Our remodel has become a redo!

[gulfyankee]

Originally we had intended to move the bathroom, right across from the kitchen, to where the bunkroom was. Then expand the kitchen to both sides of the bus. Also intended to reinsulate the ceiling, which up by the drivers area, was reading 130+degrees this last summer, inside! Too hot to touch! Weeeelllllllll......Now all but the bedroom is ripped out, and that will be done this next weekend. As we dug into it, we found more and more poor ideas, material choices, and just plain bad design. Ceiling tile does not make good insulation! This we found in all of the walls. The original 1957 insulation (all 1" of it) was still in place in the ceiling. No stripping of either the side walls nor the ceiling were done during the original conversion 30 years ago. The green vinyl upholstered walls were still there, as was the formica ceiling. The wiring is a complete wreck. Still have the wiring, rear bedroom and inside of front cap to strip out. am going to drill out all of the rivets there and rip out old fiberglass. what a mess. Have about 20 trash bags full of insulation now. Seeing how this was originally done has definitely shown us how not to do things! 

[robertglines1]

Amazing how things change in short period of time.  Insulation has come along way! Any help or question just ask. Keep her tight and insulate as much as space will allow.  Bob

[gulfyankee]

We are. Using reflectix against the exterior, then 3/4" blue foam sheets. Gonna cut the foam to fit inside th e walls and window blanks, spray foam the gaps, then at least one layer of full sheets to create a break in radiation heat loss(or gain). Also using a layer of foam sheet on the floor. Did some tests this summer, the reflectix alone dropped the temp 20 degrees. So well worth it, it seems.

[gulfyankee]

So thought I would update a little. Apparently the original converter pulled the seats and big windows, and covered over the rest. We have been pulling out everything.  All of the trim, ventilation shafts along the floor edges, linoleum. We've got about 20 garbage bags full of insulation, more to go yet. Found some change, but no hidden treasure Simply amazing (and disgusting) the amount of dirt hidden in this thing. So far I've found one section of flooring that is going to have to be replaced due to rot, I'm hoping that it's the only one. It seems that the biggest issue, the problem that caused all of the interior rot, was that the sheeting that covers the window holes was never sealed. What kind of caulking or sealant would work best for this? I do not want to leave this to be a problem in the future. Thanks!