Is this layout possible in mid 2000's E250 regular size or extended size?

[sting]

So, my question is about HOW MUCH SPACE I NEED.

I’m looking at mid 2000’s e250/Savana/Express type vans and not sure I can do this in a regular size or need an extended size - or if it will be doable in either.. I have this idea in my head and I need someone who’s got actual experience to tell me whether I’m dreaming or this is possible. Also, what I might have forgotten space-wise.

First I'd have some sort of insulation covered by 1/4 inch plywood all around.  

In the rear, I’d like to put a queen sized bed (so approx. 60x80 inches). I would build it quite high with only enough room so that you could just sit up without hitting your head - this would leave maximum room underneath for storage and maybe even a bike with front wheel off. 
 
So that would take the first 80 inches of the cargo length. Forward of that I’d like to have:
 
a small fridge
A small table and seating for two (maybe the seats and table fold up when not in use).
 
Beyond that just storage for clothes, kitchen cooking stuff, etc - much of this would be in the large 60x80 space under the bed, but maybe I could fit some more cabinets forward of this up high?
 
My cooking stove would be just a portable camping type thing and I’d probably just do the cooking outside or inside on my table with the door open to the outside.
 
Originally I had this idea for a sink with a gray water and clean water storage, but I’m thinking that because you cannot stand in this van, it wouldn’t really be functional.
 
So, I’m not sure how much usable cargo space the mid 2000’s E250/Savana/Express regular and extended actually have in reality, but is this comfortably possible? Do I need the extended? Or something even bigger?

Thanks in advance!

 

[LeeRevell]

Sounds like you'll need the extended van for all that.  Sleeping two I take it?

 

[Almost There]

It's possible and I've lived with it before. We had an earlier Chev with a queen size bed in it but it took up the whole of the rear end of the van and left precious little room for anything else.

I have a 2002 GMC Savana 2500.

From the back of the hard plastic decorator trim behind/beside the drivers seat I have a kitchen unit that is 59", my twin size 38" bed will run across the van behind that and it will leave me another 12" behind that for a pair of floor to ceiling cabinets. So that's 109" front to back.

Width at 24" above the floor is 70 3/4" after I put in 1x3" strapping over the uprights so you could conceivably gain another 1" if you put the plywood directly on the ribs - IMO not a good plan but YMMV.

The 24" height I mentioned is the maximum width in the rear area, below it you start losing width due to the curvature of the walls and that silly rib that comes out into the interior above the wheel well. I can sit up on that height but then I'm only 5' tall.

A pair of swivel bases with a pedestal table that is removable will take care of seating for two but be mindful that one person will have to be seated before the table is put in place - my parents had this in their van and it got Dad out of a lot of household chores....rofl.

The other choice is one swivel base on the passenger side with either a pedestal table or a free standing one and a hassock type storage container that can double as a seat.

I found an adjustable height, folding table at Campers World that will suit me but it may not be big enough for two to eat off of. It's 26 x 18".

For bike storage, you really will be better off using a rear bike rack than trying to disassemble it and store it under the bed. If there's two of you, you probably want two bikes and they will take up a whole lot of valuable storage room. If you had a high top, I'd say go for it but it looks like you're building this for two so storage is going to be really tight anyways.

The best fridges these days are the compressor coolers and if turned sideways against the drivers wall, one will fit with enough inches of spare room to allow for the necessary air circulation from the compressor. You could fit storage above it but the fridge would have to go on a roller platform so that it could be pulled out to get the flip lid open.

Your other choice for the bed is to build it so that it can be a twin (38") 'day bed' and pull out into either a double or queen when needed. This gives you additional daytime seating and a whole lot more spacious layout although it sacrifices some underbed storage. If you're interested, let me know and I'll describe how I did mine in a previous van. I'm not doing it this time because I figured out that with just me, I sleep perfectly well in a twin size bed.

 

[sting]

It could just be me, but I want to be able to accommodate two.

Almost there... I am curious about a couple of things you said:

1] don't put plywood directly on the ribs... why not? What is best?

2] It could just be me so a twin would be fine, but I really think I should build it to at least pull out to a queen. How did you accomplish this?

 

[SoulRaven]

If a van has room enough to sleep in it, it has room enough to live in it. The smaller it is, the more creative you need to be with your layout.

I have an extended van, and I wouldn't be as comfortable in anything smaller.

 

[Almost There]

It could just be me, but I want to be able to accommodate two.

Almost there... I am curious about a couple of things you said:

1] don't put plywood directly on the ribs... why not? What is best?

2] It could just be me so a twin would be fine, but I really think I should build it to at least pull out to a queen. How did you accomplish this?

The newer Chevy/GMC ribs are built a whole lot differently than the ones I had in mid and early Fords. These one's have a whole lot of open spots and very little flat surfaces to screw in to. I strapped the van out and actually used recessed bolt holes with flat washers and a nut behind the board in the openings. There were only a couple of end spots where I could screw in to to secure the ends of the strapping.

Here's a pic of what the ribs look like, sorry I don't have a face on pic of the rib attached.



Click on the pic for a large view!

The small amount lost by strapping allows me to fasten paneling where I want to attach it rather than being restricted to where you can find a solid piece of rib to screw in to. It also allows for insulation to sit in between the ribs if you choose to insulate with board insulation.

