![]() When renovating Wanda, a problem that came up was where to put Piper the cat's litter box. We debated for weeks where we should put it because there didn't seem to be a great place for it that wasn't in the way or inconvenient for scooping away the waste and changing the litter. Our final design and what we now refer to as Piper's poop palace, was a smart and creative way to use otherwise unused space, is out of site and easy to clean. Requirements
Step 1 - Establish a location for the litter box The space we decided to use was under the “nightstand” by the bed. This location allowed us to use part of the biggest bay on our Winnebago Vista 30B, which has some deep storage that is hard to reach from outside. It was an easy place for us to sacrifice some storage and its out of sight but still easy to access. Step 2 - Plan out Your Design. We designed a bathroom that would hold a small litter box with some extra space along the side. We used the existing two walls and added two more, a back piece and side piece, to enclose the litter box. On the side wall we added a vent for air circulation. As far as access, we created two entrances; one for the cat and the other for us to remove the litter box for cleaning/changing. For the cat, we used a PetSafe Extreme Weather Energy Efficent Pet Door (Small) and for us we added a cabinet door that hinges open from the bottom. ![]() Step 3 - Cut an Opening for the Main Access Door. We wanted to make this opening as big as possible so we could easily take the box in and out. With a permanent marker, we marked a template for our cut. Using a drill and ½ inch drill bit, we drilled out starter holes in each of the corners. We then used a combination of Ryobi Reciprocating Saws and Dewalt Oscillating Multi-tool to cut out the hole. We then used sandpaper to smooth the opening. Step 4 - Creating the Enclosure for the Litter Box Using the litter box as a guide, measure the lengths you need for the other two walls. We used two pieces of 1/2 inch plywood. The back piece is 16 inches wide by 20 inches tall and side piece is 18 inches wide by 20 inches tall. On the sidewall, we cut an additional hole for an AC vent to create some air circulation. You can do this by again pre-drilling holes in the corners and then using a jigsaw to cut our the square. Make sure to make the opening smaller than your vent cover. Step 5 - Cut Plywood to Make a Door and Hole for the Pet door For a basic door, cut a piece of plywood that is an inch bigger than your cut out on all 4 sides. Our door measure at 13.5 inches wides by 15.5 inches tall. Now using the template that comes with the PetSafe Extreme Weather Energy Efficent Pet Door (Small) , use the same method as above (pre-drill corners and then use the saw) to cut out the door hole. Step 6 - Prime and Paint the Walls and Door Prime and/or paint the inside of the walls for some protection against mold and mildew. ![]() Step 7 - Assemble the Walls After the paint dried, we assembled the walls. First, we screwed in the vent plate into the side wall. We then pre-drilled the edge of the walls were they butt together, used wood glue and screwed in ½ screws. To add more rigidity, we used corner brackets to screw the box enclosure into the floor and existing walls. See picture for exact locations. Step 8 - Install the Pet Door and then the Main Access Door Using the directions, from the PetSafe Extreme Weather Energy Efficent Pet Door (Small) assemble the pet door. Once that is complete, install the hinges, door knob, and door latch. After all the hardware is in place, you can now install the door and enclose the room. Step 9 - Cat Test Congrats, you are all done and your cat should appreciate their new bathroom. Introduce your cat to their Private En Suite Bathroom. Below are some tips to help aid them into using it. Tips- Introducing your cat to their new bathroom - Tape the pet door open for the first couple of days so they can easily find their bathroom and not fear the flapping door. - Bury some of the waste from the cats prior litter box in the new box, they will recognize it as theirs and it should encourage them to start using the new box. By Kevin Quiambao Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon Affiliate Links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase something we recommend. Clicking these links doesn't cost you any extra money but it does help support our adventures and this website. Thank you for your support!
