1976 Argosy with Simple Dreams
Hello Everyone,
I am glad to find this forum and have spent many hours enjoying countless posts. I am a writer in Austin, TX and have just purchased a very bedraggled 1976 Argosy 26' trailer to have fun with. Woohoo! If there are any inspectors in Austin who would be so kind as to come give their insight, I would be grateful.
I need to get the fresh water plumbing working this week and am willing to pay an experienced person to assist.
I am a firsttimer and the seller did a good bit of fibbing. He told me all the systems worked ~ hilarious! Since I bought it for only $2400 I am not too concerned. It was too far out of town for me to ask anyone to do an inspection before purchase, though I do wish I'd done that. It was used as a deer hunting camp. Before buying I got almost scammed on Craigslist twice by fake sellers (or rather, the same fake seller advertising in Texas and in Louisiana!) So I decided to just go for this trailer since I knew it truly existed.
Now that I have the sweet thing set up in my backyard I'm starting to learn about how everything interconnects. In Austin I'm looking to pay someone to help me get the freshwater and greywater working in the next 10 days. I stuck a hose in the inlet to the fresh tank and all the water spilled out onto the floor, from a place where a cap, plug, or line seems to be missing. I use only garden friendly soaps and plan to drain the greywater to the garden.
Once I started peeling back the layers I discovered many families of mice, and things fairly untouched for 38 years. The electricity works, and it has a clear title, and original bathtub and sink, and all overhead cabinets. I have removed the goucho and rotten lower cabinets in the kitchen, and am removing linoleum floor tile.
I do need to do a lot of learning in a jiffy. My goals for the trailer in this order:
Immediate / Urgent Interior
Clean
Get fresh and greywater plumbing working
Determine what needs replacing before laying flooring
Install faucets
Install fridge salvaged from another Argosy
Remove linoleum
Put down rugs
Perhaps replace a/c
Caulk edges and seams
Interior Over the Summer:
Paint cabinets white with copper accents
Install bamboo or cork floors
Low-VOC paint or clay plaster the walls
Build new kitchen cabinet (restore or replace original gas stove)
Install dinette or goucho up front
Install double or twin bed in middle
Exterior Long-Term:
Pull out dents
Sand
Paint with self-leveling marine paint in bright colors
Fix headlights
Install awnings
Skylight
Go on the road!
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