Van Conversion POC

[ahh_me2]

A view in the front cab area, again it actually blends in quite well, you have to get up close to really see in the van and wonder what it is all about.



Sliding side door, I have brown curtains, brown painted wood and the van is brown...you really have to look when you drive by this vehicle, and even then, it just doesn't stand out.
The sliding door does need to be restrained while driving though.



View to the rear on the inside, so you can see the electrical boxes.
As I mentioned earlier, I had dismantled my machine shop room and these electrical boxes with cables were part of that setup, so I am simply repurposing them and installing them as is in the van for now.

My goal was to test a proof of concept at no cost, and at this point the only purchases made were for the vapor barrier and the Tuck Tape to seal it, so about $40

Also notice the register in the lower left hand corner, this is a fresh air intake. The register has an adjustable flap in it.



Looking forward in this view, you can see the small window in the larger frame. This is mainly a winter module, in order to maximise the insulation factor. During other seasons I will have different modules that can be dropped into that frame, one in particular is an AC unit, that I already posted a pic in another thread on this forum.
Notice the "mudroom" in the lower right, dirty wet footwear can go there!
Also the register cover to the right of the window, again with a flap in it, it vents up through the wall to exhaust into the cab area without providing any light going through.

Also notice on the right, the sliding door is in it's closed position.

 

[ahh_me2]

I just want to add a few comments on this build.

POC - Proof of Concept, is to find out if this level of insulation will be adequate in my area as the winters are quite harsh and cold. The goal was not to make something pretty, as I was reusing old materials so the whole thing is pretty much disposable.
With traditional wood framing and insulation similar to a house, there is a lot of space that is lost.
For example at approx 4" per surface, wall, floor or ceiling, I lose 8" in each direction. That is a lot!
The added weight is another factor to consider.

This will be used mainly for Urban Boondocking this summer, and I have shore power available at the 3 locations I expect to be parking it at.
No provisions will be made for a kitchen area at this point because I can manage kitchen resources at two of the locations I will be at.

I started this build last summer and was in a hurry to get it done for winter, since I lucked out and don't have to move into it until the end of March, I was able to find many resources on the internet, this fine forum being one of them, and was able to learn a lot about vandwelling etc.

I figure what I really need for the longer term would be a 7' or 8' X 12' or 14' Cargo trailer.
But I will wait a month or so and live(sleep) in this van to get a better feel for things.

 

[JannaB]

A view in the front cab area, again it actually blends in quite well, you have to get up close to really see in the van and wonder what it is all about.



Sliding side door, I have brown curtains, brown painted wood and the van is brown...you really have to look when you drive by this vehicle, and even then, it just doesn't stand out.
The sliding door does need to be restrained while driving though.



View to the rear on the inside, so you can see the electrical boxes.
As I mentioned earlier, I had dismantled my machine shop room and these electrical boxes with cables were part of that setup, so I am simply repurposing them and installing them as is in the van for now.

My goal was to test a proof of concept at no cost, and at this point the only purchases made were for the vapor barrier and the Tuck Tape to seal it, so about $40

Also notice the register in the lower left hand corner, this is a fresh air intake. The register has an adjustable flap in it.



Looking forward in this view, you can see the small window in the larger frame. This is mainly a winter module, in order to maximise the insulation factor. During other seasons I will have different modules that can be dropped into that frame, one in particular is an AC unit, that I already posted a pic in another thread on this forum.
Notice the "mudroom" in the lower right, dirty wet footwear can go there!
Also the register cover to the right of the window, again with a flap in it, it vents up through the wall to exhaust into the cab area without providing any light going through.

Also notice on the right, the sliding door is in it's closed position.

That is a great build!  Did you by chance weigh the van before and when you are done? I would be interested in the weigh.
JannaB

 

[ahh_me2]

Thanks!

I'm afraid I did not weigh it...

I know the lumber adds significant weight, so if one traveled a lot, it probably wouldn't get great gas mileage.

But then again, pulling a trailer reduces mileage also, so I guess the one unit self contained aspect might still be worth doing all things considered.

 

[MikeRuth]

I'd guess about 300 to 350 lbs with all that wood.

 

[LeeRevell]

I'd hate to lose that much internal space, but for what you need, it looks to be quite workable. Very interested in seeing the final product!

 

[ahh_me2]

Yeah, losing all that "valuable" space kinda sucks, but the trade off is in the heat retention.