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![]() Was Wanda always this hot and loud? We asked ourselves this during our maiden voyage. By removing the carpet and installing vinyl planks we inadvertently created a much louder and uncomfortable driving environment in the cab. We noticed that when we accelerated or climbed a hill Wanda was significantly louder and you could feel the vibrations of the Ford V10 powering past 3200 RPMs. On a longer drive, the floors also became very hot, particularly on the passenger side. We didn't realize how well the carpet had absorbed the heat and dampened the sound. ![]() We knew we had to address this issue and come up with a solution that would allow for a quieter ride and protect our and the pets feet from the burning floors. Since the new flooring was already installed, we also needed a product that we could install from underneath the RV and around the engine, which meant it had to be waterproof and hold up against the wear and tear of the road. After doing some research, we decided to use Noico Solutions Green 170 Waterproof Sound and Heat Insulation. This closed cell foam sound deadening material is easy to cut, handle and install. This product worked out perfectly for us. It decreased the decibels reading from 87db to 67db. That's a big improvement. It also made the floor temperature a lot cooler and reduced the vibration. The box comes with 36 square feet. Each panel is 15.7 x 9.8 inches and there are 34 sheets. It essentially looks like giant foam stickers. ![]() Preparing for Installation Prep the the surface you want to insulate. You want to make the area as clean as possible to guarantee the best adhesion from the insulation to the engine bay. So remove any dirt, grease, sand, or mud. I used car wash soap, an old rag and a hose. I scrubbed the area the best I could and rinsed it clean. After, I let the area air dry for 24 hours. You don’t want to be installing this on a wet surface. ![]() Tools Needed:
Installing the Insulation Dog House Cover I started here. It’s easier to work with since it's removable and I wanted to see how the installation went before I was crawling under the wheel well in a tight space. Flip the doghouse cover upside down and pre-plan how you want to lay the insulation. I used as many full size pieces as I could. Remove the backing of the insulation like a sticker and place the sheet in its proper place and press it down. The glue is sticky but very manageable and can be pulled off if you make a mistake before rolling it. The material is very flexible and forgiving, so mold it into the contours of the dogs house cover. When you get to the edges, lay a piece down that goes further than the edge and use a razor blade to follow the edge and make a flush cut. Continue this for all the edges. Use cut offs if you can and save the full size pieces for under the wheel well. Next, use the roller and apply pressure to every square inch of the insulation. You want to ensure a proper bond and the more you roll the better. I went over each piece 4 to 5 times especially around the edges. ![]() Under The Wheel Well This is a lot easier with two people. It can certainly be done on your own, it will just take longer. At first I did this by myself but it wasted a lot of time squeezing myself under the wheel well to measure pieces, climbing out of the wheel well, cutting the pieces, going back under, sticking them on and then rolling each piece. To save time, you can do all your measuring at once and then all your cutting at once. Just make sure you label the pieces so you can identify which piece goes where. Or have one person in the wheel well and one person cutting. As far as location and where to install the insulation, I placed it underneath the floor around the engine. I covered everything that I could physically reach. I then recruited my wife who is a lot smaller than me to climb into some of the smaller and tighter spaces. We made sure to stay away from moving parts and avoided placing it directly on mechanical parts like the exhaust. Generator Bay We had some extra sheets, so we decided to insulate the generator bay as well. We don't like to run the generator much because we don't like disturbing other campers but sometimes, when there is too much tree cover for the solar we have to. We installed the Noico Solutions Green 170 Waterproof Sound and Heat Insulation in the bay to absorb some of the noise. The decibels from 10 feet away before adding the ??? was 63 db. After installing the insulation was 56 db. Have any questions? Or do you also have hot feet? Let us know know in the comments below! By Kevin Quiambao Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon Affiliate Links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase something we recommend. Clicking these links doesn't cost you any extra money but it does help support our adventures and this website. Thank you for your support!
