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PROGRESS - BIKE BOX & GALLEY
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This is with the mattress in place. I’ve been sleeping on it in my house for a while now. I like it. It’s from
www.thefoamfactory.com. It is 3” of high density foam, with 2” of memory foam. If I was buying another, I’d get 2” of HD foam instead of 3” - just because that seems like it would be enough for me, and it would give me more space for sitting on the bed. I can sit, but if I sit 100% straight up and with my neck sort of extended up, my head touches the ceiling. I think it will work out fine because I don’t actually sit that way all the time.
BIKE BOX
The bike box is nearly done. All that’s left is to paint the bottom platform, and to paint the front side of it (which is right behind the driver’s seat), and to cover the front. I think I’ll use the same fabric that I end up using to close off the front of the van from the back.
I got these boxes from The Container Store where the front swings open. They aren’t all that sturdy. I’ll put only clothes in these boxes so that shouldn’t be too much load for them.
I added some padding to the hooks that hold up the bike, and I also bent them so they would hold the bike closer to the wall, and so they reached up higher (so the bike couldn’t come off when going over bumps). The bike is very secure now. I also put some carpet pieces on the wall where the bike touches it.
It looks a little strange in this picture - like the top one is larger than the lower one. This is just because the top one is positioned farther forward, and also because they are both angled slightly, with the backs lower than the front.
GALLEY
On the right side, I made a cabinet door, and some shelves inside. The door is flush. Right now, what keeps it in place are the hinges which have springs to push it closed, and there is some interference between the top of the door and the inner part. I think that will work well enough, for some time at least. I bought a little latch that I could add later if needed.
I added the box to the left of the fridge. That water container is what I’m planning to use for dispensing water. It is a 2.5 Gallon ULINE Carboy. I like it. It feels sturdier than a couple of other water dispensers I bought. One nice thing is that the dispenser handle and spout can rotate (without unscrewing it from the container), so it can be stored flat on the shelf, and then when I pull it out for use, I can rotate those parts to the right direction for dispensing water.
I’ve decided against an actual sink - for now at least. What I’m planning to do is use a smaller water container (maybe just 1-gallon milk jug). When I want to use “the sink”, I will pull that jug out of the cupboard below to position it below the dispenser. I’ll put a funnel (like the kind of funnel you use to put oil in an engine, or something similar) into the top of the jug, and that funnel will function as a sink. In order to get enough vertical space between the dispenser spout and the “sink”, I may need to use a short greywater container (like
This one), or move the dispenser up to the top surface.
(I will be painting the outer surfaces white, except for the tops)
