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Van Build Update

Last month, I installed a ventilation fan into King’s roof.

I’d looked at a lot of guides on how to do this over the course of a year or more, which were very helpful and without which, I would not have been able to manage. However, not a single one mentioned that when you are cutting a hole in the roof with a jigsaw, the jigsaw will cause the entire roof (that you are sitting on) to shake (at an increasing intensity the bigger the hole gets). It’s also very important that you do not baby the jigsaw trigger, in order to prevent the blade from skipping. So that was a very pleasant “I’m 9ft up in the air with a bladed power tool and everything is shaking and I can’t physically react at all” surprise. 🙂

That, along with really intense heat, and the added stress of “if I fuck this up I could total my van” made this a much more exhausting and laborious process than I had anticipated it being. I could feel myself developing a fear of heights in real time lmao 😭 And bc this involved cutting a hole in the roof of what is essentially my only mode of transportation, I had to finish the installation in basically one go, instead of being able to take longer breaks (which is how I usually deal with step-intensive tasks).

With that said, although I do not want to ever do this again, the installation did go smoothly, and I am pleased with the results.

To summarize it in brief, I cut a 14x14 in hole in a section of the roof that’s designed for this sort of installation. I drilled screw holes for the fan’s frame, which was then screwed into a wooden frame (that I had previously made). The metal of the roof is sandwiched in between these two frames. Lap sealant was applied around the edge of the exterior frame and over the screws (so far there have been zero leaks). The fan was dropped into the frame, and the final screws were attached and sealed in turn.

Then I climbed down off the roof and did not move for the next four or so days.

There is a plastic cover that will eventually go over the wooden frame, once the ceiling is installed further down the road. The fan is not wired into electricity yet, but I am at least able to open the cover to let some heat out when I’m working inside the van.

I did the bulk of this installation myself, but my dad helped in spotting me on the ladder, passing things up to the roof, holding the wood frame in place from the inside of the van, and generally making sure I didn’t accidentally kill myself at any point in the process 🙏

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Van Build Update: Refinished Dresser

I’ve had this old dresser for over thirty years—it was built by my grandfather in the mid 80s when my oldest brother was born, and I got it as a hand-me-down in the early 90s. My mom painted it white before passing it on to me, and it’s been white ever since.

The paint, especially on the top, was badly in need of re-doing, and I’ve been wanting to update it from the white anyways. I had originally planned to refinish this next year, but because it took me four months to find a van, I decided to go ahead and start on this so I could at least make some sort of progress during the long wait.

I used citristrip to get off most of the paint, but I wasn’t super happy with it, and a lot of the paint was really buried in the pores of the wood, so I had to switch to a palm sander, which I think would have been easier to begin with.

I was very excited to see the original woodgrain, since I've had this for so long and never seen the grain. While I love transforming thrifted pieces, I think this was even more exciting to take something so familiar to me and turn it into something new.

Here is the finished result, which I think turned out really lovely. I used BEHR oil stain in Amaretto for the top and the drawer faces, and Benjamin Moore Stormy Sky paint for the body. I then used a polycrylic spray for the topcoat, since I wanted something both durable and food safe.

I reused the old handles, but I will eventually need to install a latch system before this goes into the van (which will be quite some time from now).

[the-darling-house]

Some Big Changes

So I recently bought a used van, King, and am in the process of converting it into my future home. Since this is my Home blog, I will be using it to document the process of my build. There’s going to be a lot of structural work in the beginning, but I do intend to carry my personal aesthetics into the design, and I will be repurposing some things from my house in place of building all-new cabinetry from scratch. So if you’d like to stick around to see what I make, please feel free to follow along.

[the-darling-house]

Some Big Changes

So I recently bought a used van, King, and am in the process of converting it into my future home. Since this is my Home blog, I will be using it to document the process of my build. There’s going to be a lot of structural work in the beginning, but I do intend to carry my personal aesthetics into the design, and I will be repurposing some things from my house in place of building all-new cabinetry from scratch. So if you’d like to stick around to see what I make, please feel free to follow along.

[the-darling-house]

The Grand Manor Hotel, Galveston, TX

📷: @the-darling-house

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save me patch of sunlight from the window

patch of sunlight from the window save me

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Thrifted: W.S. George Country Cuttings framed ceramic plate, Flowers from Grandma’s Garden series by Glenna Kurz.

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The Grand Manor Hotel, Galveston

📷 @the-darling-house

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Thrifted nightstand for the bedroom.

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I’ve been wanting to thrift a rocking chair all year to help with self-regulation, and I finally found this really cute one today that wasn’t falling apart. It’s in need of some cleaning, and I’ll need to stabilize the arms at some point, but otherwise it’s in good condition. It’s well-balanced and just the right height and depth for me to be comfortable.

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Christmas tea bar update! ☺️ This year vs last year vs the year before. It felt so bare bones at first, but every year it’s grown a little more.

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The English Home, December 2023

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I’ve been wanting a little lamp for the kitchen for a long time, so I was really happy when I found this cute cranberry lamp at the thrift store the other day (I also got a matching blueberry one for my mom).

My kitchen is a really bland and grey space, so I’m glad to add a little bit of color. I also have light sensitivity, so I hate using the bright overhead light unless I’m doing something detail oriented. I already love how much cozier the kitchen feels at night with a softer light source.

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The Christmas decorating has begun ☺️

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The English Home, December 2023

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The English Home, December 2023

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ELLE Decor October 2023