KERRVILLE, TEXAS - May 6 thru June 3, 2010

Having been here before, we like the Texas “Hill Country” and the town of Kerrville. We decided to stay at Los Robles RV Park which was recommended by friends. It was very nice with very reasonable rates so we signed up for a month.

Mike decided that this was a good time and place to replace our TV. Our old TV had been going downhill for quite some time and Mike wanted to replace it with a larger TV. The cabinet was not big enough for a larger TV so it would have to be removed and replaced with a larger cabinet. The question was, could we live with a larger cabinet intruding into our very confined living space? Let’s find out, says Mike. So about a month ago, he used cardboard and masking tape to enlarge the old cabinet (see photo below) which we have been living with ever since. We found that the larger size was not objectionable so it was a go to build the new cabinet.

This was a big project. A lot of research was done to select and buy the new TV. We purchased a 40” LED flat screen to replace the old 30” LCD flat screen. Since it would take weeks to build and finish the new cabinet, we needed a plan to be able to watch TV during the transition. Mike designed and built a skeleton plywood frame that would hold the new TV. He then removed the old cabinet and installed the new frame in one day. We were watching the new TV that evening.

The new cabinet was designed to be built in modules and attached to the skeleton frame as they were completed. This allowed Mike to break the whole project down to several smaller projects. Having the use of the TV allowed him to take his time and not “rush” the job. The back of our car served as a “garage” to store wood and assembled sections during the project. The wider cabinet also allowed Mike to design and build a more appropriate surround for the fireplace.

Our time in Kerrville was not all work. We did find time to take a couple of day trips and do some socializing at the park. When we left Kerrville, the project was not quite finished. It took about another 4 weeks, working part time, to finally complete everything.

OLD CABINET WITH CARDBOARD ON LEFT AND NEW FINISHED CABINET ON RIGHT