keeping momma happy

[Kathys quilt]

I am working on restoring my first AS. a 67 Sovereign. We are at the half way point in the restoration and my wife, who got the price down and about right when we purchased it, is not really happy with it because it is not the little AS she wanted (Bambi I guess). I still have to strip and polish it, sand blast the exposed frame and tong and rear bumper, I have not put down the new floor covering, nor have a glued in my plumbing. It is all waiting on warmer temps. The hard part was stripping all the guck PO's had put on to stop leaks. All not needed for the leaks where in the vista window sills.
I have doubled my purchase price in material not counting the hours of work. I still have to do an AC fix or replacement and finish installing the black tank back under the bath. The awing arms and roller are here but we will need to have a pro take care of installing new awning material and the awning system it self.
So there you have it, I will have a shinny refurbished 67 Sovereign with no fresh water tank installed even though I have a tank, all pumping from the tank was stripped by a PO and I have no use for it. I will have updated the power supply insuring a separate line for microwave use and one for electric heat use. The heat system is stripped out and I plan on adding a Catalytic heater.
Like any other thing that was built in 67, there will always be some little something that could have been done a little better if you are willing to pay the cost.
As I see it I will have a little less than 10,000 invested plus my time that is free because this is living therapy for me as 100% disabled vet and I LOVE IT!
If mommy is not happy then no body is happy the saying goes. So AS owners and rebuilders, If I put it up for sell can I get back what I have put in on parts and outside work? Or do I set out to get camper number 4 (we have a 2006 5th wheel in great shape and 2014 Forest River R-pod we got to save on fuel on long, long trips and now gas is below $2.00 and it is retro with the bath like an early small AS. The gas millage on the Sovereign is 3 miles per gallon better than even the R-pod..
I want to sell the R-pod not the AS, but mommy says.......
I know selling price has many factors, but giving what you do know, how much could I get for 67 Sovereign? I see what others want on the classified section of Forums but come on, can one really sell and un completely reworked AS for what they ask? or are these the ones pros have done like you see on the RV rebuild shows on TV? I know too many questions and not enough information but it is all I have and I guess deep inside I want to think all this fun was worth something even if practicality it does not matter. I love the modern art form the older AS have and I know I will love towing one of the really shinny AS down the road with every one staring at it like I do when I see one out on the road - but mommy wants little AS refurbished and I have a new little one even if it is not an AS it is a Retro -pod after all and I have no work to do on it, just say I am sorry as we bump into one another and I bend my knees to my chest or go to the shower house! Foot note: when I first got married in 1971 while in the Army at fort Knox, KY the first place we were able to rent was a very old small AS with the modern frig outside the unit and we loved it until we got ready to start a family. It just may be, she has fond memories of the small AS too!

[Isuzusweet]

IMHO there are so many gutted AS for sale that you would not recoup your investment, as people looking for a gutted AS are looking, like your wife, for the cheapest one around. Most buyers have no idea what's involved with an AS restoration.

IMHO If working on the AS is "living therapy" as you put it, then I would carry on with the build as your own project. I would just try and limit the cost as much as I could. Use recycled material for making cabinets or flooring, etc, etc, to limit possible marital strife.
If you finish the project and the wife is still not impressed then do you have other family members that could benefit from your labour of love? A beloved daughter perhaps whose family would love to use it?

You and your wife are not the first people to buy an AS based on an experience that happen a long time ago, before the age of bling and excess, only to realize that as you have aged, living without that extra room and amenities is a lot harder than you realized.

Cheers
Tony