Winter House

[lowguitar]

So, here's a little taste of what our brothers and sisters further south are missing out on in Colorado!



Alllll Right!



Yeah!



Winter! (sigh)

 

[cyndi]

No snow in MA, but it's freaking cold!

 

[lowguitar]

-2 when I took these, got down to -18 that night.

 

[minimotos95]

Here on Colorado's western slope the coldest we've seen is 5f, the lowest low in the next 10 days is supposed to be 9f.
Not stopping me, I wiill admit it slows down me getting out from under my comforter and slows my commute down a lot.

 

[gypsychic]

Nice gas price. Beats the lowest I've seen in NW Oregon/SW Washington by $0.20 or so. Gotta love these gas prices.
I kinda miss the snow. At least I miss the beauty of it. I don't miss driving in it.

 

[LeeRevell]

I'll take sunny Florida any day......!

 

[SoulRaven]

My winter house is not as opulent as the Edison or Ford estates 20 miles to the south but not bad for 50 bucks.

http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/zmw:33949.1.99999

 

[ganchan]

My winter house is not as opulent as the Edison or Ford estates 20 miles to the south but not bad for 50 bucks.

http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/zmw:33949.1.99999

As an un-handy person facing the prospect of getting an uninsulated cargo van, I think I know where I'll be wintering....

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

insulating is easy, styrofoam panels, box cutter from dollar store, and some duct tape is how i did mine. Measuring tape helps but dont really need it, just keep slicing and taping till its covered.

 

[ganchan]

insulating is easy, styrofoam panels, box cutter from dollar store, and some duct tape is how i did mine. Measuring tape helps but dont really need it, just keep slicing and taping till its covered.

I guess I get intimidated when see these model vans with the beautiful wood paneling overlaying the insulation. I guess I could just apply the styrofoam/bubblewrap/whatever as you did, and then hang some drapes over each wall from a curtain rod near the roof to hide the ugliness quickly and cheaply....

 

[66788]

I guess I get intimidated when see these model vans with the beautiful wood paneling overlaying the insulation. I guess I could just apply the styrofoam/bubblewrap/whatever as you did, and then hang some drapes over each wall from a curtain rod near the roof to hide the ugliness quickly and cheaply....

You could, but how much better would you feel seeing something beautiful and well made every time you wake up?

I don't want perfection, but I do like a finished interior.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

What i did was screw boards on the sides and top, right into the ribs with self tapping screws, then screwed white hardboard (thin paneling) into them to cover the insulation. It wasnt hard, but an extra set of hands helps as the panels are awkward. where are you located maybe some one could help. No one is ever near me but id help if you were lol
Also, cabinets/desk/furniture that blocks the walls mean you dont have to cover the insulation there.

---

i was gonna link you grandma walkers build, very nice step by step and i think she used fabric ...but her great thread became a casualty of the forum migration

 

[ganchan]

What i did was screw boards on the sides and top, right into the ribs with self tapping screws, then screwed white hardboard (thin paneling) into them to cover the insulation. It wasnt hard, but an extra set of hands helps as the panels are awkward. where are you located maybe some one could help. No one is ever near me but id help if you were lol
Also, cabinets/desk/furniture that blocks the walls mean you dont have to cover the insulation there.

---

i was gonna link you grandma walkers build, very nice step by step and i think she used fabric ...but her great thread became a casualty of the forum migration

---

Yeah, I'd probably pay a local handyman to help me out and get things done quicker. The individual steps don't sound that bad, and if I get short of funds halfway through I could put up the insulation first and the paneling later....

 

[SoulRaven]

No amount of insulation is going to help in the freezing rain, sleet, and snow of the north.

Life is just miserable for four months of the year that’s why Florida and Arizona exist.

Fuel is cheap why suffer?

There was a 43-degree low yesterday morning in a colder section of SW Florida.

When I get my National Park Access pass I will be in Flamingo in the Glades NP at $8/day for the month of January where their overnight low yesterday was 55.

As soon as I hit the Florida state line back in November the bursitis in my hip stopped hurting.

 

[Almost There]

Yeah, I'd probably pay a local handyman some money to help me out. The individual steps don't sound that bad, and if I get short of funds halfway through I could put up the insulation first and the paneling later....

Precisely!! It doesn't have to be finished overnight.

And yes, you can live with it with just the insulation done, won't be pretty and you will likely want to get going on it but it can be done.

The key is in the planning. Plan for where you want light fixtures and power outlets (both 110 and 12 V) put in so the wiring goes in before you panel. Plan for where you will need to attach things to the walls so that you put in strapping where it's going to be needed. Plan for what and where everything will go. Don't rush it, sometimes lights go on immediately and sometimes you have to let things gel a bit.

If you have no idea what you want, keep reading here and on peoples blogs and start making notes on the things that hit you as 'yes, I want that'. I grabbed a 3 ring binder and started making notes as I saw things. When I landed here I clicked on some blog links and then found other people's blogs, then more. In particular I went back to the beginning on a few of them where they detailed their own build experiences - it's a way to find out what worked for them and might work for you.

While the whole thing sounds quite intimidating for sure, each individual step tackled separately is actually quite easy.

Yes, sometimes a second set of hands would come in real handy, so you either beg or borrow a set from friends or hire a school kid. OTOH, a piece or two of scrap lumber can make a great brace to hold something in place while you screw it down. I'm not keen on using a circular saw so I'll mostly be using a jig saw or getting the major straight cuts done on large sheets of plywood at Home Depot. They charge for the cuts but do a better job than I could ever do (and fast too!)

There might be some things that you should let a professional handle. For example, there's no way I'm cutting into the roof to put in a vent. That's going to be done by the guy that does my body work for me. I'll hand him the box, show him where I want it and turn my back while he cuts the hole...

People with less skill level than you have to start with have successfully done their own interiors. Remember too, that nothing can't be undone one way or another.

 

[ganchan]

Great info!

I may want something that's fairly easily reversible at first, which would be another argument for leaving the insulation "naked" (or covering it with drapes) until I'm ready to commit to a total conversion. (I hope to be adding a TT at some point, in which case I'd actually be sleeping in that. But who knows....)