water supply since there’s no cut off valve under the sink. If we did, water would flow out everywhere. I went to multiple stores today and nobody carries them or has them in stock. So, we’re starting our adventure without water inside. There’s spigot outside, but it’s a bit hard for flushing the toilet or doing dishes, etc. The new filter had to be ordered and won’t come in until Tuesday – so that’s a week without water. There are no bathrooms or showers at this RV park either, but thankfully, there’s a gym just 4 miles down the road. I have a membership that will get me into any of their 2,400 locations around the US and this is where we’ll shower anytime we’re staying at a park without showers. I had my own adventure in the shower there today – I’m a hot bath girl through and through! Shaving, in a strange shower, in a public gym, with only a thin shower curtain between you and the outside world is far from relaxing. I managed to cut myself several times. 😦 But – the gym membership I have includes some amazing, spa benefits and the hydro massage I enjoyed after my shower made all the difficulties with the water filter fade away. Please know, I’m not complaining. This is a minor setback and we have so much to be thankful for! But I promised to share the not so glamorous moments as well as the beautiful ones on this blog – and I keep my promises! 😉 We’ve lived without running water before – and we can do it again!

Even though this is only day 3 of our adventure, I can feel the speed of life slow down by default and I love it! Moving quickly in an RV is likely to cause an earthquake – rocking the whole unit! Sudden moves in small spaces will likely injure a body part or sweep the water jug off the counter! Every nook and cranny is packed like an intricate puzzle, so grabbing something requires a bit of a jenga game to get it out. My household chores are quite minimal, so I’ve been getting all sorts of computer work done while hubby sleeps in the back. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely a slower pace and I’m relishing every moment as we figure out our new lives together!