My Van Design Plan - Thoughts?

[JackD]

I made a blueprint of the van I hope to build in the coming years. I'm wondering what thoughts the experienced vandwellers here have on the design.

Here is a link to my design. I have comments on the side further describing what is shown in the image and how I plan to use the van. To see which item the comment pertains to, hover over it.

Please respond to this post with your advice.

Thanks for your help!​

 

[highdesertranger]

looks good. is that glass over the bed like a big sky light? highdesertranger

 

[Luisafernandes]

Hi. I would like to see it but can't with my iPhone. Maybe you can post a picture or upload it some different way?

 

[JackD]

looks good. is that glass over the bed like a big sky light? highdesertranger

Yes, it is. Were you able to see the comments on the right side?

Hi. I would like to see it but can't with my iPhone. Maybe you can post a picture or upload it some different way?

I'll see.

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I uploaded a PDF as an attachment, hopefully it's viewable. The added information is not included, so to see that you'll have to use a computer.

 

[Luisafernandes]

If it's in the same link I can't see it, and my phone crashes whenever I try to view it, sorry.

 

[JackD]

Sorry about that, I have it as a normal image now

 

[Luisafernandes]

What type of Van is it, what make? And what's the glass, sunroof?

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You have the fridge up front in the cab area, is it a cooler with ice or a 12v refrigerator? Either way being up front it going to get lots of heat from the windshield. Heat and ice don't mix, ice loses (melts).
You could place it where the two chairs are, behind the driver's seat.
Your bed seems to be very big. Mine is 36" wide by about 6'2" over the wheel wells. It's more than I need, but feels just perfect.

 

[LeeRevell]

No comments visible on my laptop.

 

[sassypickins]

I can open it but I can't find any comments. They are hiding somewhere... That looks like a fun program and you have some interesting ideas. Hope you continue to share them!

 

[JackD]

I don't know exactly what kind of refrigerator I will use, but that heat may be an issue... keep the window down?

I made an updated version of the image with the added information from my comments pasted at the bottom, should answer anyone's questions.

I believe the comments are not visible to anyone because of my sharing settings on the file. No matter now.

 

[Luisafernandes]

I don't know exactly what kind of refrigerator I will use, but that heat may be an issue... keep the window down?

I made an updated version of the image with the added information from my comments pasted at the bottom, should answer anyone's questions.

Are you going to be stealth? Then the refrigerator in the passenger seat is a dead giveaway. Unless you have thermal curtains covering the windshield and side windows you'll have a problem with heat.

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Your dimensions are off too. You should narrow down what make you want (more or less), or do this: pick a few you might be interested in and go out to a dealership with pen and paper and measuring tape and get the dimensions for yourself. The only way to make sure they are right.

 

[JackD]

No, not planning on stealth.

I'll do more research into the refrigeration problem.

 

[Luisafernandes]

Ok, looks like I was right, you want to create a sunroof. Very nice, but big problems[emoji26]
1-you won't be stealth
2-you're going to increase the heat inside (unless you can cover it somehow).
3-you're also going to increase the cold coming in.
4-if you want to install solar panels in the future you'll have much less room to do so.
5-all of the above and probably more I forgot.

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And you're going to have up to four people in the van. Sounds fun, till you do it for a while. I've never done it, but I'm sure others will tell you it won't be easy.

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Having said all that, it's your van, do it right, but do it your way[emoji106]

 

[pseudo_mccoy]

I dig your blueprints. Have you considered using a 3D modeling program? Sketchup Make is free and not that difficult to learn. I had some success with it when I was planning my build (and I'm not the brightest crayon in the box). Where are you going to put your battery bank? That's one thing I overlooked. I imagine it will take a fair amount of juice to run the fridge, but I don't know much about electricity. Personally, I quickly gave that idea up for a cooler because all the travel fridges I researched had deal-breaking faults. Not sure what you have up your sleeve though.

I like the idea of a sunroof and hope you can pull it off, but yeah it sounds tricky for all the reasons Luis mentioned. What if you could open it fully so you could stand up? That could be epic. Just spitballin' here. Looking forward to seeing your plan come to life.

