blakeloke

Ernie is getting close to wrapping our coach and putting a bow on it. Final touches underway and just waiting on upholstery. The entry way looks superb! Well....actually everything that he has done looks supern! ps....not sure who modified the title of this post string but THANK YOU! Blake

Update: Acacia install in bedroom complete including bed pedestal. Stairwell nearing completion. Take a look at the entry step lights. Ernie suggested we order these from West Marine. Nice upgrade......better craftsmanship! Blake

Hey Bill, I see your signature. 2003 Bounder 38N 5.9 Cummins Allison 3000MH tran. Towing a 2014 Honda CRV with a blue Ox tow bar A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. -Mark Twain-

Update: Ernie has completed the J-Lounge/Dinette slide. Note, sofa slide will be covered in carpet as original since the slide floor is not exposed.

Update: A couple of pictures of the underlayment and stair nose installation of the dinette/J-Lounge slide. To Herman's point above regarding Ernie being a "Renaissance Artist", he uses a ruler from Woodcraft in 1/32" increments. I can't even read that small anymore!

Carl, Here's a pretty good discussion in Bio-Diesel. Diesel does have a propensity to grow organics over time. Best way to combat is to use a biocide. We use Stabil when storing our coach for a long period of time. Blake

Interesting topic. I've never calculated the cost/mile in our coach but do log every gallon of fuel, mileage and $/gal. This is a habit I got into when I first started driving just so I could tell if my vehicle was not running normally (fuel consumption). I think I quit calculating MPG when we had a stiff headwind out in West Texas and I had the pedal to the floor trying to maintain 45 MPH! If I remember, MPG was less than 3. When I first started RV'ing I just picked up where tent camping left off. Spent a lot of time in the mountains and deserts where no hotels or motels were available. I used to hunt out of our trailers several times a year. When we bought our coach our habits didn't immediately change. But, over the years. we spend more and more time in RV campgrounds than we do in the boondocks. And, many more long trips away from home. We travel with our pets and would be hard pressed to find hotels and motels that would accommodate two standard poodles (priceless). Blake

Thanks Herman! We really like what we see and can't wait to go fetch it. Was hoping Ernie would take some more time off for Thanksgiving because his family is visiting. But, really appreciate his hard work!! I've been back home in Conroe so Ernie has been sending pics via text so I can post and document here. Blake

Update: Ernie's work continues to amaze us. Check out how perfectly he trims around the commode flange in the powder room.

I think I need to join Overeaters Anonymous! Kids came over and brought their specialty dish. Deb out did herself and when we sat down to give thanks I almost blurted out the famous Dinner Table Thanks quote from the movie Talledega Nights (didn't do it though!). I smoked a turkey and it was fabulous. Not gonna test my sugar level for a few days!

Bill, What about it doesn't look right to you? Blake

I think the new floor registers are an awesome touch and huge improvement over the OEM! Blake

Your turn Joe! Here's last night's update. Ernie....please take some time off and enjoy your family!

Thank You Carl! Happy Thanksgiving to you and the FMCA Family! Blake & Deb

I too was surprised that Monaco installed OSB rather than plywood. Here's Ernie's progress:

Brownsquad, I agree with above posts regarding where to purchase batteries. I'd be suspect buying them from Camping World as I just don't think they have a high enough turnover to keep fresh batteries on the shelf. Our house and chassis batteries are from Sam's Club. Blake

All, I was just thinking about the water damage and the "soft" floor in the hallway area. Let me see if I can work through this in case anyone else decides to change out flooring. We had a water leak from the Norcold ice maker line. Fortunately we were in the coach and caught it rather quickly. Water pooled up on the tile and carpet area. Once cleaned up and dried, no evidence of weak spots in the flooring. I wouldn't expect that in the areas where there was tile. Monaco built the floor with 1/2" OSB which in retrospect should have been 3/4" marine grade plywood. I'm also guessing there isn't enough structural support for the 1/2" OSB. The tile was installed using Mastic. When I started the demo in the living room, because of the Mastic, I was getting about 1/16" to 1/8" OSB to come up with the tile. Probably normal. But in the hallway area, a small section in front of the refrigerator and near the door to the commode room, I got as much as 3/8" OSB in some areas. Which is 50% of the original material. Additionally, there is a seam in the OSB where I peeled off the larger chunks of OSB. But, no support under that seam. Odd, as that wouldn't happen in a stick and brick house. Now, off the Weatherford Texas to meet with the Master! Because we didn't know where structural supports were, Ernie suggested we get a light steel to span the areas where the OSB was thin. Great idea! Solution was to get a piece of 4'x8' aluminum diamond plate and turn upside down (diamonds on the bottom). Much larger piece than was need but better for overall support. So, Ernie had a friend use his plasma cutter to fit. Then he used patch to level the OSB, and feather the diamond plate in. I think this will work great as the 3/8" engineered hardwood will just add more rigidity. Hopefully Ernie will continue to post more pictures for all to see as I think his work is extremely precise. The area around cockpit and stairwell looks awesome. He has installed the flooring underneath the pedestal where the cup holders and A/C controls are. Questions and comments are welcome! Happy Thanksgiving from Blake and Deb!!!!

Ernie, Thank for posting the pics. I couldn't figure out how to pull the pics from your site then repost them here. Looking good! Blake

I can remember only one time where we got caught in cold snowy weather in this coach. We were traveling up the Central Valley in California towards Oregon and headed over to Highway 1 to avoid the "pass". Pulled over for the night in a rest stop and ran the furnace all night (no hookups for heat pumps). Woke up to a nice coating of snow but stayed cozy all night long. Didn't even have to use a sock!! Blake

I sent OP a PM.....I know where a mirror is. Blake

Update: past two days with Ernie has been great. He's taught me a lot about how these things are made. Furniture is out and to the upholstery shop and more demo done. Blake

Lyle, I was fortunate enough to spend a couple days with Ernie Ekberg completing the flooring demo on our coach. As Ernie was trying to get the last pieces of tiles out from under the kitchen, he noticed that the slide was unusually low (scraping the floor). Long story, Ernie was able to inspect three of the four rollers under that slide. However, the fourth roller was hidden under the cabinet. After a few minutes of head scratching, Ernie used an inspection camera to locate the fourth roller. As may be with yours, the roller was seemingly not accessible because of the floor of the cabinet. Upon further inspection, Ernie discovered the cabinet has a false bottom (probably to service the roller). All he did was peel back the felt, screwed a wood screw in the plywood and used that as a handle to pull up the false bottom! This particular roller was not even engaging the floor and one of the other was not adjusted correctly. The picture below shows the roller assembly, part of the furnace ducting and the cabinet toe board with the false bottom lifted up. Blake