I know that when I say “Basecamp” you’re probably envisioning us lounging in some exotic locale, “glamping” on a romantic African safari. Ahhh, wouldn’t that be nice. Alas, no … at least, not yet.
If you’ve been tagging along with us for awhile, you know that when we recently returned from our second RTW, we stumbled across a surprising find in the Southeast USA – a little, inexpensive one-bedroom condo that would suit us perfectly. We could live there, visit with our families and friends, then turn the key to go traveling anytime with no worries. So we bought it and decided to name it “Basecamp Gallivance.”
There was only one catch – it needed some serious TLC.
But since we are veterans of many previous house renovations, we decided to tackle the challenge. It required:
Parking our rolling backpacks (only temporarily).
Moving some stuff out of storage (and a stop for some liquid motivation).
Creating endless lists and diagrams.
Donning kneepads.
Making a total mess.
Hammering … well, everything!
Painting miles and miles of walls, ceilings, trim, and cabinets.
Laying a new tile floor and baseboards,
Grouting tile.
And installing lights in tricky places.
Now, as of yesterday, the last piece in the “kitchen puzzle” has been put in place and it’s done! Finally! We can’t tell you how thrilled we are to finally have a working kitchen sink, and we’ll show you the results next week.
Cheers!
Terri
If you’re curious about our Letters from Basecamp Gallivance Series, these posts will give you a flavor.
Establishing Basecamp Gallivance
The Pace Quickens
Totally Floored
From Chaos to Cozy
Back in the Saddle
Chaos for Christmas
Photo Credit: 1. Courtesy of Yellowstone Under Canvas http://www.mtundercanvas.com/
GALLIVANCE 
CHEERS to you!
Thanks Allyson. We’re getting close, and it will be sooo good to have all the projects finished.
Congrats on a big job well done. Renovations and restorations can be very challenging. You are going to have a beautiful home. Virginia
Thanks Virginia. We’re not quite finished, but we’re nearing the end. The final push is the bathroom, and coincidentally, now the bathroom sink is out of commission until we replace the vanity/sink/faucet. I’m sure that you’ll hear about it here.
Can’t believe you achieved all this single handed. Its unheard of – here, in India
Thanks Sudapoedia. Years ago, when we started moving around, we both decided that we wanted to be able to do a few more things with our hands. Finishing projects on our own, is very rewarding, and when we do the work ourselves, we never take it for granted.
Congratulations! When you live without things like a kitchen sink for a while you never take them for granted again.
Thanks Laura. From the tone of your comment, it sounds as if you speak from experience. We’ve done a few renovations, but this is the first one in which the kitchen sink has been out of service for a while. We were both surprised at how its absence complicated our day to day lives.
Liquid motivation makes all renovation projects better! Congrats on a job well done!
Thanks Laura. When I’m crammed into one of the cabinets under our sink, and I drop something (usually heavy) onto my head, I jokingly say to Terri, “Is it too early to start drinking?” LOL
Gosh, you are both multi talented
Thanks for the compliment Joan, but I have to say that some days I don’t feel so talented. Many of our projects are “learn as you go along.” One interesting thing about DIY, is that you have to live with your own blunders, and there’s no one else to blame. And after the smoke has cleared, we usually have a chuckle and say, …oh well.~James
I’m in the midst of a house renovations too! And what fun with an infant! To her credit though, she isn’t phased by the noise… But we’re getting there… The “10 day ” new siding installation has turned into 2 months due to unforeseen (mega) rot!! But it will be lovely when it’s ALL finished. Cheers to your new and improved “basecamp!”
Elizabeth, it’s nice to hear from someone else “in the trenches.” I can’t imagine how you juggle a reno and a baby as well. And your rot problem sounds like bad news for sure. On our last renovation, we had some foundation problems, which required jacking up about a 30 foot section of the front porch … ouch. I’m sure the we could exchange some stories. Hopefully, there won’t be any more surprises for you. ~James
Oh and I grinned so wide to the “liquid motivation” picture!!! Classic.
