Back to basics!

Hi, It’s been a while since i posted and this is not to say that we haven't been hard at work.

Currently there is no floor and we are working on the chassis Thankfully it was just surface rust and we have been able to sand this back which my husband Simon and Terry have been working on.

 This shows the damp in the corner under the toilet

Trying to get the toilet section out proved really hard as it was built into the window. In the end the window smashed and so we will need to replace this, I am not really bothered as I wasn't keen on the rippled pattern anyway.

We have found loads of damp at the front end of the van where water had got in over time and collected at the bottom. This had also ran under the toilet section so will need replacing with marine Ply flooring and sealing. 

Terry has been amazing at all the woodwork timber frames. He has created jigs and laminated ply to form the curved structure....Fantastic workmanship and its as stronger than the original pieces :)

I am really looking forward to getting a floor in again, at times it does seem a scary sight and Betsy is so vulnerable and fragile. We have propped her up one end while the toilet is out so she is more stable and we have the cover on now as  well .

Phase 1 removing the interior

Well despite the bad weather I have still been out with my father in law Terry to remove the interior surrounded by 5" of snow. We had the heater running and it was actually really warm as we managed to get 3/4 of the way through. There is not surprisingly quite a lot of damp behind the oak veneer. Still we remain unfazed and are ready to take on the challenge ahead.

Here you can see the damp around the window especially.We are keeping the polystyrene in for now to help reduce condensation.

 En suite facilities aren't quite up to standard yet!

My cover has just arrived as well but I am now having to wait until Betsy dries off before I can try it out for size...

Bringing Betsy Home

This is the day we collected Betsy with our VW camper 'Chester'. It was real slow going up the hills on the way back, not sure Chester was really up to the job!

My First Post

Here are a selection of images that were taken of the caravan on our first viewing. We loved the fact that she had lots of original features that we could restore and that the lovely curved cabinets were still in great condition. We also understand that there is lots of work ahead as there shows damp spots and areas where the wood has perished.
However she has a gorgeous curved shape and has tons more personality than the modern, white box caravans of today. She will be worth the time and energy we are putting into restore her.