Going full-time: just started my buildout!

[DanteDeo]

Hi everyone!

I'm an experienced nomad, but a first-time vandweller. I spent the years between 2010 and 2015 doing the digital nomad thing, living out of one large and one small backpack while I worked all around the world. The biggest mistake I made in my life was trying to settle down: as exasperating and exhausting as the nomad lifestyle can be, it beats rotting away inside of an overpriced apartment.

I just started gutting and renovating my van, affectionately known as the Big Blue Whale. The end of a bad relationship led me to go on what could be referred to as an 'involuntary extended camping ' experience in her before I had a chance to do any real work on it, but as difficult as that experience was, it was valuable in that it taught me exactly what I need to do to make a van a viable living space in the long-term.

After a lot of research, I just ordered the things I need to build a 400w solar system for my van. I'm going to gut the interior, remove all seats, and build some custom furniture for me and my cats. My #1 priority is insulation, as I have two cats and they need to be safe in extremes of hot and cold; the next is computing power and internet for work and gaming. I found that I got by very well with a cooler, and other than a computer and USB accessories, I doubt I'll be using much in the way of electrical appliances.

My biggest fear is finding places to park. I'm in the PNW right now, and it is not a good place to be in a (visible, non-stealthy) van due to the problems with homelessness and associated stigmas here. NIMBY-ism in my area is pretty awful despite the romanticization of van life here among the hipsters of WA. I'm hoping it'll be easier once I can leave the cities and head south and/or east.

Anyway, I've been lurking here for a while, but haven't posted until now. Nice to meet everyone: if you happen to be in the PNW and want to network, feel free to hit me up. I've got 8 weeks until my lease is up, so I'm planning to hit the road end of May.

 

[afblangley]

I don't what the inside of your van looks like, but are you sure that you want to gut the interior? The OEM panels may be good launching off point. If you have no skills/time/money than using OEM as a base will yield a better result than starting from scratch. My build falls into this category. If you have construction skills and money, the results could be pretty fabulous and save you some effort.

Here are a couple of pictures of full bore (and not cheap) builds that incorporate OEM wall and ceiling panels.

 

[DanteDeo]

Those do look pretty great! My van interior is similar to the first one: I have those same storage units in a ring around the high top

The issue with my van is partly its age (2006), and partly that the interior is fabric - and I live in one of the rainiest regions in the US. There's some mold in the wall fabric and stuff. So when I say 'gut', it's a case of pulling everything out - mostly the fabric and carpet - laying in electric, insulation, a ceiling and floor, then putting the storage units back in and then building. Not sure what OEM panels are.

 

[Tony's Dream]

Good luck on your journey. I hope gutting it and redoing everything makes everything feel new.

 

[kklowell]

"Not sure what OEM panels are."

OEM Stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer...which is the walls and ceiling that came in your van originally. If you have mold, you're better off trashing the original stuff anyway. You can then add more insulation than it originally had, but from what I understand you'd be much better off with foam because fiberglass batt insulation can hold moisture.
I think you've got a good van to do this with... good luck on your build and your new lifestyle.

 

[DanteDeo]

I've been making progress: one wall and the old ceiling are out, along with all the gross stuff that was hiding behind it all. Gross as in dangerous - there was old, loose acoustic fiberglass behind 1/4in plywood - but also gross as in hilarious, as I pulled the rear storage panel off and it began raining plastic cutlery and 16-year old packets of parmesan cheese. Because of the location, they must have been left by the workmen. There was no way for someone to get their hand back there.

 

[GoingMobile]

I had a brother in law who used to work in an RV outfitting shop. He told stories of guys placing bologna sandwiches behind panels in the builds.

Good luck on your build. I opted for Thinsulate insulation and then EZ Cool, similar to Reflectix, for the areas that wouldn't fit, mostly to cover bare metal and have a thermal layer, before the wall material went over it. I started with a Cargo van, so maybe more straightforward. It would be worth your while to fabricate some removable, (or not) insulated window covers. I got a thermal curtain that separates the cab with its windows from the rear of the van, and that made a big difference when it gets cold. Also makes it more stealthy, or at least less obvious anyone is in there. Looks like you will have plenty of room to work with.

 

[Freelander]

I knew a guy that worked at a Ford dealer years ago, a brand new Lincoln had a rattle in the back, the guys in the body shop finally found a bottle with a note in it. the note said, "I see you found the rattle", it was installed at the factory.

 

[DanteDeo]

I had a brother in law who used to work in an RV outfitting shop. He told stories of guys placing bologna sandwiches behind panels in the builds.

