One More Step

May 31 was a quick (one day), but significant, trip to the ranch to seal the floors and install the air conditioning units, as well as inspect the foam insulation that was sprayed in a few weeks ago.

The insulation looked great. It totally filled in the cavities between the studs and the metal walls, and should make keeping the cabin cool fairly easy.

A little trimming will be required in places when we install the paneling and outlet covers, but this was well worth the cost.

And speaking of keeping cool, since we have the electricity on and the walls insulated, it was time to install and crank up the two A/C window units we had. After a little shimming and bracing we were in business.

And not a moment too soon -- it is starting to get hot in South Texas. Even though the air temperature was only about 90 degrees, the intensity of the sun and lack of shade means that we'll be doing most of work inside for the next couple of months.

So next it was time to prep the floors. Most of the floors in these storage containers are plywood (though ours has a fairly large metal patch in one section), and the wood is treated with strong insecticide chemicals to kill any bugs that might hitch a ride from their native lands. So the wood floor needs to be sealed to prevent the insecticide chemicals from outgassing into the space.

We swept and mopped the floor and patched a few gouges, and then spread on three layers of polyurethane floor sealant. And with that we were done for the day since it needed 48 hours to fully dry. But this means we are now ready to install the wood paneling and kitchen counters and cabinets during our next trip.

It is starting to look like this place is going to be habitable soon...