Transformation: Beach House to ?

I guess I must have worked around model homes for too many years because I always enjoy taking ideas and converting or outright stealing them to incorporate them into my own homes. To me, there is nothing more boring or uncreative than everything purchased right from the nearest stores and plunked down into one’s space. And I’ll admit it also bugged me a bit that here we are in the deepest of the American Southwest and everyone seems to accordingly have one of three decors: Santé Fe, Desert Southwest Pastel, or what I call Contemporary Desert/Kachina/Mexican style. This is not to say I dislike these styles; only that I wanted something a tad different. So, being the skin-flint that I am when it comes to spending decorating dollars, I worked to tone down our Beach House into something that might now possibly look just “rustic SW, with a touch of Mediterranean”. Huh? you say.

First off was the problem of cheaply covering the Styrofoam that we placed in all eight clerestory windows which when uncovered were already serving to bake us in Yuma’s sun. Ordering these windows on the park model were a Godsend for the gloomy coast; here, not so good! Eventually when I’m rich and famous I want plantation shutters, but until then, new burlap curtains enhanced by some turquoise marbles hung on a spring rod served to adequately cover our new “shade enhancers”. Total cost for this was about $9 for the burlap which I got half price off, and $45 for the rods.

I added a new pillow I made to the couch and liked the (remnant) material so much that I made a table runner with the leftover. Another $9. That topped the new burlap (also leftover material) tablecloth I also made without even sewing anything—just ringing it with hot-glued sisal rope. I had bought the rope ($3) to ring the candle holder for a new look; which was originally a filled scented candle purchased for $4 from WalMart.

I kept the white curtains with their tiny sea star accents at all major windows (they also have their original roller shades), which were never really meant to close but with the windows opened to Yuma’s wind kept moving across their rods without permission. Yes, those are all the rods I originally made and stained and varnished out of large dowels I cut to size to save a boatload over normal window rods. Ah, the rope worked wonders here as well—tie those up and they add a touch of western décor!

Further adding the lovely Pendleton blanket I received as a gift back in 1996 and have never been able to use for fear of having it covered in cat hair, I extended the western feel. That now drapes my architectural salvage find of an old blue window ($25) and half of the vintage shutter pair (bought in Redmond for $35/pair) which sit above my line of kitchen cabinetry. Behind this shutter sits our RO water tank cleverly disguised! From the tank, Marc ran the water line into the washer area right below so the main filtration system is now hung on the back wall of that closet. Another self-made curtain now hides his handiwork (not pictured).

I ordered and added new art work over the door entitled “Shady Patio”, evocative of a lovely day somewhere on the Med, which replaced my hand-made shell wreath I gave to my daughter since she had always coveted it. The poster cost $5 and the frame was clearance priced for $14. My largest expenditure, because I fell in love with the nubby look and different textures, was a new area rug from Pottery Barn made of the softest creamy colored wool and jute; thus rustically tying in again with the rope and burlap. That was on sale for $249.

So, Beach House tamed: into what I haven’t yet quite decided! What do you think?

Meanwhile outside, Marc worked to get the sewer connected and I bought and we planted two unusual oleanders (they look like old fashioned roses) in front of the privacy wall hoping they will serve to soon grow tall enough to help ensure our privacy and also screen all the “Ah-hem…sheds”. Needless to say, the first one was looking a little peaked in our 98 degree heat yesterday!

A Hair’s Breadth

One thing I’ll say about Marc; he has a real ability with mechanical things and figuring things like torsion, angles, compaction forces, mechanical advantage and how they all tie together to move and place things weighing tons by himself. And he did just that today with removing the 5000 pound 20 foot sea container from the 24 foot flatbed trailer.

He wasn’t even really sure it all would fit and it certainly wasn’t an easy thing to witness after he pulled our fifth wheel from its spot into the street and then started backing up with the tall load. On his first attempt he wasn’t close enough to our spa so couldn’t entirely turn the flatbed into the tight corner so he tried a second time and came within inches. As we scrambled to move things out of the way, he ended up needing to back the Freightliner all the way to practically touching the spa cover which was leaning against our original shed. Marc made comment this was a time when he really needed the smaller size of our Dodge. Finally, the flatbed sat at a 45 degree angle to the hitch on the Freightliner and unloading could commence.