Good luck on your build. I opted for Thinsulate insulation and then EZ Cool, similar to Reflectix, for the areas that wouldn't fit, mostly to cover bare metal and have a thermal layer, before the wall material went over it. I started with a Cargo van, so maybe more straightforward. It would be worth your while to fabricate some removable, (or not) insulated window covers. I got a thermal curtain that separates the cab with its windows from the rear of the van, and that made a big difference when it gets cold. Also makes it more stealthy, or at least less obvious anyone is in there. Looks like you will have plenty of room to work with.

Lmao, after pulling apart the Blue Whale, I can believe those stories. I got pelted in the face with plastic cutlery, Starbucks napkins, and the parmesan packets.

I have some nice blackout curtains to go across the line between the cabin and the bulkhead. Going to be covering up the rear windows save for the air vents (to increase wall storage space) with 1-inch foam and earthwool. I was planning to do removable, reversible foam board covers for the front windows: reflectix on one side, black on the other.

Solar panels and installation kit came today. I'm going to be following Will Proust's guide on how to build a 400w solar install. This is the part of the build I'm most worried about. I was able to neaten up all the wiring in the walls in prep for insulation, though. Very satisfying. Half of those wires are from the old A/V system, but I don't know enough about electrical to feel comfortable removing them just yet. I'd rather show it all to an expert before proceeding.

Also, today I learned that Rust Kutter strips paint. Oops.

 

[GoingMobile]

Will Proust seems to know whats what. How old is that guy anyway? I followed an electric plan from faroutride.com a Canadian couple are both engineers, and they have been living in their build for several years without any fires or explosions. Mine has worked out well, have been up and running for about 7 months now. I've learned a lot but still don't understand electronics well enough to design my own system.

If you find any more hidden treasures, hopefully it will be money from some past heist and not more cheese packets.

 

[DanteDeo]

Will Proust seems to know whats what. How old is that guy anyway? I followed an electric plan from faroutride.com a Canadian couple are both engineers, and they have been living in their build for several years without any fires or explosions. Mine has worked out well, have been up and running for about 7 months now. I've learned a lot but still don't understand electronics well enough to design my own system.

If you find any more hidden treasures, hopefully it will be money from some past heist and not more cheese packets.

Dare I eat the F O R B I D D E N P A R M E SA N

 

[Catalyst1]

Lmao, after pulling apart the Blue Whale, I can believe those stories. I got pelted in the face with plastic cutlery, Starbucks napkins, and the parmesan packets.

I have some nice blackout curtains to go across the line between the cabin and the bulkhead. Going to be covering up the rear windows save for the air vents (to increase wall storage space) with 1-inch foam and earthwool. I was planning to do removable, reversible foam board covers for the front windows: reflectix on one side, black on the other.

Solar panels and installation kit came today. I'm going to be following Will Proust's guide on how to build a 400w solar install. This is the part of the build I'm most worried about. I was able to neaten up all the wiring in the walls in prep for insulation, though. Very satisfying. Half of those wires are from the old A/V system, but I don't know enough about electrical to feel comfortable removing them just yet. I'd rather show it all to an expert before proceeding.

Also, today I learned that Rust Kutter strips paint. Oops.

Ooh, that's good to know, since paint stripper these days doesn't do a very good job of stripping paint. Not like it used to do anyway.

 

[CosmickGold]

I can really identify with what you are doing. It's so great to have you joining our nomad community! I had to start living in my van on day one with no sticks-n-bricks structure to help at all. The worst was having to stand my heavy bed against one wall while working on the other. So little space left with no place else to put the mattress or my personal belongings. With 8 weeks to go before your lease is up, your process should be much easier.

I used REAL sheep's wool for insulation, Havelock wool.

And this roll of foam material is wonderful for insulating around metal curves (of which there are a lot.) It is silvered on the hidden side to reflect heat, and seems to be white vinyl on the show side, making it blend in as a curved part of my white walls. I stuck it on all the curves with Gorilla tape three years ago and it has never even started to come loose.

And for my flat walls, I used $13.00 4X8-foot panels from Lowes made of 1/8 inch brown pressed paper (whatever you call that). It has a thin layer of white vinyl on the show side, matching my white foam around curves.

Having seen pictures of red, calloused knees from crawling through vans with hardwood floors, I opted to make my floor soft, using a layer of 1/2 inch foam blue wall insulation, covered with a layer of vinyl flooring. This has made my floor really soft and truly comfortable on my knees any time I need to get down there for something.


