The vanity was removed this evening.
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Vanity removal was fairly straight-forward. No visuals of removal as there were no issues, other that fasteners located in tight areas. It is anchored by fasteners in the floor, back wall, and shower wall. The front and right side are supported vertically, while the left side and back are supported by the shower wall and the aft trailer wall.
Vanity removed from trailer.
With the vanity removed, the effects of years of moisture are visible. The subfloor is weakened in this area. The wood at the interface between the shell and frame is stained and soft.
A cross section of the floor shows damage is present thru layers of the laminate.
The floor is soft and delaminated where the shell meets the floor.
Separation of the top laminate is evident by cracks in the top floor surface.
Busted pipe....
A view towards the back of the shower. The carpet in this area was rotten. The floor behind and under the shower appear to be in poor condition.
Looking forward to the shower door area, past water leakage has left residue and staining on the outer fiberglass shower body.
Water has leaked thru at the mating surface of the upper and lower shower halves.
I'm finished for the evening.
It's time to take a step back and weigh my options. It appears that I will have to remove the shower. This is something I REALLY hoped I wouldn't have to do. Fear of damaging a shower that cannot easily be replaced is a real concern. As I destroyed the black water tank yesterday, this scenario seems a real possibility.
All water supply lines have to be replaced, a black water tank acquired in installed, and a gray water tank needs to be added.
For every day I spend removing the interior, I feel like I'm adding 2 months to the completion timeline of this project. I did not plan on taking on a project of this magnitude, but this has become a major endeavor.
Several scenarios are running thru my head tonight. Worst and most probable case is lifting the shell off the frame, and completely cleaning up the undercarriage. With the amount of frame rust and floor rot already visible at this stage, as well as the corrosion visible in the belly skins, and the condition of the visible fasteners attaching the shell to the frame....etc., there's no other reasonable option.
Is this trailer worth the trouble? We think so. Those feelings may change though, as I fear we'll loose interest as the amount of time and resources invested start to accumulate. Right now, however, we want to have confidence in this trailer, and we want it to last another 40 years. But we have to take appropriate steps now to ensure the end product meets our expectations.
Whether it takes 6 months or 5 years, we'll keep documenting the progress.