Getting on...(camper van tales)

[Tizer]

When we go for a week's holiday in Cornwall during autumn our return journey sometimes coincides with the beginning of the `Run to the Sun' camper van festival in Newquay. As we head home (east) we see convoys of camper vans, mainly VW campers, heading west for the music and dancing festival. All sorts of modified vehicles plus lots of standard, but classic, vans. All colours of the rainbow and some with great custom artwork. I'm sure they have great fun in Newquay!

[Marilyn]

We have a Vintage Caravan display here once a year. Beautiful old vans in all their glory. Just lovely to look at ( not sure you would really want to holiday in one.)

[Marilyn]

Still waiting on our quote, but have had our thinking caps on regarding stuff we can get on with in the meantime.
Pulling out the old food cooler from the bottom cupboard ( where a new fridge will be installed), we found a folded remnant of the MACROSUEDE fabric that covers the bed foam and chair backs that run along the wall, and also covers the lower walls of the beds. I was quite excited to find that, because the MACROSUEDE needs cleaning if we aren't replacing it. From the back of the fabric, I could see who the manufacturer was/is and have been searching out cleaning directions. I measured the remnant ( to check later for shrinkage rate) and have washed it in cool soapy water ( dishwashing liquid to be specific). It's now on the line, air drying, on a cool and slightly overcast day. (I would expect less shrinkage than on a hot day). From what I read on various sites, the biggest problem is water marks. We will see.
I also snipped a bit of the original fabric off before washing the bulk of it to compare colour change. It certainly looks more vibrant whilst wet...not a bad thing...and I like what I see.

Does anyone else have experience with cleaning this sort of fabric? ( some on line suggestions included soda bicarbonate).

[Stanley]

Does it need a full wash or will a good wipe down with a sponge clean it?

[Marilyn]

A deepish sponge clean on the chair backs as they are secured to the van. Mattress/seat covers are zippered so removeable. I expect that if I undid a zip and had a fish inside I may find a care/cleaning tag! I shall do that forthwith.
The fabric has a lot of applications in marine and caravans so it's not a delicate fabric. They also make lounge covers from it and I read that some poor fellow decided to wash his lounge covers and surprise his wife, but they bubbled as they dried and he was not looking forward to her actually getting home from work! I wonder how the poor devil went. I'm going to have to bring my sample in onto the airier overnight as it is still a bit damp and we are expecting rain.

[Stanley]

Sounds like a wool wash......

Maz sent a pic.... Macrosuede.

[PanBiker]

It looks like the stuff Wardle Storeys made for car upholstery. I would have thought there would be proprietary products available for cleaning it.

[Marilyn]

I have had such fun today. We finally decided on a layout for the beds after much arranging/laying down/and testing. Our choices were two singles running front to back of the van with a walkway between, one queen sized running back to front of the van which could not provide a walkway so we would have to crawl on our hands and knees over the end of the bed, or a double bed across the van with one long side access which produced two extra seats. The latter was no good, because the two seats produced had one of us sitting six inches from the TV!
So we have opted for two singles...the bonus being that we can fit extra storage between the beds that can be accessed from the rear of the van to store our outdoor chairs. The addition of bed heads allows for the back of them to be used to store the outdoor table etc.
So I spent the afternoon constructing cardboard bed heads and console type bedside table ( which is hollow to provide the chair storage from the rear. ) So I will have somewhere to sit my coffee in the mornings.
The cardboard mock furniture will show the cabinet maker what we need.
I shall send Stanley the pic.
( cushion on one side was to show me the mattress depth)

[Stanley]

Maz, cutting furniture costs.....

[Marilyn]

Cheeky Sausage! We won't be keeping the cardboard stuff...

[Marilyn]

I suffered slight panic today as I opened the van door, as we had a heavy dew this morning followed by bursts of showers. Every time I was ready to go outside, we had another shower.
I thought the damp air would have turned my cardboard furniture to bendy mush.
It was ok...but I do wonder how long it will last.
We were promised a quote by last Friday but nothing has come yet.

[Stanley]

Give them a break Maz! It was weekend.... You're more enthusiastic than they are, don't rush them, you'll get a better job if they take their time. If you were still living in Barlick a few showers wouldn't stop you. Are getting soft in your advancing years?