The pictures tell most of the story—a harrowing day of working for hours on the herculean task of moving something so large into a tight space. The sea container couldn’t be allowed to do an uncontrolled fall off the back of the trailer because it was merely inches from our back block wall and also the storage shed we had just placed; and wasn’t all that far from the rear end of the park model. Once it finally touched ground, literally a hair’s breadth away from breaking out the shed window, it was an extremely tedious process of working the flatbed out from under it and carefully driving out with the container left suspended in the air by mere metal. From there, Marc’s dandy floor jack once again did its job and with help from the pipe saw horses Marc had made years ago, worked to ever-so-gently drop this giant to the ground. Whew! Success. There is nothing my husband can’t figure out a way to accomplish! Next up: painting everything outside to match and making a bunch of new window coverings to hide the Styrofoam that we had to place in the park model clerestory windows to block the heat and intense sun.

Too Small a Lot; Too Much Stuff!

Not entirely content with where the park model was placed Marc thought about switching it to the back of the lot, crosswise. Then we thought about the cost to do new hookups, have a crane swing it into place, and other numerous impediments. I liked where it was for the fact of it facing the street (its best facade), the mountain view out the living room window and front porch, and the fact of directly walking from the patio instead of through gravel. So, we compromised when Marc figured it out that by moving the park model over about three feet encroaching over the patio he would have a wider side yard to park stuff; namely the boat and maybe his work trailer.

First order was to move the park model into the street and out of the way. Our neighbor Ron was there to help all the way. After hitch-up with the Freightliner, with the correct size ball this time, Marc eased out and over the curb cut and into the street. The park model joined the flatbed and the shed trailers on our quiet street.

Marc then hitched up to the shed trailer backing it into the far back corner of the lot literally right next to the block wall. Since it is a trailer and not a permanent structure, there will be no set back requirements the county can enforce even though it will remain for the future as a storage shed. This way we can get maximum use out of all our lot’s square footage.

Like the ace driver he is, Marc rehitched the Freightliner to the park model and even without mirrors wide enough to see around its girth, he backed that baby in like a pro in one shot. Whew, it was close though. With no room to maneuver he had to leave it canted and then he and Ron got busy hand-winching it over about four feet which took over an hour of jacking and winching. They carefully measured to get the front aligned with the back end, allowing for about ten feet so we can fit the boat alongside. Great job guys! There is still much to be done, but figuring out the structure of the lot is done. Next up: we get an “oh no, what will the neighbors say” red sea container!

The Rest of the Story

Marc has the brilliant idea that we need to find a cut bank or wash so he can unload the storage shed from the flatbed. When he first loaded the shed onto the flatbed in Bend he did it the same way only then the shed was empty of contents and he used a cut bank. The only thing we find close by in our neighborhood is a wash; sand and all, and a little steeper than what I would have considered “safe”. You can see where this is going can’t you? For some reason he feels he needs my help and asks me to go along and “it shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

We get the truck and trailer situated in the wash and he starts the task of putting all the tires back on the shed axles. This alone takes well more than an hour, while I stand in the broiling sun just occasionally lending a hand to something. First one side, then the other, gets jacked up and tires mounted. Since he left the correct ball back in Bend, he has the wrong size ball for the hitch which causes problems from the get-go and will further complicate things as the task progresses.

Finally, he’s ready to pull the shed off the flatbed and he starts ever so slowly. Things go great until suddenly everything starts to slide, including the shed pulling the flatbed trailer along with it about a good four to five feet. The ramps crumple off the end of the trailer and everything comes to a screeching halt with my shouts “Stop, stop, stop!” Now what?

Apparently a small portion of frame steel had hung up on the flatbed lumber deck, ripping it, and causing everything to grind to an immediate halt. Marc jacks up that portion of the trailer that is hung up and places a piece of plywood as a skid plate under it; hitches up, and tries again. With gut-wrenching scraping and loud clangs, the shed breaks free and crashes down off the platform tearing off all the rear trailer lights.

I wish I could say this episode from hell ended there, but unfortunately, it didn’t. There was yet the wash for the shed to traverse back across and then Marc needed to get it to the lot, drop it and return for the flatbed. Once he reached the wash with the shed, it jumped the hitch not once, not twice, but three times until he finally just chained it to the Freightliner hitch and drug it far enough into a leverage point so it would weigh the hitch enough coming out the other side so as to not jump off yet again.

The unexpected slide the flatbed had done put it well below optimum level for the Freightliner to get hitched back to it since it was now sunk dismally in the belly of the wash. Thankfully, our neighbor Ron, worried we had been gone so long--now into a three hour ordeal; came out looking for us to see if we had problems. He helped Marc jack up the stabilizer foot high enough Marc could sneak the Freightliner into place for hitch-up but not before another mishap where it fell off the jack and ripped through the Rhino bed liner on the back of the Freightliner. Another trailer returned to our lot and the task is finally over with as I note I am covered in sunburn from the unexpectedly long exposure. What a day!