Custom Wine Wagon Build for food truck and concessions
Updated: Feb 7, 2022
We were once again blessed to get a lead on a custom mobile wine unit for a customer who wishes to haul it to events and weddings
We are building this special job on a 6x10 trailer with these special features:
concession window
removable bar
wine and goods storage
small fridge area
custom counter tops
removable bed
running water hookup with sink
electrical
Unlike our two other trailers - this is a first one designed specifically to serve food and display goods for events. Our other wagons we’re created for festivals and camping purposes.
Most concession stand type of trainers are metal- this will be a unique design since it will be a wooden structure on wheels that can be hauled. It will look like a tiny cabin!
We were able to get reclaimed building materials from a local donor to honor her late husband for this first phase of building. Before we started building, we got a call from a local client who had a two car garage filled with fine wood working tools and building materials from her husband’s old business. She gave us permission that we could use them for our business. We are so appreciative of our community who wants to support our work in creative ways.
We added plyboard to support the framing. We created custom arches (our signature look) for a "wine barrel" curve to match her wine and charcuterie board business.
It was a challenge to find the shape of the arch to fit inside of ONE plyboard to achieve minimal waste. This project includes reclaimed materials so sometimes, it is difficult to find just the right piece to match the puzzle.
The curved roof aspect is our favorite. Not only does it create a high ceiling affect to create the illusion of a bigger space, but from the outside, it looks so neat.
The roofing is just about to go onto our new wine wagon custom build for a local business.
Each panel has to be double enforced with metal framing holsters and plyboard cross beams that are cut and arched to hold up the metal roof pieces.
As you can see- the shape of the 12 foot wagon is really starting to form.
We are so blessed to be able to work together as a couple and as a family- working, living and breathing our small Business but also teaching our kids life skills!
WEEK TWO: roofing and exterior
We are so excited that this week, our focus is putting on the roofing and tackling the exterior. We are also adding a new colleague to our team, our brother Matthew, who will help Andrew with building faster and be able to do more accurate cuts with a helper.
Now that we have a second person, we can multitask and have one person in one area and another person and another!
We can’t wait to show you our thoughts for the concession window! It’s going to open up to the public as a countertop and as a protective closure when the trailer is in motion.
Siding, tyvek and windows are going in today! One big window in the back to ventilation, and soon-to-be concession window (going in soon!)
Siding is 100% reclaimed materials- pulled from a house’s fencing job that almost made its way to the dump before we saved it from a landfill
.
.
So much faster with two people working together as a team. For two years, Andrew has only had himself and some small helpers. It’s nice to finally have a flow!
Today: we reclaimed over 2,000$ worth of wood AGAIN from a local donor!
Now to organize, cut, shelve and separate what we need for this wagon build today!
We were able to save so many pieces with natural character for siding and trim. Painting it white will be a fresh and clean look for this concession style unit.
We finalized the with the client after hours of research all over the Internet to match her branding - do use white, a light muted sage green and a natural reddish tone brown color.
We really had to make sure and be confident on the color palette because everything in the interior and exterior needs to match her aesthetic!
Successes this week:
We finished framing the wagon and adding the waterproof skin.
We made it half-way to plank siding, we LOVE the rustic look for her wine business feel so far.
Next week, we are planking the front with an artistic pattern, adding the door- then comes painting!
The plank siding was a mixture between new and reclaimed wood. Custom routed to create a tongue-and-groove pattern.
We like to call ourselves “lumberjack craftsman” - it’s raw, it’s natural, it’s organic- it’s imperfectly beautiful.
WEEK THREE
The storm can’t stop us!
After a crazy day of snow flurries and freezing cold temperatures after a beautiful weekend- we were so happy to have our portable workshop shelter up this year. Last year, we had to build three wagons under tarps and with no heat.
Let’s just say, we are very grateful to have a kerosene heater in the workshop during these cold winter months.
We love the color choice by the client, a sage gray-green. It really makes the white trim absolutely pop!
As we are reflecting on a new year, we can’t believe that after oh whim of an idea to build a portable Glamping wagon in 2021- that we would be hired to build now four- for businesses and organizations across the East Coast.
