Trillium Trailer Renovation - Bruce

This blog post has nothing to do with weddings. The only tie in (which is a stretch) is that I will be chilling in this trillium trailer during odd weekends when I am not doing a wedding in the summer and during non-wedding season. (It has a heater so totally doable in the fall...or winter?)

Couple of years ago, the BF took me out tent camping. I wasn't in my element but I am always open to trying something new. We did that for a couple of years and then we tried truck camping, where we slept under a soft canopy in the truck bed. That totally sucked and we went back to tent camping. This year, BF bought a 40 year old trillium trailer. I didn't know what a trillium was before. After he showed me a picture, I was in love! I said it looks like a giant egg. We will be pulling a giant egg behind the car. I think my BF's reaction was: Egg or not, as long as she is sold on it.

This first picture is my "editorial pic"! Rather than calling him "the trillium trailer", I would like to introduce you to Bruce. Originally, his name was "Hulk" but it was later changed to Bruce, after Bruce Banner.

 

Here are all the before and after pictures along with details of the work we put into it.

 

Exterior

Before: Bruce lived outside most of his life (obviously.) He looked sad and unloved. See his tears? (Ok, it was actually pouring rain the day I took this picture.)

 

After: Over 10 hours of buffing and polishing by BF, Bruce is not only beaming but showing his true color. He cleans up well, doesn't he? Great job BF! Bruce also got some new matching shoes too (tires and rims).



 

 

Dining / Sleeping Area

Before: We totally didn't mess up Bruce so that we get a more dramatic before picture. All of the bonus items (crap) were included in the price for free. Most of the bonus items are/were donated, sold, and thrown out. It was just a little too gross for us. (Anyone want to make us an offer on a used portable toilet?! Cringe.)

 

After: The entire interior was scrubbed down and all the knicks were touched up with paint. (You can now bearly notice the chip under the cushion on the right seat.) The perfect color match was Martha Stewart's "crayon." A new oak table top was made and stained white by BF.

 

New plank grey flooring was put down on the entire floor. Initally, we were going for a dark brown but changed it last minute. We didn't want it to look like we were trying too hard to be retro cute. (My new term!) We totally lucked out as one box was just enough! No mis-cuts either!

 

New cushions were also made from material that is used for airplane seats. We didn't actively seek out this gray fabric but we were sold on the sale price and it's durability. It is supposed to be fire retardant and water resistant. Sounds like good things to have! The green fabric was already in my stash of fabric. Apparently, it is unheard of to use fabric from your stash. (Thoughts?)

 

 

 

 

Curtains
Before: We had three different blue curtains on different curtain rods. We are the matchy matchy type and knew right away these had to go...quickly.

After: All the curtain rods were replaced with matching ones. Crisp new white curtains with little maple leafs (So Canadian, eh?!) were made for us by BF's sister. Thank you Liz!! She even used lime green thread to match our cushions too!

Kitchen Area
Before: Lots of "bonus" items were in this area; plywood cabinet doors that only look good in a distance; and tired looking appliances.

After: Most of the "bonus" items were removed, new oak cabinet doors were made; fridge and heater repainted. (Yes, we have heat now!!) BF also made oak coverings for the sink and stove so that we have a flat surface when they are not being used. (So smart!)

It doesn't sound like a lot of work in this area but it is a close tie with the cushions on how proud we are of the work we've done. Notice our hand towels? They match our cushions perfectly and will be decorative only.

 

Opposite side of Dining Area
Before: Much the same as the dining area. Mismatched curtains and floral cushions. An odd door was also cut out and placed on the side of the bench (when you can access storage from the top!) Grr....

After: The door was removed and replaced with a panel. This panel is removal and we didn't have to make more holes into Bruce. (Another pet peeve of ours.) Not a whole lot to say about this area but felt I had to mention it in case you were wondering what is on this side.

Here is a picture of our first trip with Bruce in Milk River, Gold Springs Campground! Isn't he a cutie?

Recently, I read an article that said people are buying retro traillers, fixing them up, and traveling in them to bring back good childhood memories. Kind of describes me and the BF. (Except I didn't really camp in my childhood.) We are so excited with having Bruce and will keep you updated on our travels with him!

~Monica
Owner and Lead Designer @Wishahmon