The pullout I did had the extension base plywood so that it slid out from under the mattress and dropped on to two storage cabinets, one on each side of the van. The cabinets were built so that the top surface of them was lower than the height of the bed platform by the depth of the plywood ie, bed platform 24", plywood 1", cabinet top 23". The mattress folded up on itself so that 2 equal sections became the back of the 'sofa'. I could sleep on just the sofa bed but if I wanted the full sized bed I pulled out the plywood base and then pulled the front of the mattress out so that it unfolded and filled up the bed platform. If you're too tall to sleep comfortably across the width of the van then you'll be opening it up every night.

How big it is will depend on how you dimension it. I had mine only open up to a double which was plenty big enough for the few times when I needed the extra space for company!

I sewed a cover for it so that all the pieces were attached together but 3 individually covered sections would work also. 

If it's mostly just you and you only want to accommodate a second person occasionally, I'd go with the pullout, a single swivel base and a hassock/storage unit that can be used as a second seat as well as having comfortable seating on the sofa/bed.  It will give you a whole lot more floor space which becomes valuable property  and makes the van look livable as opposed to just a place to sleep and still afford you sufficient storage.

 

[amwbox]

For playing with layouts, try this tool:

http://www.sportsmobile.com/design-info/

Click on DYO Studio. You can move different sizes of beds and furniture around different makes and lengths of vans.

 

[Luisafernandes]

Something like this maybe?

 

[akrvbob]

The problem I see is the table and seats. I don't think that's doable. However, I don't think that's any loss because you can do everything it gives you somewhere else and save yourself all that space.

Here is a post on how my girlfriend and built her van and we went to Alaska in it together:

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/using-sterilite-4-drawer-units-storage/
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/couple-van-building-bed/

Bob

 

[sting]

Width at 24" above the floor is 70 3/4" after I put in 1x3" strapping over the uprights so you could conceivably gain another 1" if you put the plywood directly on the ribs - IMO not a good plan but YMMV.

Just curious what the odds are that I can sleep sideways in a 2000's Econoline-ish van - I am between 5'8" and 5'9"?
From what Almost There says, I think it should be possible? I'd want a bit of insulation and wall covering... so I guess 1/4" plywood - like I say I'm just starting so I don't know what most optimal for insulation/building the walls.

 

[LeeRevell]

You will need to measure the inside width of that Fourth Gen Ford van.  My Third Gen Ford E150 (1988) is narrower than what AT shows.  Each manufacturer has a slightly different size.

 

[Almost There]

Just curious what the odds are that I can sleep sideways in a 2000's Econoline-ish van - I am between 5'8" and 5'9"?
From what Almost There says, I think it should be possible? I'd want a bit of insulation and wall covering... so I guess 1/4" plywood - like I say I'm just starting so I don't know what most optimal for insulation/building the walls.

The measurements I gave you were for a GMC/Chev 2500, no idea what the measurement is for an Econoline...they'll be different, maybe by several inches.

But if you want to experiment, take a tape measure and measure the length I gave you on your current bed from the head edge down. Put a board, a box, a suitcase whatever, blocking the rest of the bed. Lay down and see!

Or put something solid on the bed where you think your van bed might have to end and then sleep a night and see if it's been pushed down by your feet. If you kick it right off the bed, you'll know that you sleep with your toes extended and kick things. If you're doing it at home, you'll do it in the van so you'll want to plan for a longer length of bed.

It will depend a lot on how you sleep. The other option, if you're okay with it, is to sleep on a diagonal. This will give you the additional inches you might be missing from straight across.

Some people take up a whole queen bed by themselves and will push an extra body to the edge in a heartbeat. Others sleep in one spot all night.

I decided on the twin size because I realized that after 7 years of sleeping in the double bed here at my S&B, I had never needed to make the other side of the bed. I sleep quite compactly apparently.

I also realized that I sleep quite comfortably...   on the sofa. So I measured the length of it and found that it was within range of the width of my van. If I can sleep on the sofa all night I know I can sleep on a twin!!

One thing you might need to consider now while planning is how you want to live with the van and what you expect to get out of the van life. Some literally live out of the van, using it only for sleeping and do what I'd consider putting up with inconveniences when the weather forces them inside for more than a little while. We all live differently and this is a chance to figure out how YOU want to live without having to conform to anyone elses' ideas of what is right.

Take a look through the threads on builds and take a close look at pictures to see how different people deal with their vans. I have to have everything neat and tidy and finished while others are perfectly comfortable with using a tote and a pillow as a bed extension. Neither is more right than the other, well except I'm more right for me...

 

[akrvbob]

Make the bed 48 inches across the back and you can almost certainly sleep diagonally across it. I'm 5'8" and had extra to spare. Even fit my 80 pound dog in one of the corners.
Bob

 

[SoulRaven]

Don't count on being able to sleep diagonally, myself and many others that I have talked to just can't do it.  Maybe it's the disorientation for some, for me it's the seams running under me at an angle that drive me nuts, and it doesn't seem to matter what toppers I use, I can still feel them.

After many years of experimentations, I find myself sleeping most comfortably lengthwise.  I just move in a  metal framed futon, and I have both a sofa and a double bed.  All I do is extend the legs so it is tall enough to clear the wheel well.

This has a 6" foam mattress, and is totally comfy.  When I'm alone, I usually just sleep with it in sofa mode.

I like the metal frame ones because they are very light weight.

 

[akrvbob]

.  

In the rear, I’d like to put a queen sized bed (so approx. 60x80 inches). I would build it quite high with only enough room so that you could just sit up without hitting your head - this would leave maximum room underneath for storage and maybe even a bike with front wheel off. 
 

The OP is building his own bed, probably out of plywood, for the storage underneath. A 48 inch piece of plywood won't have any seams. One of the many advantages building your own bed has over a futon.
Bob