Speaking of being a bad blogger, it has been over a year since my last post. Is that a record?

Using 2 layers of easy-up tents and some 1 x 2 walls, we built the "Mingo Hut" so we could keep working through the winter.

After a lot of geometry, trying to find the right combination of intersecting circles to give that cool 1940's aesthetic, we transcribed the math onto a sample template for the side panels.

Here is the temporary side skin template in place so we could evaluate it.

We shaved a bit here and added a bit there to balance out the shapes and make enough room for the kitchen cabinets we had in mind AND a full size futon mattress.

The design is transferred to the final plywood and both sides are cut out together, then belt-sanded into uniformity. We cut little notches into the edges so we would have something to line up the left side with the right.

The first sections of front and back outer skin are stapled to the side frames. We jacked up the metal frame and got all four corners level before bolting the sides onto the frame.

Here is the first sample component of the cabinetry. We used the Kreg jig to assemble all of the face frames.

Before we built anything on top of the floor we decide it will be easier to install the vinyl flooring at this point.

Here the internal bulkheads are built and fitted to the front and rear cabinetry frames. The front will become cupboards and drawers for the galley and the rear will hold a large storage drawer under the bed/sofa.

Parts start accumulating. We have decided to add an on-demand water system as well as a battery and a charger/maintainer. The internet is an amazing shopping resource for bits and pieces like faucets and water tanks and switches, fuses and wire.

The original pop-up camper sink and propane stove are both in pristine condition and will be re-used.

Before it gets really cold we rush to complete the outer skin assembly. Some of the curves are easy and some of them push the plywood to its limit. We had some alignment issues here and also had some plywood failure. Engineering savvy eventually wins out but if I was ding it again I might do this part differently.

Vintage-style awning windows arrived from L'il Bear Tear Drop Campers in California. They are expensive but critical for that vintage look. In this picture you can see the windows just tacked in place to keep the heat in. We only stopped work if it was below zero.

We borrowed a lot of great ideas from this couple's rebuild of a Scoty camper
http://imgur.com/a/5n3xI
One of the coolest ideas we borrowed was the clever futon mattress on a reclining framework so it could be both a sofa and a bed in the same small space.

The overall design challenge was to make the outside as small as possible while still giving us the features we wanted on the inside. Just like the Scotty Sero rebuilders, we decided to use the cabinetry above the wheel wells as the major structural elements–designed to give at least a small amount of rigidity to the whole structure.

Here the battery, charger, water tank and pump are rough-fit below the futon supports.

The galley cabinetry starts coming together. Again, we borrowed from the Sero rebuild and planned for a diagonal sink placement and a garbage can inside the cupboard door. This is the first time we are using a router to build all of our drawer fronts and cabinet doors. It is not a perfect job, but the soft pine is forgiving. Now it actually looks like a kitchen. The main design mandate from the beginning was to make everything as light as possible. Because the counter top is so small we figured it could be 1/4" plywood as long as we had it supported every 12" at least. Rather than add weight with an actual solid-surface material we applied a few coats of granite spray paint followed with several coats of polyurethane. Our wish list was: A small refrigerator, a microwave oven, a sink, a stove and plenty of storage.

How would we be able to include a table for dining in the small space? The solution was to have a drop-down door (supported by a drawer) that would be a table when you needed it but would fold out of sight when you didn't need it.

Meanwhile on the outside:
We looked at several construction methods, all of which are designed to give maximum strength with minimum weight. We decided on the external rib method which meant running 1 x 2 boards across the outside, from left to right every 7" apart. Then, after all the ribs are installed, we filled in the spaces with 3/4" closed-cell foam insulation. After some exterior wiring is installed, the whole thing is wrapped in heavy plastic sheeting.

Now it started to feel and sound like a real living space, instead of the plywood in the front yard. The windows are back in, but still just temporarily.

We installed a distribution panel with (4) 110VAC circuits. 1. Refrigerator, 2. Microwave, 3. Battery charger/maintainer and the wall outlets, and 4. The 500W electric baseboard heater.  Total amperage is less than 10, but the circuits are wired with 12Ga wiring and the panel supply is 10Ga just to be on the safe side. The whole AC system is connected to a standard 30A RV cable as well as an adaptor to connect to standard household 15A service.

On the DC side of things, the lighting, the water pump and the roof exhaust fan are all controlled with automotive-style light-up toggle switches. Everything is fused in-line.

The whole project became cooler than we ever thought it would so we decided to invest in a white sheet-aluminum skin. We ordered all the materials from the awesome people at Hemet Valley RV http://www.hemetvalleyrv.net/
It arrived from California in perfect condition. Those guys really know how to pack and ship stuff.

The skin is easy to cut to shape with a good (fresh) pair of tin snips. The windows and doors are cut out with an angle grinder.