Hello Everyone!
Here's a really quick write up on my Xterra build to maybe spark a few ideas for your own project. It's not perfect, but I have been in
it for over 2 months now and it has worked out very well for my needs.
Started by taking the seats out to see what I was working with and I used the same seat bolts to bolt down the joist hangers. Using a titanium drill bit I drilled holes in the bottom of the joist hangers large enough to fit the 17mm bolts. Towards the rear hatch I put 2 1/2" L braces to screw into the 2x4's. With the seats out there seemed to be more of a hollow echo so I used silicone in the holes I didn't use and put Dynamat down to help with the noise.
I started with a 2x8 in the front that I screwed down. Eventually i'll have to notch out an inch or so for the 2x4's to lay level.
I used 3/4" Plywood which was the strongest subfloor material from The Home Depot and what the research that I did plywood was stronger, lighter, and safer to sleep on than OSB. The cuts are sloppy as I did all my cuts with a cheap Black and Decker jigsaw. The hinges I used were continuous hinges from The Home Depot that I cut to size with a hack saw. The platform was screwed in to the floor joists with 2" screws.
This is the finished platform at the moment. I used a $5 3 qt stainless steel mixing bowl from Walmart for the sink and a $20 pump faucet from amazon. I'll have to add some pictures of the fresh and grey water tanks, but for the fresh water I used a 2 gal weed sprayer tank that I can use for a shower with decent water pressure. The cabinet was made from 3/4" birch and the counter top and doors were cheap $.99 leftovers from IKEA. There is a 16lb magnetic latch holding the doors shut.
Here's a really quick write up on my Xterra build to maybe spark a few ideas for your own project. It's not perfect, but I have been in
it for over 2 months now and it has worked out very well for my needs.
Started by taking the seats out to see what I was working with and I used the same seat bolts to bolt down the joist hangers. Using a titanium drill bit I drilled holes in the bottom of the joist hangers large enough to fit the 17mm bolts. Towards the rear hatch I put 2 1/2" L braces to screw into the 2x4's. With the seats out there seemed to be more of a hollow echo so I used silicone in the holes I didn't use and put Dynamat down to help with the noise.
I started with a 2x8 in the front that I screwed down. Eventually i'll have to notch out an inch or so for the 2x4's to lay level.
I used 3/4" Plywood which was the strongest subfloor material from The Home Depot and what the research that I did plywood was stronger, lighter, and safer to sleep on than OSB. The cuts are sloppy as I did all my cuts with a cheap Black and Decker jigsaw. The hinges I used were continuous hinges from The Home Depot that I cut to size with a hack saw. The platform was screwed in to the floor joists with 2" screws.
This is the finished platform at the moment. I used a $5 3 qt stainless steel mixing bowl from Walmart for the sink and a $20 pump faucet from amazon. I'll have to add some pictures of the fresh and grey water tanks, but for the fresh water I used a 2 gal weed sprayer tank that I can use for a shower with decent water pressure. The cabinet was made from 3/4" birch and the counter top and doors were cheap $.99 leftovers from IKEA. There is a 16lb magnetic latch holding the doors shut.