Next step is to get the bed built, I can't quite lie straight across the back which would be the ideal situation.
I also don't want to lie lengthwise as it eats up too much space.

I ran a test the other day and found that if I ran the bed at an angle in the rear, about 45 degrees, I could lie straight if I wanted to, it would open up a small triangular cubbyhole into which I could build a vertical shelving system, and it would also allow me access to the vent in the bottom corner of the rear door/hatch. It would also open up more space along the drivers side wall.

I also have to figure out something for a mattress, haven't decided the best course of action on that yet.

I bought some low profile clear totes the other day that have some built in vents in the lids, I figure my daily clothes can be packed in there, and can be stored under the bed. I've also been debating the bed height, do I need it to be used as a
sitting station? If so it has to be low enough so my head doesn't touch the ceiling, but that would seem to waste a lot of space.

SO I think what I'll do is to assemble the bed frame, and play with different heights to get a feel for overall space, comfort etc.

I'm at about T minus 26-27 days to move in to it, so I gotta get some of these things figured out fairly quick.

 

[ahh_me2]

Well, I've been living in the van now for a couple of weeks, haven't really done much to it.
I put in a bed, a desk area for the laptop and a long shelf for cooking some basics, mainly breakfast.

What I had formerly called a "mudroom", is now occupied by a small 1.6 cu ft dorm fridge, it helps to keep the
beer cold in the evening, and stores enough food for breakfast the following morning.

I had picked up some of the smaller totes, and set the bed height to give just enough clearance for them.
I have 4 of the small totes, 2 contain clothes(clean), 1 contains dry food and snacks, and the last one is for dirty clothes.
I had decided early on that I needed my coffee maker for the morning drinks, and I figured I could get by with a hot plate and a toaster.
I have 2 - 15 A circuits run in from shore(my work place, at the back), so I'm fortunate in being able to access that power.
I run an electric heater on one circuit and the small fridge runs on the other one. When I make coffee or am cooking, I simply disconnect the heater if it's in use.

Since I had very little experience with foam mattresses, and I was throwing out my couch when I moved out of the basement suite at the end of March,
I decided to keep the couch cushions and try them for a mattress. They are about 5-6 inches thick and have a zippered heavy fabric cover.
I had also bought a lounge chair cushion for $40 and set it on top of the couch cushions.
Well, I found that way too soft and uncomfortable. I ended up finding a camping foam 3 inches thick about the same size as the lounge chair cushion and since it was only $30 it was a no brainer for testing. Turns out that combo works really well for me, and I sleep very comfortably!
Sure beats spending a couple hundred on some big foam only to find out I don't like it!

Here are a few pics: oh and I forgot I put some shelves higher up to clear up some floor space:




Now since this was originally designed to find out if I could adequately insulate for our very cold winters here, I wasn't too concerned about such a small space for living. But as I got closer to moving into it, I realized I would really prefer something bigger.
I had toyed with the idea of a cargo trailer, and kept a daily watch on our local ads for sale in case some extraordinary deal popped up, I even thought i might cut off the roof on the van and extend it up by about 30 inches while adding an extra foot of overhang at the rear, and adding an extra 3 ft towards the front (over the cab) but just wasn't sure which way I was going to go.

Last week a buddy of mine sent me an ad and said I should jump on it, which I did!
What this means is I Probably won't do much more on this van because I have a new structure to start a fresh build with, and it is much more spacious!

 

[flying kurbmaster]

what did you get? can't wait to see what you plan to do with it, before and after pictures are always fun. I think the only thing you are missing in your van other then a bit more space is a comfortable chair to lounge in. perhaps a hammock would work.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

You have some great ideas in this build... some I have not seen before. Love the window in the bulkhead wall.

Great job. I know that took a ton of work.

 

[ahh_me2]

You know, most people like big comfy chairs to lounge in, I'm the exception lol, so the office chair you sort of see is just fine for me!
Space is definitely an issue though.

Well, I wouldn't want to hijack my own thread now would I? :angel:

So I'll have to start a new thread somewhere, as I do have some pics to show, and it's the beginning of an exciting new adventure, I hope!

 

[ahh_me2]

You have some great ideas in this build... some I have not seen before. Love the window in the bulkhead wall.

Great job. I know that took a ton of work.

Thanks!

The 3 things I really like in this build are: the side sliding door, the rear removable back wall/window section, and the opening in the front bulkhead which allows me to modularize if you will, or simply test different ideas.

While I do have to live "in the box", I like to think "outside of it" as much as possible!