Hi Folks,
Well today is the day, we officially start the conversion, from a van with just a bed in it - To starting the full blown conversion to a camper.
I suspect it is not gonna be as easy as it looks, and a lot of frustration n swearing along the way.
We now have a rough idea of what we want, now we just gotta try n bring it to life.
The first Item that we have brought and has arrived are two of these lights.
"Motion Sensor Wardrobe Light,Under Cupboard Lights with Motion Sensor Under Cabinet Lighting led Rechargeable USB Battery Strip Lighting bar Indoor for Kitchen Stars(Silver-Cold White) [Energy Class A+]"
These lights are for the Toilet room, we was not sure, just how bright they will be so ordered 2 of them :) :)
Also comes with rechargeable battery inside and a USB slot, so we will be able to plug into a USB socket in the Toilet Room.
We know there is not gonna be a lot of room inside the toilet, Compact and bijou is about the way we are gonna have to go.
Especially as we have to leave enough room for the electric buggy!
Today's plan is to Strip out the bed, mattress in the spare room for now, to keep it safe. and the timber we used to build the bed, will either stay in the transit, or end up in the green shed ??
we will need to measure the mattress and mark were the bed will come too, then we can start looking at were the kitchen is gonna go.
In the workshop, we already have load of insulation, 2 sheets of 3 ply, and a few other odds n sods, that I cannot think off just now.
Subject to the weather and how my legs are, hopefully will have the wing mirror replacements in place, as we also get the transit ready for it's MOT.
Mot is due on 23rd December !
They have been sat by my chair in the living room for weeks now, so it is time they were fitted..
We have a few small jobs to do for the MOT, but nothing major, I just have to be able to bend or it down on the pavement!
Right let's get in the back, and start the conversion. :) :)
Right we are finally in the back of the transit.
Altho we like the bed were it currently is, it's just not practical as it takes up too much room.
and leaves no room for a toilet, kitchen unit, cupboards and other things we need the space for.
We take the mattresses measurement's and we measure the width of the van, as best we can at this stage.
Hiding and wrapped within the sleeping bags, are the 2 sheets of glass that belong to the kitchen unit.
For now we slide them into place, as a safe place to have them for now.
They are in need of a good wash, mind you so is the cooker.
WE turn the mattress 90 degree's so it sits across the back of the van.
And it's too large !, but I am not too worried about it, as we had planned to sink into the footer & header of the bed.
to give more room to stretch out when in bed, and I hope will will gain those valuable inches we need.
You can see by the base of the bed, just how much room we are gonna gain by doing this.
The side boards are still screwed to the sides of the van at the moment, But we also have a brainwave moment.
We will leave an extra 14" inches or so of the beds base board and get some foam to turn it into a bench !. Saving us more room in the van.
It will give us a bench of around 36-38" :) :)
The kitchen unit, will be turned around and moved closer to the bed on the drivers side.
This will need a window fitting on that side of the van.
Preferably one that opens,
but that we can lock down securely.
Probably will nip down to Crowland camping & caravans for some ideas.
And to see just how much it will cost to buy and fit.
We will have some cupboards above the kitchen unit, but not over the cooker area.
We have agreed we do not like the colour of the kitchen as it is now, so it will be sanded back and painted or covered.
Also there is some work to be done inside the cupboards as the bracing has come adrift.
The toilet will go against the cab bulkhead. around 33" square from Floor to ceiling.
Not sure how we gonna decide on the toilet room door, as space will be at a premium.
But will wait until the framework is in, before making up my mind.
We need a unit constructed to the porta loo to sit into, and provide storage for the toilets chemicals.
Above the toilet will be a small cupboard to hold toilet rolls and cleaning stuff.
Lynne is putting the kitchen glass back into the sleeping bags, to protect them.
Lynne is away next Saturday, So probably in 2 weeks time we will remove the mattress and dismantle the bed timbers.
We will then store them in the sheds, so we have as much space to work as possible.
All the side panels that are currently fitted, most can be re-used so they will also go into the sheds for now.
Job sheet 1
Altho probably missing loads of items that we need to do.
It is our work plan to start with.
Some jobs, will need to be discussed and plans finalised quickly, certainly before we put the side panels back in the van (after removing them, and giving the good panels a light sanding and painting both sides, the insulate the inside of the van and the reverse side of the panels.
As once they are up and we have built the units and we have them fitted in place, it will not be an easy job to have to remove them, because we forgot some wiring or plumbing!
Some jobs, like the Solar Panels, storage batteries, I am waiting for Strawbs. as he has been thru all this with his mobile home.
His advice will be invaluable to use, as well as saving us money if we got it wrong.
Job sheet 2
We know were n how we want the shower to go, but just how we are gonna go about it, we do not have a clue at this stage.
We are considering removing the bulkhead, replacing the double passenger seat with a single seat that can be turned around.
But am not sure yet, plus the cost maybe out of our price range and timescale at this point.
The small leak on front of roof passenger side, we know the panel sealant has dried up and cracked, so on a warm dry day, need to get all the old sealant out and replace it.
Altho the drivers side does not leak, it is starting to crack, so will be done at the same time.
Need to check if we need to contact DVLA with change of usage & anything else we need to do.
We know we have to contact the vans insurance
Company and notify them.
We are also presuming at this stage we will need a gas, Electrics and plumbing certs. But we will look into that later on.
Most of the details on the page to the left are were we have been discussing what we need, the quantity and price, Some we will need to buy soon, some can be left till later on.
We already have the gazebo, collapsible table & chairs, from when we hosted Timothy's day on his Birthday. and we had the usage with the transit in mind, in case we were staying in a place for a few days and needed some extra room.
We have decided not to have the shower inside the van, but between the rear doors!
More details as we work out the details and how it will be stored when not in use.
The main issue at this time is a raised floor so feet of the grass/gravel.
Very basic floor plan, It is NOT to SCALE.
Altho pretty soon I will have a go at drawing one to scale.
This is just to give us an idea, so we can see how much/little space we will have, so taking the Gazebo, table n Chairs will be vital if we gonna stay any longer than overnight in one place.
From this plan, I am already starting to work out places for USB sockets and Mains Sockets.
Altho the transit already has a inverter above the cabin, I am still not sure how it works converting 12 to 220 volts and how efficient it will be.
But as most things we are planning to have installed run off 12 volts we may have to have a second loom for if we use a hookup.
I need to talk to someone who has done this before and pick there brains.
There is one cardinal sin that we have done so far and that is weight is all the drivers side!
So will have to use the passenger side to store gas bottles, batteries, water tanks etc.
It has been quite an eventful day, with Lynne n me sliding into our old ways or working as a team.
But it is still only a starting point the fun comes in 2 weeks time when we remove the Mattress into the spare room and the bed frame, plus the 9x3" timber beams it sits on into the sheds, and then to remove all the wooden panels, so we can sand the original paintwork and give it a wipe over with sugar soap, so that the insulation will stick to the metal and stay there.
We will also need to sink cutaways into the side were the bed goes as the matress is about 4-6" too long, Hoping that won't tax us too much to do.
Hopefully some more items will arrive next week, so we can plan the wiring, sockets, fuse box etc.
Fingers crossed, we should see some progress by the end of the month....
That's all today folks. Hopefully another update shortly.
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