When I started, I didn't know about self-tapping sheet metal screws. I'd drill a hole, and then hope it was the right size so my wood screws would neither break off nor slip out. What a work saver when the hardware store showed self-tapping screws to me! They have a drill bit on one end, which on an electric drill digs right through the metal frame of the van's body as though it were nothing, and holds solid every time! Wow, what an improvement! They have hex heads that fit snuggly into a hex drill bit, not + or - screwdriver heads which wouldn't hold to the drill a tenth as well.

A mistake I made was putting up my walls without any wood slats behind them to screw the walls to. Then I could only guess where to put screws to hold shelves, and furniture, often drilling my screws through the paper wall and into thin air on the other side. An alternative would have been to take photos of the van's frame before covering it up so I could use the pictures to see where to drill in screws and have them hit solid metal. (Ya learn as ya go.)

I truly hope that in the end, you are as happy with your final product as I am with mine. I LOVE White Cloud, my van home. I have felt so safe and secure and happy there for three years now. I have no intention of EVER going back to sticks-n-bricks.

 

[Tony's Dream]

Looking really nice.

 

[Stvnfarm]

Lmao, after pulling apart the Blue Whale, I can believe those stories. I got pelted in the face with plastic cutlery, Starbucks napkins, and the parmesan packets.

I have some nice blackout curtains to go across the line between the cabin and the bulkhead. Going to be covering up the rear windows save for the air vents (to increase wall storage space) with 1-inch foam and earthwool. I was planning to do removable, reversible foam board covers for the front windows: reflectix on one side, black on the other.

Solar panels and installation kit came today. I'm going to be following Will Proust's guide on how to build a 400w solar install. This is the part of the build I'm most worried about. I was able to neaten up all the wiring in the walls in prep for insulation, though. Very satisfying. Half of those wires are from the old A/V system, but I don't know enough about electrical to feel comfortable removing them just yet. I'd rather show it all to an expert before proceeding.

Also, today I learned that Rust Kutter strips paint. Oops.

If you have Will Prouse's guide, just read and follow it. Most electrical work hesitation is due to lack of experience. Once you've crimped and out together a few wire runs, it will be smooth sailing. If you can swing it, go bigger with the wire than what's called for. Especially on longer runs.

 

[DanteDeo]

I've been hammering away at this project, somewhat literally, and this is where things stand:





Sound deadening layer, then insulation, then a plywood subfloor. Vinyl is going on over that. The ply looks bendy in that photo, but it's an optical illusion.

The flashing tape + reflectix stripes actually help a lot with vibration and sound. I was surprised at how much sound it actually cut. It's probably not as good as those specialty sound deadening mats, but it works just fine for me.

I've left some gaps around the floor to fill with a flexible window sealing foam spray. I noticed that the van actually expands and contracts nearly half an inch all round (!) because of how difficult/easy it is to slot the foam insulation boards in, so it seems wise to make sure the floor can flex and breathe.

Now I pull that plywood out and put down mold prevention spray, and paint the subfloor with two coats of waterproof sealer before I install the full floor.

The ventilation, roof racks, and solar are next. These are the parts that really scare me, as I have a fiberglass roof.

 

[maki2]

DanteDeo: Attention new comer and of course This welcome new comers area is intended to be a BRIEF introduction of yourself to other forum members so that they can say hello and the moderators can refer you to the rules. There are quite a few sections in this forum dedicated to various topics including one about "builds"

If you want to talk about and document your build progress you need to start a thread in the appropriate section of the forum used exactly for that purpose. That section is under "share your experience" subheading is " Conversions and Modifications" . Start your thread and ask a moderator for help moving the existing conversations you just posted regarding what you have posted about your build over to that thread. There is also an area called "Captain's logs" along with sometimes their builds activities as well as their travels get posted there.

It is good to document and share your story. However it will just get lost and missed by many members if you keep posting it in this section. Quite a few people skip reading this newcomers section but many of those people do like to focus their online time on things such as Conversions and Modifications.

 

[DanteDeo]

I don't actually have the permissions to post in the rest of the forum yet, hence why I've been posting here. I figured I had to build up reputation or something to be given access to the rest of the forum.

 

[CosmickGold]

Here are the first two "van videos" from a new vandweller I just discovered on YouTube this week. She's only 19 but did all the trashing out and rebuilding herself, learning as she went.

She does a great job of making these videos really interesting because filming has been her passion since she was 13.

I Spent My Life Savings To Travel In A Van.​

I Renovated A Van Alone At 19.​

 

[maki2]

I don't actually have the permissions to post in the rest of the forum yet, hence why I've been posting here. I figured I had to build up reputation or something to be given access to the rest of the forum.

Go here in the forum to find out how it works
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/tips-tricks-and-rules.44907/