Week 2 - Stripping The Van

It’s the second week and work has begun. It is destructive rather than constructive though so far as I am going to work removing the shelves in the rear doorway. They were fitted pretty well and put up a good fight but they eventually yielded to my good friend the claw-hammer!

 I now have a blank canvas to work with and I can start to think about what I am going to do. I have experience of using a number of CAD systems so I can use this to draw up plans and give myself a helping hand in laying out the interior. Whether it ends up anything like this only time will tell but it's a good start.

 There is an old caravan falling apart in our garden at the moment which is soon to be scrapped so my first priority is to strip it down to the bare bones for anything which I might need/want. There is not much of any real use as the battery and zig are shot, the fridge and oven are broken, the beds and cushions are home to lots of bugs, and sink has a big crack in it. There were a few minor bits to come out though:

•  A Calor propane gas bottle – 3/4 full
•  Double and single mains plug sockets complete with flex and sealed boxes
•  A table with locking leg and wall fitting bracket
•  One small bedside cabinet with drawer
•  A fire extinguisher with wall bracket
•  A few small hinges and handles

Looking back, I am glad that I decided to create most of my interior from scratch as it meant I was making what I wanted, not simply fitting in what I could find on the cheap. My general philosophy for the project is to keep it simple, personal, and practical. There might be a few exceptions but I would advise this mantra for anyone taking on a similar challenge for the first time, especially if you have a limited budget. As a result, I settled on the following design rules:

• Sleeps 3-4 people – Comfort is not a huge issue but this immediately halved the amount of usable space in the van.
• Keep to 12v where possible – Leisure batteries are 12v and changing up to mains voltage (through an inverter) is inefficient and more complicated.
• Power from the van and from hook-up – I want the ability to charge the leisure batteries when the van is running as well as from a campsite.
• Use a simple hob and sink – Keeps cooking and cleaning easy without the power needed for an oven or microwave.
• Limit unnecessary mod-cons – No heater, no fridge, no shower, no toilet. (With hindsight, a toilet and a small fridge would have been worthwhile fitting).
• A flexible layout – Adjustable furniture to make the best use of space.

On with the build...