July 29, 2023
While having a large interior bed is great, one of the significant challenges is having flat surfaces for things. The design of the inside of the trailer also did not provide for storage of more oversized items, such as the Mr Buddy Heater. Previously, I would have a large Rubbermaid bin sitting on one side.
Extremely windy days can also provide a challenge for cooking and, more importantly, making coffee in the morning. So I decided to build a cabinet.
The first step was removing the piece of plywood that covered the water tank to pick up a little more volume inside the cabinet and remove the overhang.


I then removed the 1x4s.

While I knew what I wanted, I needed to ensure that I was building the cabinet large enough, but not too large. I brought in some scraps of wood and spent time playing with the space.

Once I had the dimensions, the next big challenge was lumber.
In my shop, a number of large pieces of wood waited to be used for projects. In some ways, I wanted to go buy material to match the current wood, but anything in my shop that I don’t use now will either be donated or trashed.
So, I decided that I would figure out how to use what I had.
It meant mixed wood – one 3/4 piece of plywood for the top, particle board for the sides, and the leftover plywood that I had removed from the floor as the doors.
In my shop, I found a can of unopen black and white spay paint. The particle board was painted black, so funky mixed colors and stains became the plan… it rather fits me doesn’t it?
July 30, 2023
The next step was to trim the cover for the water tank cover to only cover the tank. I started with the 1x4s, surrounding just the tank.

I got to play with my new jigsaw to cut the cover.

Once the cover was cut, it fit exactly as planned.


Now the process of building the cabinet can begin!
July 31, 2023
Today, I worked on the side of the cabinet. It took a while to get all the cuts right, but eventually, the piece fit.

Here’s where it goes.


August 2, 2023
Next came the front of the cabinet. You gotta make at least one error in every project, and I totally made one here. I’ll correct it later.

That piece felt pretty heavy until I cut the hole for the doors.

August 3, 2023
Today’s task was to make the doors and top. Leftover plywood from what was once the base for the bed (where the front of the cabinet now sits) became the doors.

I also am making doors for the small cubby holes above the head of the bed. It’s always been annoying that anything that goes into these cubby gets bounced out unless its totally wedged into the cubby.

I sat in the trailer for quite a while with a piece of scrap trying to decide the dimensions. I decided on the depth and made the cut. I’m still pondering whether to have the width as wide as the picture below or trim it closer to the cabinet.

August 12, 2023
Finally, have the cabinet completed!!!
It took a week to paint everything. Not because that’s what I planned, but rather because I suck at painting and was trying to be perfectionistic.
I finally threw in the towel, and said good enough… And honestly, I am really happy with how it turned out.

I also wrapped up getting the doors for the little cubbies.

The kitchen also needed a little addition. The space under the sink is great, but things get tossed around.
So, I built a shelf that had some protection for the plumbing. Since it’s usually hidden and I am annoyed with my lack of painting skills, I decided not to paint it.