We went from doing our businesses part time, to now we are full-time creators and homeschooling our kids! We are so grateful to the community who continues to refer us and give us creative projects to do!
We can’t wait to see what 2022 will bring us!
Our client wanted a specialty design as a different look to break up the pattern that was on the back and the side of the wagon.
We wanted to do something unique that would be a showstopper for her social media as people walk up to the wagon!
Love this Shiplap wall in an herringbone pattern going up soon on the outer door!
We are going to paint it a rich brown to match the butcher block counter tops that are going n a few weeks.
We are doing interior electrical and flooring next week! So stay tuned!
This week, we are still focusing on doing detail fine woodworking on the outer decorative panels of the doorways.
We know that we are taking a lot of extra time on this because it’s going to be the statement piece when people enter or see the wagon for the first time at events.
Because the roof is curved, we have to do a little bit of math and measuring to make sure that it tapers off slowly as each piece gets added.
Having two people really saves a lot of time because Andrew can yell out measurements to his assistant Matthew and that way they can work as a team instead of it being going back-and-forth between the cutting Station and the wagon.
We are absolutely in love with the sage mint gray-green that the client picked out and can’t wait to work on the interior with some custom butcher block countertops!
It rained the whole day today.. but we were safe under our mobile workshop unit!
Trim, more trim, painting and staining is on the menu today and tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will clear so that we can cut outside and make our painting station bigger.
But, we are grateful that so far, everything has been on schedule! We remember one wagon build that pieces and parts were on back order so it was very stressful to get things on time!
Today, we are working on waterproofing the floor so that no water splats will come up underneath while the vehicle is driving.
We are adding exterior side shelves for decorations that will pop up when the trailer is parked at events!
WEEK FOUR
We are excited to get some flooring finally in. The client picked out a rustic light colored tan planks for the flooring. We can't wait to show the final look with the flooring and the shelving that will going in very soon
Detail work on the trim is looking really sharp this week. Every curved edge was carefully measured with tape that can bend and arch to give it exactly the angle cut needed.
Easy piece is hand-painted with a small brush to get just the right look. We are in love with the duo tone of the front vs the rear. It's like having two different sides of a giant art piece.
The herringbone pattern on the front is looking amazing. Once the wagon goes outside for it's official photoshoot with our on-staff pro photographer www.virginiaphotosandfilms.com, you will really see the colors pop with the contrast of the mint sides.
The slats at the front needed to be trimmed to match the overall look. That way the porch is completely seamless and uniform throughout the front end.
Water test is today!
This is where all the hard work on the roofing panels and the siding comes into play to make sure that when this baby goes out on the road- nothing will get inside of it.
We try to have everything we do checked and triple checked for quality control. We know that client's that want to use this for their business, need to be able to drive it, park it and not have to worry about more water and moisture control. That way, they can do what they do best- serve their costumers!
It was a little chilly and windy today, but we are glad that the temperature was above freezing, or we would have to way for the water test another week to let the pipes unfreeze. So many different factors when you are working outside.
Today we are wiring switches, lighting and receptacles before we put the wall panels in.
Our goal is to power a small fridge, three lights and small appliances.
We are going to do one exterior light and two interior lights for her to work at night events.
The light reflecting off of the metal roof is really going to make it all light up at night!
Yesterday, we worked in the concession window - using the same herringbone pattern as the front wall.
We want it to be functional and decorative- giving the wagon a totally different look when the window is closed.
Wow! We can't believe how much work that we have done on this wagon this week! You can really see the progress unfold in this little time-lapse of the walls, the painting, the decorative trim, the flooring and even starting on the arched ceilings.
Next week is starting on the fun- the interiors, the butcher block counter tops, the decorative fine touches and more. We love being able to take someone's vision and make it a reality!
WEEK FIVE
What a journey it has been so far!
✅Sink and countertops ordered for install soon! We are putting in custom butcher block tops with various different shades of wood stain- our signature look!
✅ Ceiling panels are put up! We can’t wait to paint them white and fill in the gaps. White creates an optical illusion of a higher space and ceiling- plus it reflects lights so that social media pics will be brighter!
✅Flooring is in! We love the vintage wood look!