 

[JackD]

Wow, somehow SketchUp didn't cross my mind. I've used it a little before, and I could definitely make a good design in that. For yours, did you work on a premade model of a van or did you make a one from boxes?

 

[Almost There]

Well, since you asked for my thoughts..lol..I don't like to rain on anyone's parade but IMO you are going to run into problems on the road.

That glassed roof is going to be a big problem - it's going to make the van into a sauna in the summer and an icebox in the winter. Over top of the bed is also going to be a problem if you want to sleep later than earliest light. Our van people during the hippy time also found out that a sun roof over the bed was almost a guarantee of a wet bed...leaks and ooopsies (left open and it rains) made them a bad idea.

The seats turned sideways will also most likely cause a problem. People looking out the side windows for any amount of time, particularly at highway speeds are much more prone to car sickness than those looking ahead.

As someone who has taken multiple road trips with more than 2 people in a van, let me assure you that we never managed more than 2 on that size bed while the other two were driver and navigator. If you're planning on actually 'living' in the van with more than 2, it WILL get old really quick.

The design concept is sleek and somewhat futuristic but you've gotten relatively little necessities and luxury for a large amount of space. Cupboard/closet space is minimal, there's no porta-potty so overnight stays are going to be difficult and heaven help you if you're all stuck inside the van on a rainy day.

I think you can do a much more functional design.

 

[rvwandering]

Very good points brought up by Almost There. All of these things could be big problems if you're planning on spending a lot of time living or traveling in the van. I'm guessing that you have a very specific use for the van and your plan is custom tailored just for that reason. If that's the case we might be able to give better advice if you can give us a little more information about how you'll be using it.

 

[Seraphim]

I saw the comments just fine on my iPad.

Don't see any particular flaws. With five people in the bed, where are the other two going to be when the vehicle is in motion? Or is that not an issue?

 

[JackD]

Okay, it's awesome to hear so much advice. I have been given a lot of helpful questions to answer, and I'm going to do some re-working to my designs.

For now, I'll address what I can.

Almost There:
The huge sunroof will have both a thin curtain to dim the light coming in, and a thick insulating blanket to regulate heat. We plan to be awake until tired and to have no sleeping schedule in general. Hopefully that works out, if not we'll have to leave the window covered with the insulation at night.
Due to the lack of sleeping schedule, there will rarely be more than three people in bed at one time, and if someone is having issues with space they will be invited to use a sleeping bag on the floor or across the seats.
I have to agree about the sideways seats causing carsickness problems. There will be curtains for every window in the car, so the window could probably be covered at any time. We are sure to do plenty of test runs before trying to leap into a huge roadtrip though, so problems like that can be worked out along the way.
You are also right that I have not really planned out any necessities. I did not mark out where anything but the refrigerator is going, and at this point that's probably moving too. In a future update I will show the planned height of the under-bed storage. There should be ample space with the planned elevation of the bed. Hopefully the porta-potty does not end up under there.

Seraphim:
Thanks for the feedback, I believe people were having trouble with comments due to a sharing setting on my side, not a platform issue. It should be fixed for everyone now.
Since posting this design the first thing I realized I need to change is the seating. There will be five of us total, including driver and navigator. I will be using a large four-person seat instead of the two seats currently depicted.

Karen:
I do have plans that are probably different than a typical vandweller's, but I have not fully worked them out yet and they aren't that specific. I will eventually make an updated post with more in-depth designs, and will hopefully get even better advice.


Thank you everyone for your thoughts, whether directly helpful or just nice.
I will do further planning and create a new post with better depictions within 30 days at most.
For anyone as excited about this van as I am, I'll have to ask you to be patient. This project will likely not begin in physical form for at least two year from now. It's sad, but I'm not exactly funded to buy and modify a large cargo van yet as a high school sophomore. Hang in there with me.

 

[highdesertranger]

here is a question. where do you plan to source the automotive glass for the sun roof? isn't it going to have to be curved to match the roof line of the van? that's one big piece of custom glass. moisture is going condense on that like nobody's business. highdesertranger.