Gail,
Sorry that I did not get back sooner, I spotted your post just as I was about to go out, but here goes.......
It is great to see that another Garland is to be saved, pity that Fleetwood don't give a 14 year warranty! and we really should reseal at about 5 year intervals, not 13 or 14 years.
First, believe in yourself.....you cant do if you dont try!! Take lots of photos before you start and at every stage of the task, it will help you to remember how everything goes back together.
1. The insulation is a thermal board that you can get cheaply from a builders merchant. It is 25mm thk and has a "tin foil" backing to reflect heat. You can just about see it in the photo below.......
The pink stuff is original, the silver is replacement. It fits in between the wood which is also 25mm thick, and is cut to fit tight so is not glued in at all, it is just a tight fit.......Tip.....cut slightly oversize and give a quick rub with an electric sander (wear dust mask) Try in and if still tight rub some more off, until you get a perfect fit. It does not take much so go easy. I filled all the gaps on the front, some of the small ones had no insulation originally.
2. You can see on the pohoto above, that there is some light coloured thin wood.....that is all original, the darker wider greenish stuff is new. It is pressure treated wood from B&Q which is exactly 25mm thk. The planed smooth veriety starts at 25 but by the time it goes through the planer, it is down to 22 or 18 mm, so is no good here. You need the maintain the thickness of the sandwich for the window rubbers to fit back in. I cut off the old wood and left a 2" stub to fix the new wood to. (see the image on my website just before the rainbow one!)
I glued the new wood to the old with builders adhesive (£2 from B&Q) and if you look carefully at the image below, you can just about see the screw.
Originally the old wood was much narrower, and had a 2" wide strip of insulation between the two vertival pieces on each pillar. I used one wide piece of wood just to "beef it up" for the window catches. Be aware that this adds a little weight to the front of the caravan. Notice also above the original pink insulation is in place, but the new stuff is not in the gap above yet.
3. Some carpentry skills are reqiored here.....go to the library and get a good woodwork book. I have used halving joints here.....albeit some of the bottom ones are at a funny angle. Take your time, be patient, use some spare wood first to try a dummy run at cutting a joint. The most important thing here is sharp tools. If you learn to sharpen properly you will be half way there and remember.......sharp tools cut wood......blunt ones slip off and cut fingers, so be careful.
4. There are indeed staples round the window aperture. I used a nail gun that I had lying about, with 25mm nails. This goes through the plastic easily because it is quick, but a normal hammer and nails will probably split the plastic.
5. I found mastic roll to be perfectly good, and the front of my 'van is now dry as a bone, despite the UK's recent dampness problem! The trick is to fit it proiperly. Buy the 32mm wide stuff and remember that it needs to go between the plastic and the rubber window seal on the front of the van. See the first photo on section 4 of my site. Sikaflex is great stuff, I used to use it on boats, but the roll mastic is less messy, and easy to fit.....it is much sheaper too. I got a roll from a dealer's worksnop for £6, that did the whole job with some to spare. I favour the roll......but only if it is fitted properly. If it is just put round the wooden frame then the rubber applied, then water will get in between the ABS plastic front and the wood.....and you are back to square one.
6. Be prepared for sleepless nights the sikaflex will not be easy to remove. I used lots of white spirit and lots of elbow grease to get the silicone mess off mine, then meths to get rid of the residue left from the white spirit. New rubber is £7 per metre, and with postage, i reconed that it would have been £97 for the 3 windows. I spent about 4 hours cleaning. Wages of £25/hour aint bad so it was worth the effort, but make sure that the rubber is good. Any sign of perishing then bin it and replace. ( but measure the old stuff before binning it. It will help with the ordering of the new stuff!
7. The front is the only place with a problem, although some vans have been known to have damp problems under the water heater vent, and there is a condensation problem at the fixed side window. Mop it up or it will soak down through the joint in the rubber seal and you may get a small spongy patch under the window.
8. I would not go on the roof, never had to, but I would guess that you could roll out a strip of carpet (to protect the paint) then lay on a scaffold board or two but they must go all the way from one side to the other and be supported by the side walls. (someone is bound to come in on this and tell me I am wrong!)
9. I set about the adjusting screw with an electric drill! When the blinds are off, there is a screw on the end that needs a half turn, then it "pops" out It can be screwed about 20 turns, then pressed back in. All tensioned and ready to go! The flyscreen ones are the same. 
I don't know if thet are available as extras, but you might be able to swap the mesh for blackout blinds. It is worth a look on the web to see if you can get the stuff. It certainly keeps out 'van cosy, but more to the point keeps the sun out a 5am!
Your bonus tip on blinds is below!
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=31&TopicID=113108&PagePosition=1&showActive=10&ReturnPage=Active
If you have a million questions later, post them here. I will keep a look out for them, as I am sure will Wizard, and all the others at the I fixed it club will too.
Keep lots of photos, and someday we might be reading your damp repair website!
Good luck!
Post last edited on 05/07/2007 21:27:24
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Topic: caradad/wizard - please help
