Progress Journal
From trailer frame to mobile pub — built by hand in Frederick County, MD. Newest updates first.
June 2026
With the paint dry, we moved on to the center tray — the crown of the bar that'll house the LED lighting and anchor the whole look of the interior. It's the kind of detail that takes a finished space and makes it feel intentional. Getting closer every week.
June 2026
Paint day. We rolled through the ceiling and sides first, then came back for the ends — every surface getting its coat before we move on to the finish work. It's one of those steps that transforms the space. What was raw plywood started looking like somewhere you'd actually want to crack open a cold one.
May 2026
With the bones insulated and the walls sealed tight, we turned to the interior surface — birch plywood panels going up one wall at a time, and recessed lighting being roughed in through the ceiling. The space started to feel like a room. A real room. Something you'd actually want to spend time in.
May 2026
Nothing says we mean business quite like a black metal roof going down. We spent a long Saturday up on the ladder running panels, and by the time the last screw was set, the rig had its signature look. Watertight, sharp, and exactly what we had in mind from day one.
April 2026
Before we could think about walls, we had to seal things up right. A full spray foam application through every wall cavity and the ceiling means this rig will hold temperature whether it's July in a parking lot or February at a tailgate. Climate controlled — we weren't kidding about that.
March 2026
The cathedral ceiling was the detail we refused to compromise on. More headroom, better feel, more presence inside. Getting those ridge boards in place and the rafters set was one of the better afternoons of the build — you could finally stand in the frame and look up at exactly what we'd been drawing on paper.
March 2026
Before the rafters could go up, the ridge beam had to be right. This was the first step toward the cathedral ceiling — getting that center beam level, plumb, and locked in at the correct height. Everything about the roofline that came after depended on getting this one piece exactly right.
March 2026
With the wall framing squared up and solid, it was time to skin it. Plywood sheathing went on panel by panel — every sheet measured, cut, and nailed flush over the studs. From the aerial view you could finally see the full floor plan laid out: where the bar runs, where guests will stand, the whole shape of it. The walls were becoming walls.
March 2026
First wall frames standing and bolted to the trailer deck. What started as a sketch on a napkin was becoming lumber, plumb and square. A few long days in the barn, a lot of measuring, and the walls were up. The kind of progress that makes you want to come back the next morning.
March 2026
It starts with a flat deck and a plan. Day one was about getting the trailer frame right — laying out the wood floor joists, squaring everything up, and committing to the dimensions that the rest of the build would follow. Every decision made here echoes through everything that comes after. We measured a lot. Then we measured again.
February 2026
Every build has a beginning, and this one started with a truck, a trailer, and a truckload of lumber. We tracked down the right trailer, made the pickup, and got a delivery of the lumber that would become the bones of the whole rig. Then came the part that made it feel real — backing it into the barn and thinking, okay, we're actually doing this.