If you are looking to update your kitchen but are on tight budget, consider refacing your cabinets. We have found that painting and refinishing the cabinetry makes a tremendous difference in how a kitchen looks and feels. You really can be bold and make a statement with a pop of color. While it is time consuming, it is a relatively easy and inexpensive project to undertake yourself. The kitchen cabinets was one of our first projects we tackled in our old house and we absolutely loved how they came out. Our style is a mix of farmhouse/rustic/cottage and we were able to incorporate our style perfectly by painting and distressing the cabinets. So we decided to do it again in Wanda. We followed the same process for the oak cabinets we had in the house and on the cabinets in Wanda (wood fronts with veneer frame) with one caveat. The kitchen cabinets in the house were in real bad shape and had a very thick layer of grime and grease on them, so before we started we had to use a degreaser and scrape them, which was definitely as gross as it sounds. Lets get started! ![]() Step 1: Dissassemble the cabinets Remove all of the hardware (hinges and handles/drawer pulls) and take off all of the cabinet doors. If you are reusing the hardware, keep all of the pieces together so nothing gets lost. If you dont like the color or finish of the hardware, you can spray paint them (more on that later). ![]() Step 2: Sand Our advice would be to invest in a decent palm sander. We use a Makita B0530K 5 inch Random Orbit Sander. It will save you a lot of time! You need to sand everything to get the prior finish off the cabinets so the cabinets will absorb the new paint. For this step we use a 60-80 grit sand paper. Try to remove all the prior color or stain and go down to the bare wood. Tip: Wear a mask to avoid breathing in all the dust. Step 3: Prime Set up an assembly line outside, in your driveway whereever you can really spread out and start priming the doors and drawers. We used Rust-Oleum 2004 Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer, 1 Quart, 946 ml, White When one side is done, head inside and start priming the frame. By the time you are done inside, you should be able to prime the other side of the doors and drawers. Step 4: Paint Really let the prime set and dry before you start painting. We let the cabinets sit overnight before we started painting. As far as the paint, make sure you use kitchen/bath paint for the cabinets, it is a specific kind of interior paint with stain blocking properties in a satin sheen. For Wandas cabinets we used Behr Premium Plus Ultra with a Satin Enamel finish. You will need to paint two coats on everything. We used paint brushes for the trim and hard to reach spots and a roller for everything else. Make sure the paint fully dries and cures before doing the second coat, otherwise you will pull paint off as you are trying to paint another coat. Hinges/Hardware: if you don't mind the style of your door handles or the drawer pulls but the color/finish isn't great try to spray paint them. Our hardware was originally a satin nickel finish which we were not wild about, so we used Rustoleum Universal All Surface Metalic Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint. After a few coats they were as good as new. ![]() Step 5: Distress (If a distressed look is not your thing skip to Step 6) We like the look of distressed furniture, we distress pretty much everything we build or redo, it is kind of an obsession. To get a distressed look on cabinets, you do need to sand by hand which warning you now, is a tedious process but definitely worth it. We typically use a 220 grit sand paper (although we used 100 in certain stubborn spots) and fold it into a pretty small piece. We start with the frame and try to sand down where normal wear and tear would appear, near the edges or seams. Try to sand the top paint color off completely while allowing some of the white primer to come through and some smaller spots of bare wood. ![]() There is no rhyme or reason to how we do this, we don't plan ahead but just go for it and sand what we feel like without doing too much because in this instance, less is more. Once the frame is done, work on distressing the cabinet doors and drawers. To make sure the spots are spread out, lay the doors/drawers out in front of the frame and mark where you want to sand. That way you avoid having too much next to each other. Tip: Don't forget to wear gloves for this step or the sandpaper will rub your fingers raw. Step 6: Apply Polycrylic After the paint has dried you will need to finish the cabinetry with Poly. This will give you a nice smooth finish and protects the cabinets from water, stains, heat and wear and tear. We like this Minwax Polycrylic in a clear satin finish. It looks like elmers glue but it dries completely clear. Use a good quality bristle brush to apply this. Poly is not like regular paint, you do not want to put a thick coat on, you want to apply it thinly and evenly. After the first coat dries, you will notice a rough texture. You need to lightly sand the cabinets, with a 220 grit sandpaper until it is smooth. After sanding brush the dust off and use a tack cloth to make sure the surface is completely clean. You will then have to repeat this process by applying another thin coat of poly and light sand. Step 7: Reinstall all cabinet doors and hardware If you decide to try out this technique, send us some pictures we would love to see how your cabinets turn out! By Ashley Quiambao Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon Affiliate Links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase something we recommend. Clicking these links doesn't cost you any extra money but it does help support our adventures and this website. Thank you for your support!