We got a very special call this week by someone online who is redoing their entire home, flooring and kitchen. They pulled out all of their cabinets and called to donate their home supplies to us for this and many other projects. We are passionate about reclaiming materials as much as we can for things like flooring, cabinetry and artistic siding etc. That why, not only are we putting personal touches onto our work that makes them unique, but we are saving literally THOUSANDS if supplies away from landfills.
This week, we ordered the beautiful vintage looking golden square kitchen sink today from online. We really have to think through preordering necessary elements that are needed WEEKS before a job even gets done, therefore we have to really have the design and vision down pat before even starting on the first nail. With COVID happening, shipping is delayed for supplies all over. We often have to call ahead or order ahead for supplies. So it's very important that we stay organized and on top of work related requests.
We finished the walls! we can't wait to fill in the gaps and paint them!
End of Week Five accomplishments
We were able to get the walls installed start to get them smoothed out and ready for painting.
We built the custom service window and painted it- we can't wait to show you with the opening and closing with the hydraulic arm system.
We were able to get the sink, the light fixtures and the cabinets before the snow came in to hault any further delays on supplies.
Next week, we will continue the walls with sanding the mud and painting. It's going to look so beautiful when we get done.
On this snow day, we are going to start ordering backsplash, hardware and shelving elements for this week's builds
Week six
Wow! we can’t believe how everything is coming together! The walls have been smoothed out and painted the gorgeous mini green color.
.
Tile is going in very soon along with the counter tops and cabinets.
You are going to be blown away!
We are getting so excited about today’s progress- getting cabinets put in! We did mint green trim and light brown accents as an artist choice to bring out the different tones. Tomorrow we go shopping for butcher block.
our favorite store- Home Emporium always has great looks for tile and butcher block- so we can’t wait to show you more about this week’s installation.
We got the counter tops today- gorgeous multistain butcher block from our favorite local store- Home Emporium- known for creative looks with eclectic taste-
Now to cut it, and install it over our gorgeous custom cabinets.
The layout is really coming together- just enough space for a tiny fridge, wine rack (we found reclaimed) and more!
We are so excited about our progress this week and can’t wait to show you more about how we are putting in the final touches and doing some detail work this week with the trim, the molding, the countertops and a whole bunch of other things!
In the butcher block, we were able to create a cutting board or a serving tray from the leftover of the sink cut out as a special bonus for our client.
We are in week seven of this almost finished beautifully custom built wine wagon!
We just put in the gray water color stain subway tile onto the kitchenette area (we absolutely love the contrast with pure white walls (don’t worry, they will have cabinetry shelving on them later from the client!)
As a unique touch for our client who will possibly be traveling overnight in her camper wagon/business- he’s wanting to put a small twin size mattress that can fold into a bench for storage during the daytime- that way she can put storage underneath but then she can also be able to have a safe place to nap and rest while she’s at festivals and sites.
We we’re building the fold-out bench from reclaimed pallet board- we love adding little reclaim details like this to all of our projects as a part of our overall business model.
We are so excited about putting in some custom plumbing with two different inserts: One connected to a standard outdoor hose if she’s at a facility that has that hook up- and another electric pump and reservoir system that we were able to put in into our custom shower trailer a few months ago for the homeless ministry of Mercy drops Dream center- we built on that design to be able to make her something small, portable and functional for her events!
The beautiful gold sink that was just ordered looks amazing!
Loving these little small details that we’re putting into the wine wagon this week
✅ Flip up shelving and exterior shelving for people to gather around the vehicle and put their drinks on it
✅ two small charcuterie boards that fit inside the sink so that it can be an extra countertop or a serving tray
✅ A beautiful farmhouse style door with natural wood trim
✅A small bedframe that can be moved to create a place to rest or a place to sit and relax
✅ we are double checking everything and doing another coat of paint and soon we are going to be test driving this gorgeous piece of art
🎁❤️we actually are sad to see her go after seven weeks of creating such a bond and putting so much heart and soul into it that we wanted to keep it for ourselves🥰😍😂
We LOVE being able to make these by hand!
We are honored and grateful for those that have supported us and recommended us to friends and family.
We have some exciting things coming in the future and can’t wait to get started on future projects!
