Work was completed during the period November 2014 – February 2015
For the past few years we have talked about giving her a facelift. We have redecorated the inside, had her sleep-sofa removed and replaced with a built-in computer table and a Ekornes Stressless chair. The overstuffed chair was also replaced with a Stressless chair. The café area and valances over the windows have been reupholstered and the floor has been upgraded. Inside, she looks wonderful. However…the outside is another story. The gel coating has been eroding and she has faded terribly. She looked old and ratty.
We have looked into repainting her. The logistics of which, unfortunately, are complicated. Every place we found that paint motorhomes are several states away and they want us to leave the Roo for weeks. Do we stay in a motel and eat out every day? Do we drive back home and return when she is ready? And what about Maddy?
Then we heard about a place right here in Ocala. They paint trucks…big trucks, trucks with pictures of vegetables that make your mouth water. The price they quoted us was about a third that of other quotes. They have painted only one other motorhome that we know of. We took a leap of faith and went with it.
Al and I looked on-line at hundreds of motorhome paint designs. We spent a lot of time looking for just the right look for our old Roo. We finally settled on one particular design and brought it to them. Les and Debbie embraced the job with fervor.
Our lives went on. The Rummage/Indoor Yard Sale for our fellowship that takes over our lives for a week each February took over our lives during all of January as well. Al and I have developed a relationship with one of the dealers that buy from us. Dealers are the term we use for those who buy from us and resell in antique shops, thrift and junk stores. They are our bread and butter. Frank gave us car loads of glassware and miscellaneous items. We brought them home, washed them, researched their value, priced and packed them. We had dozens of cartons ready for unpacking when we opened the intake days for our fellowship’s sale.
Meanwhile…the Roo was being sanded, prepped and worked on daily. We hardly recognized her with all her outer design removed. Which is rather amazing considering all the months we have lived in her that add up to years of our lives. Les and Debbie promised she would be ready by the end of January.
It was more then just paint. They replaced the headlights, taillights and all the lights on the entire outer body with LED lights. They sealed the roof seams, fabricated a door for the cabinet in the bedroom of the Roo where a TV had been (we now have a TV that folds down below it), repaired the doghouse (the interior cover to the engine), replaced the awning, the toppers on our slideouts and the shower skylight.
Meanwhile…the days were counting down to the sale. The Roo was supposed to be ready on Friday, January 30. Not quite. They delivered the beautiful new girl to us on Saturday, the 31st. We spent the rest of that day cleaning and packing the downstairs (the lower compartments that house such things as Al’s full tool box which had been emptied). Within minutes of parking the Roo in the driveway, six different neighbors came over to congratulate us on our new MH. Some had trouble believing it was the same rig. One man we didn’t know had to ask us what kind of MH she is. The design is not exactly like what we chose but it is very close. That is fine with us because the Roo is now one-of-a-kind. After service on Sunday at UU, February 1, we worked on packing her some more. We had pretty much emptied her out for her facelift and she needed a lot of work.
Monday, February 2, we drove the Roo to Southern Oaks in Summerfield, the campground around the corner from our fellowship and plunged into work at the fellowship at 8:00 a.m. Three days of intake and two and a half of sale. Hectic, yes, but we did well. We drove home the next Monday.
Details: We believe they no longer use a gel coating on motorhomes. They are now made with what is called full body paint. First, Les and his crew put on a primer with a filler for the fine cracks, then the base coat and one coat of each additional color. Four coats of clear with five coats of clear on the front. If anyone is interested in contacting this company, just contact us and we will be happy to give you the information.
Everyone at the shop was kind and friendly. We showed up one day to check the progress but it was during their lunchtime. One man left his lunch to take us out back to the paint shed. Another spent days taping and retaping our complicated design before painting could begin. They actually seemed to enjoy working on a different project rather than the usual trucks. Even the workers that didn’t speak English beamed with pride when they saw how happy we were with their work.
When looking at these pictures, notice that the design continues on the side of the slideouts. Everything on the roof has been painted including the air conditioners and vent covers. This whole job was not simply for vanity. By investing in beautifying it, we increased its value by at least three times the cost. When selling an older home, it is not uncommon to paint it first, to increase its curb appeal. The same is true for a MH. We are fully aware that the day will come when there is only one of us and the Roo will have to be sold.
The following pictures tell the story.
Meet the team from LSS Logistics, Inc. who worked many long hours to rehab the ROO.
Most importantly, is Deborah R. Smith, President of LSS Logistics, Inc. (wife of Lester Smith, center, front row above). Debbie’s design talents and attention to detail were instrumental in making it happen.
A BIG THANKS!