![]() A problem which came up during our Maiden voyage to the finger lakes was the terrible design of the original center console. There was no space for storage of sun glasses or any other smaller items you may want readily accessible while driving and it had very awkward size cup holders. No matter what cup we tried to put in the holder, it would tilt and fall out. The only thing that seemed to fit was a beer can, useful for when your stationary, but a terrible idea while driving your house. ![]() We could fix that. Our requirements for this build:
Next we made the top. We cut the top out to size and played around with where we wanted the cup holders to be. We had 4 stainless steel cup holder inserts so we placed two where the metal frame already had holes and put the other two towards the back and outside of the box. These are all easy to reach from both the passenger and driver seat. We also made a slot for a pocket knife in the middle. We cut the holes for the cup holders using a 3 3/4 hole-saw and drill. The sides of the box were the most difficult to fabricate. The sides had to follow the contour of the dog house which is tiered. A trick we used was using cardboard as a template for the plywood. We cut small pieces of cardboard and taped them together with painters tape to shape the template. After we were happy with the fit of the cardboard, we laid the cardboard template on the piece of plywood and traced out the design. We then used a jigsaw to cut the panels. Now for the James Bond feature, the front piece. The front is removable and reveals a secret compartment. It is held in place by magnets. To open, you simply push the bottom corners. There is plenty of space and it's a great hiding spot. For the finish, we gave it a light sand, and used a stain and poly combo. As far as assembly, we used 90 degree brackets to hold the pieces in place from the inside to avoid any screws or hardware from showing on the outside. By Kevin QuiambaoDisclosure: This post may contain Amazon Affiliate Links, which means we may receive a commission if you click the link and purchase something we recommend. Clicking these links doesn't cost you any extra money but it does help support our adventures and this website. Thank you for your support!
![]() Six years ago, we took on the biggest challenge of our relationship and a different kind of adventure, purchasing a disaster of a house and renovating every single inch of it. Looking back at the pictures of the beginning and all the stages of renovations our house underwent, I am unbelievably proud of us and completely shocked at what we (along with plenty of help from our families) managed to accomplish. When we decided we wanted to live together, we agreed that buying a house would be a better investment but at that point in our lives, me freshly out of law school with a mountain of student loans and Kevin struggling to pay off his own debt, our options were pretty limited. It seemed we could only really afford a fixer upper. I grew up in a very handy family, my father is a contractor who handled the major construction and the rest of it, we planned to figure out along the way. So, we searched for the worst house we could find, and boy did we really go for it. When we walked into 633 S. 4th St it was a wreck, it had been abandoned, it was in a state of ruin, filthy, hideous, stripped of all the piping and electric, had a huge hole in the roof, water damage, a dilapidated barn in the backyard and a couple of free floating 2x4’s wedged in the basement holding the house up. And despite all of that, which would probably send most people running in the other direction, it felt like home from the moment we walked in. We dove head first into the challenge with a wild and un-deserved confidence that we could put in the work and make it happen. We took a huge chance on ourselves and the result blew our expectations out of the water. Not to say we didn’t struggle, it was in fact pretty excruciating. We argued about every decision, every paint color and every step of the process. We made tons of mistakes, it seemed everything we did, we did wrong at first. We spent an embarrassing amount of time at Home Depot. The renovations took everything out of us, we were both working full time and working on the house every day, every night and every weekend for months. We sacrificed, put our heads down and pushed through it all. We poured blood, sweat and tears into that house. But the funny thing is, we also had a blast. It was the first time we ever experienced designing and building anything and we both discovered hidden talents for renovating and creating a home and a knack for distressing and DIYing. We learned a lot about ourselves, each other and we grew as a couple. We really enjoy the process and as we developed our skills, we took on bigger projects. Besides traveling, working on a project together is when we are at our best. Some of our favorite home renovations were our kitchen cabinets, our walk-in closet and blackboard wall, our built-in shoe closet, our outdoor bar and pretty much our entire backyard. We are both excited about starting over with Wanda and already have plenty of ideas. So, stay tuned for what we come up with! By Ashley Quiambao
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