Last September (2012) was the commencement of building in
the living accommodations in "My McVansion." I began building in my
'94 Ford E150, high-top conversion van. I got just so far then I decided to
spend time living with the basic plan I had put together. After several months
I determined I wasn't happy with the original plan, so I had some hauling to do
and that gave me a good reason to strip it out and start from scratch.
This weekend was the appointed time. Of course, I appointed
the time. All my hauling is complete. I removed some remaining steel plates and
anchors on the floor. They were installed by the original van conversion
company to secure the rear seats and couch that I will never reinstall in the
van. I plugged the holes in the floor with nylon plugs and automotive silicone
sealant. So once again, I found myself ready to start building in.
The following photos document this weekend's work.
Here you can see how the forward 2/3 of the bunk platform is hinged and easily raised to allow full access to the storage below. |
I'm very tired. It was very hot outside so I got to build up
a good sweat. I have some new calluses, a few bruises, got to verbalize a
number of expletives, ache all over and . . . feel great. There's something
very fulfilling when you get something significant accomplished, no matter how
many calluses, bruises, aches and how sweaty you got.
So, what's next? I'll build in a chest of drawers on the
passenger side. I'll also build an enclosure that will house a porta-potty with
a built-in holding tank. It will only be used for convenience reasons when
public facilities aren't readily available. On the driver's side of the van,
between the bunk and the back of the driver's seat I'll install a small, basic
galley. It will include a small refrigerator, a small microwave oven, a storage
unit for dry, non-refrigerated food and cooking/eating utensils and a small
two-burner propane stove.
I'll also be adding black out window covers, 12-volt DC and
110 volt AC power receptacles and LED lighting. My desk/workstation area will
be wired and set up to operate efficiently and be connected to the Internet
with public wifi or my own wifi from my wireless phone/data service.
Additionally, I'll be changing out the radio for a state-of-the-art unit that
will not only provide the standard AM/FM/CD and mp3 capability, but also
Sirius/XM radio.
The cockpit will also be equipped with GPS capabilities
provided by my new Hisense Sero Pro 7 tablet, other electronic navigation
through the tablet and my smartphone and a dash-mounted video camera. And,
since I've been an amateur radio operator for the past 54 years, I'll have
on-board ham radio equipment, CB, FRS/GMRS radio, as well as the prerequisite
wireless phone service.
I'm also planning to have a Fan-tastic fan installed in the
fiberglass roof. I don't feel confident in doing that installation myself, so
I'll that done by someone else who has both the experience and tools.
It appears that I'm going to have considerably more storage
than I originally thought I would. The under bunk storage will be used for
various things I won't need very often. The storage space in the rear of the
van under the back part of the bunk and under the desk will be the location for
the deep cycle battery bank used to provide the "house" 12 volt DC
and the 110 volt AC with an size appropriate inverter. I may eventually include
a small generator (Yamaha or similar) for AC power and to charge the batteries.
Something else I'm very interested in adding to "My
McVansion" is solar power. I count it as very fortunate that I have a few
friends in the van dwelling community who are extremely knowledgeable and
experienced with solar power systems. Additionally, I've read all Bob's
information in his book and on the www.cheaprvliving.com and
www.cheapgreenrvliving.com sites. Solar is a way to keep those house batteries
charged during sunny days and don't have access to shore power.
Of course, I will be doing some interior finishing as I move
forward to make the space more homey. I am having a custom cover made for my
5" memory foam mattress. Workspace counters will most likely receive a
liberal coating of polyurethane. A blackout drape will be installed between the
cockpit and the living area.
The only thing I may miss is air conditioning. Neither air
conditioning nor use of a microwave oven is realistic without shore AC power.
So, I'll have to think about using the microwave - short bursts only. Since I
plan to spend winters in the warmer southern and southwestern regions and
summers in the northern and higher regions, I'm hoping I won't need or, at
least, miss air conditioning. Time will tell.
7 comments:
Excellent start!
Thanks, Linda --
I hope the second start is a charm. I'm pleased with this part, so far. Much sturdier than I thought it would be.
Cheers,
Ed
Hi Ed. What kind of height do you have in your van? I'm shopping rigs now, but at 5'11" I'm not sure a conversion van has enough height for standing room.
HI Wayne,
My van is about 5'8" in the center section behind the driver and passenger seats. At my age, I've shrunk down to right about 5'7", so it's actually very workable for me. It gets a little lower as I move to toward the read, so I have to hunch over a tiny bit in the back. But, since, by design, my floor plan has me either sitting or laying down in the rear section, it's not really an issue. You can find taller raised roof conversion vans, but you will have to really search for one. In '78 I had a standard height roof in a factory conversion van and it got old either being on my knees or bending at the waist to walk in the back. So, even at 5'11" you'll find 5'7" a huge improvement over a standard height van.
Good luck in your search and let me know when you find one and what to do with yours.
Enthusiastically,
Ed
Thanks Ed!
glad to see you're getting to work on this. looks good so far. I'm amazed you can squeeze a desk in. I' still trying to find room for one in my motor home.
Thanks Jane,
That was the problem with my last layout. I got it partially built in and didn't love it - it wasn't working as I wanted it to. This is still going to be VERY compact, but it should provide a compact and reasonably efficient, usable workstation. I'm also ending up with more usable storage that I would have had in the last layout. Trial and error! Slow and steady! Yada! Yada! I'm sure, like everyone else, I'll end up making some changes and refinements after I've been on the road with it for a while.
Cheerio,
Ed
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