Yep Elizabeth. Happy Hour is the light at the end of the tunnel for DIY folks.
this is so great! it makes me with i were there to volunteer! the thought of pounding old floor tiles with a hammer makes me smile… you could probably place an ad that says, ‘Stressed out? For a $20.00 one-hour session, we’ll teach you a novel method for relieving stress!’
you’d have a queue of participants that would leave an hour later with a big smile and a great story!
your new place is looking great already!
z
Too funny … and so right! While I was slinging that hammer I just had to concentrate on not bashing myself in the head. I covered the tile with a towel while I whacked away at it (shard control), but I still found pieces of tile imbedded in the wall across the room! LOL. ~Terri
wow; you threw yourself into that project, which is great! whey embrace any challenge and attempt it with half interest! z
Over the past decade (and maybe even before that), we’ve developed a pattern of traveling hard, and then settling hard. We move to a new town, buy a house to renovate, fix it up, live there a couple of years (if we’re lucky), then sell it, put our stuff in storage, and hit the road. Our families and friends started to understand after the first three moves and long trips. It’s not the easiest of lives, but it’s gotten into our blood.
it’s a great balance!s i’ll bet there are some who tell you that they wish they could disconnect and do what you are doing.. many people are hobbled to a life that owns them.
congratulations on following your dreams!
You guys are so multi-talented and inspiring. Your place is already coming together nicely! Good luck and can’t wait to see the final version!
Thanks Shru! We’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel so we’re pretty excited. ~Terri
Exciting, I love projects – diy – it is looking very nice 🙂
Thank you Maria. We’ve done DIY for years, but we’ve also learned when it’s best to call in a pro. In our case that’s often plumbing! ~Terri
I am wildly impressed. Best of all is the to-do list that says “Wednesday” and that’s crossed out and the word “Thursday” appears instead. Perfect.
That’s so funny because I didn’t even realize it when I took the photo! That’s the way it is around here – if you don’t get it done on Wednesday (often the case) just shift it a day … or 3! LOL. ~Terri
It’s the blogging equivalent of HGTV. 🙂
That is too funny Mark! We just need a better film crew and some makeup assistance. Plus, how do they do all those projects and keep their clothes so clean? No paint blobs! We have dedicated “renovation clothes” that we ceremoniously toss at the end of a big project. ~Terri
Inspiring!!! We are off on our first trip – China Australia and anew Zealand. Saturday is our launch.
How exciting! We were in Oz and NZ recently, and had a great time. Terri really enjoyed NZ, but I spent most of my time there recovering from Dengue Fever, but hopefully, you won’t have that problem. I see that you’re both wine fans. I need to give you a heads up on Australian wines. They’re actually more expensive in OZ than in America. I need some economist to explain that one to me (I’ve been told it’s taxes, but that can’t be the only answer.) If you can make it to Xian in China, the Terra Cotta Army is absolutely amazing. Have a great time on your trip! ~James
I love the use of visuals to help tell the story.
Thanks Naomi. Because you’re a blogger as well, I’m sure you understand that anything can (and frequently is) fodder for a blog post. For us, any pictures are “stock photography” until they magically become a blog post. ~James
Thanks so much for the words of encouragement on our blog guys! It’s so nice to hear from others chasing their dreams when it seems to be such a rare thing to do. I love your story, can’t wait to spend some time browsing through your travels… Especially the beautiful pictures! Thanks again!
Thanks Lena, for the comment and for dropping by the blog. Like you, when it comes to our home renovations, we’re frugal. It’s all about knowing where to spend money to get the “biggest bang for the buck.” We put in sweat equity when we can, and are always looking for great things on sale. We’ve had great luck with discontinued light fixtures at Home Depot, bathroom hardware at Costco, etc. We always consider it a victory when we find a great deal.