Where did all the water come from?

June 28th, we had a really big thunderstorm with torrential rains.  I made the mistake of going out to my camper to see how she faired--the night before leaving for a week-long trip.  A BIG MISTAKE!!  Rain was dripping from the ceiling vent and there was wet wood in 3 of the 4 bottom corners! PLUS I found several  soft, wet, wavy spots in the ceiling!  This means there is more work to do than I had planned on.  And I had just ordered the material for all my curtains!  I guess that's a "putting the cart before the horse" situation?  I didn't know whether to cry or to just list my camper on craigslist immediately!

I guess the separation was a good thing because it gave me time to think the whole situation through--calmly and rationally.  I came home with some idea of how to approach the whole thing--and LOTS of questions for the Scotty groups.  Luckily, Paul Hecht jumped forward to help me through this mess since he tackled an even bigger mess without any of the skills some people would expect one to have.

I don't think the damage is severe enough to tear her apart and do a complete rebuild.  I will have to take out the wood ceiling, seal the roof completely, and put in new wood for the ceiling.  This will give us a chance to find the wiring for the back lights and will give me a chance to paint the ceiling the way I had wanted to.  It will also give me a chance to either take out the existing tall cabinet (fridge and microwave) and build a new one or to keep it there but rearrange it with a smaller fridge and maybe drawers or a place for an AC.  I have to look on the bright side!

There's so much in this camper that is in much better shape than others I have seen on the groups.  I will have to do some repairs, some replacing of wood, some rewiring, but no major rebuilds--I hope!  Onward to another day!!