[Marilyn]

One drawback of living in the country is that you have to chase workmen, Stanley.
It doesn't happen in the city because everyone wants the work and they know that if they take three weeks just to get a quote together, they have lost you. By then you have found someone else. We all lead busy lives and they should know their prices. No one has the time to grow a beard waiting for Joe Bloggs to sharpen his pencil.
Anyway, I asked when their quote would be ready and THEY said it would be last Friday...and they said they would email it.
Plus they have our phone number.
That's OK. If we don't hear from them by this Friday, we go further afield. No point chasing folk who obviously don't want or need your custom.
( oh...and for your info, Stanley...they work Saturdays as well)

I'm not getting soft in my old age either.
I've been sewing all day. Made fitted mattress protectors and fitted sheets for both beds.
Quilt covers tomorrow.
Curtains sometime after that.
I can't give the van a deep clean until after workmen have stopped tramping through it...IF we ever get the quote!
( soft indeed )

[Cathy]

Hope it doesn't turn into a saga like the washing machine

[Tizer]

The trouble is that many people nowadays don't think they need to tell you that there's a delay. If they were polite enough to keep in touch and explain any problems that you'd likely forgive them. And let's not forget, this is the age of easy, fast communication - they've all got smartphones and computers and it costs nothing to send a message.

[Stanley]

"they've all got smartphones and computers and it costs nothing to send a message"
And yet people have never been worse at communicating. It's the same syndrome as always being late when you have a supremely accurate watch on your wrist. Like many of my generation I was brought up to believe that believe that responding to communications and being punctual were simply good manners. I'm afraid those days are gone.... Stafford Beers did a lot of work on how long information took to permeate from the source to the other parts of the country and said that when he was advising Allende in Chile his greatest achievement was getting that average time down to 20 minutes, far better than Canada. He also made the interesting point that the two countries had identical communication problems. If you turn Canada ninety degrees on its axis it is almost a carbon copy of Chile. The point being that efficient communication was the lubricant of the economy. I think we need Stafford, or a clone, today!
Anyway good luck with the quote Maz!

[Marilyn]

D rang them this morning.
The fellow said he had almost finished the quote and said we would have it in 30 minutes.
That was just over 5 hours ago, and nothing yet...

They previously said that if we go ahead and get the work done, they would need the van for a fortnight.
If they are so relaxed about time, how accurate do you think that time span would be?

[LizG]

When we did some reno's at our beach house on Phillip Island we were advised not to use tradies who carried surf boards in their utes. Our house is at a surf beach and apparently once the surf's up the tradies disappear!!

I'd be looking for alternatives about now Maz.

[Wendyf]

Please go back to Plan A and do it yourselves, we were looking forward to that!

Renos, tradies and utes.....words from another world.

[PanBiker]

Pretty Oz like is that Liz.

I'm with Wendy, DIY will sort it Maz, you already said that you had stocked upon sticking plasters, Febby will manage fine with an odd finger missing.

[Marilyn]

We had a plumber that did just that, Liz! Surf was "up" so he said he would be back later!

Wendy, the stuff they are going to do, we can't do ourselves. A fridge needs to be installed in what is currently a cupboard that is in three sections. The box that houses the (?) inverter for the solar power therefore needs to be moved, as it is in one part of the cupboard. That needs to be wired for 12 Volt and 240 Volt. An air conditioner needs to be installed on the roof and wired correctly. A pull out awning needs to be installed. The water tanks need to be properly flushed, and they have all the proper high pressure gear. Sadly, I don't think we will be going for the convection/microwave oven now, as it needs a minimum of 15 cm each side as well as above it ( vacant space) plus venting to the outside to operate properly. So that is a lot of vacant space that is precious in a camper. Ok if you have a lovely big van, but we need to make clever use of space.
So why they need the van for a fortnight is beyond me...
We have a list of stuff we will do ourselves, but there is no point us starting them until the qualified trades have finished.
( everything has to be legal after all)

Anyway, it is past their closing time now and we still don't have a quote. Maybe tomorrow?!

[Stanley]

I reckon you're wise to get the professionals to do the esoteric bits you're not comfortable with and as you say, there are regulations to consider. I can envisage you turning up at a site and being refused entry if you haven't got the correct certification. That applies to canal boats in the UK. Lots of regs on gas installations and ventilation.

[Marilyn]

Yes, they have to provide a compliance certificate for their work.

Mid afternoon...still no quote...

[Stanley]

Courage Mon Brave!

[LizG]

i hope when you get the quote it's not a ridiculous price. Some tradies do that if they have too much work on at the time. Have patience, if they are good it's worth the wait.