/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.491800]

I'd like to live in a van down by the river, But I do not have any knowledge or experience how to make a vandwelling. Would you guys have some ideas? Something like this.

[Anonymous No.491827]

All I can think of, OP.

Please tell me that was on purpose.

[foxfire No.491830]

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/18rkd1/i_am_a_dude_thats_been_living_in_a_van_for_about/

http://frugaling.org/living-in-a-van/

There one was an AMA by a college girl living in a Dodge Sprinter on campus parking, but I can't find it.

[Anonymous No.491838]

Seal it with polyethylene sealant as if you are making a submarine, water is the enemy.
Don't forget weight is a constraint.
also there are a few gas water electrical regulations

12mm ply for cabinetry is good
might be able to get flat water tanks from a cv spare parts center
Roll down beds are a good way to save space

[Anonymous No.491846]

sorry polyurethane sealant

[Anonymous No.491849]

Here is some inspiration.

http://www.mp3car.com/show-off-your-project/116423-volkswagen-transporter-t5-pimping.html

[Anonymous No.491994]

>>491800

Is that you, Hammond?

[Anonymous No.492005]

I've spent a good deal of time vanning, I have a 4 wheel drive ford aerostar that I built up and I can offer a few tips I learned from the experience.
1. Get a high top, being able to stand up inside is key to being comfortable
2. build your setup around what you plan to store, I have a slide out drawer that serves as my kitchen and I built the height of the bed to fit the bins and stove that slide under
3. Use the smallest wood you can for framing, saves space and weight, 2x2's work fine, and are cheap but if you watch craigslist's free section you can find free hardwood that can be as small as 1x2 and still plenty strong
4. vans are hard to work on because of where the engine is, simple belt changes or spark plug replacements can take special tools and cost 300 dollars plus at a shop, buy something reliable
5. catalytic heaters like the mr. buddy work great and wont kill you if you're smart
6. buy a van with as few windows as possible to protect against theft, plus its way easier to insulate and make private
7. if you have windows you don't use (like the one behind the drivers door, spray paint it, comes off easy if you ever want to sell
8. vans with rain gutters make attaching things way easier (like racks and boxes)

that's just some stuff off the top of my head. If I did it again I would build either a chevy express/GMC savannah. Lots of options in engines, size, and 2wd vs, awd... I'd probably do an extended 2wd with the 5.3L vortec v8, decent mileage, tons of space, and you can always put a winch and rear locker on it if you wanna go too far off road.

On the smaller side, westies are great and do the job fine if you're into them, and awd astro's are awesome little vans too.

I'm currently building a custom 18' toyota sunrader, but I also looked into astro tiger's, and older toyota chinooks too, both viable options if you wanna step up your game.

[Anonymous No.492030]

Thanks for the info guys. Would it be viable to apply these tips to a houseboat or a tiny home as well? They are also some options I'm looking at.

[Anonymous No.492049]

>>491849
Dat project..wow!

If you've got good DIY skills and can get mates to help out, like he did with the welding and CAD, you can really get things exactly how you want them and cheaply too.

[Anonymous No.492060]

Get on my level, fuckwads.

[Anonymous No.492081]

>>492030
I am >>492005 and yeah, most of the stuff if pretty cross compatible, if you're looking to go full time into a van/boat/tiny house, I would start doing research on powering things. Solar is getting cheaper and cheaper, and 12/24 volt systems aren't that hard to build. I've got a buddy who works for a solar installer and he said he could make my van completely autonomous for about 2k. Propane is another great power source, it'll cook, heat, and run refrigerators but you trade the lower initial costs than solar for continued costs down the line.

The best way to cheaply get a feel for something like this is to figure out the kind of space you plan on having in your van/boat/tiny house and then basically live in that amount of space wherever you're living now. Use boxes, build a little fort in your bedroom and do everything in it, eat, sleep, brush your teeth, cook, read, hangout, everything.... it sounds dumb but that's the best way to realize what you do and don't need before sinking a bunch of money into something like this.

If youre interested I'll take some pictures of my setup and post them to give you some more ideas

[Anonymous No.492182]

>>492049
Too bad I don't have anybody...

What kind of equipment and knowledge do I need for maximum efficiency, comfort, economy and to follow a etched layout?

[Anonymous No.492186]

>>492060
how to lice in your van and love it... eeewww lice how gross

[Anonymous No.492202]

>>491800

What model van is that OP?

[Anonymous No.492218]

>>491849
I like that layout. I would have the bed split down the middle so the left part could go vertical against the wall and the right part could slide left. Then you would have a bench to face a tv or kitchenette in that cabinet.

[Anonymous No.492221]

>>492182
Eh, I'm willing to bet all of this can be done alone. It's not like you're erecting framework, or building anything bigger than a bread box.

Source: pic related, you got this guy. I built everything with no prior skills or knowledge of what I was doing. Living in it now, and it feels good, man.

[Anonymous No.492263]

after high school one of my friends parents were moving away so he came to live with me and we lived in a 26ft trailer parked on the back of another friends lot, it was kind of taxing mostly living in another persons mess in such close quarters, and the maintenance, we bought the junker for 1,100 so it needed serious work and we worked hard and cheap to keep it living. we eventually got and apartment and it was night and day.

[Anonymous No.492565]

>>492202
>pic related.

[Anonymous No.492566]

>>492221
Do you have more pictures? Story?

[Anonymous No.492569]

>>492565
Vandweller, is that you?

[Anonymous No.492661]

>>492221

Where do you park it?

[Pinzfag. No.492675]

I'm trying to trade my car for a van so I can do this. Need to do a 4 hour commute once a week and need a place to stay during said weeks for work/school.

[Pinzfag. No.492684]

>>492661
Where to park is the most fun part about doing this, every night is an adventure.
Being one who is interested in urban exploration I have a ton of spots in mind for myself.
Pretty much as long as you don't stay in the same place for more than a day or two you should be fine.

[Anonymous No.492812]

Here's a good story about a grad student who lived in a van.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/education/edlife/ken-ilgunas-lives-in-a-van-while-a-graduate-student-at-duke-university.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[Anonymous No.492968]

>>492566

I have plenty of pics, but I already posted most of them here already over the span of six months so I'll spare /diy/ the pain of hearing it again.

I'd also hate to thread jack a van thread with a trailer build. only posted to show credentials. as long as op isn't cutting off his roof and making it taller, he should be able to solo the whole thing.

[Anonymous No.492996]

>>491849

Those surfboards that almost look like dildo's on the bottom right.

[Anonymous No.493059]

Why a van an not a RV op ?

[Anonymous No.493069]

>>491800
>I'd like to live in a van down by the river, But I do not have any knowledge or experience how to make a vandwelling. Would you guys have some ideas? Something like this.
I would suggest you go look up forums for the Volkswagen camper vans.

[Anonymous No.493169]

>>493059
I don't need something that big. Plus I'm a small guy, only 5'9".

[Anonymous No.493170]

>>492968
What's the inside like, out of curiosity?

[Anonymous No.493627]

>>493170
it's just a box at the moment. I'm trying to get some flooring ordered, but this town is too small to carry any specialty items like faux wood vinyl planks. I've put in some basic kit furniture for the time being, but I'm in another state and don't have pics on my phone.

[Anonymous No.493631]

>>492221
>those boards sitting on their side at the ends up on the top

[Anonymous No.493666]

>>493631

[Anonymous No.493673]

>>493169
You can get an older (pre80's camper pretty cheap) My wife and I are living in a '92 Prowler at the moment. Doing the full time thing. It's challenging going from brick and mortar housing to a small trailer. You find a lot of the "stuff" you have, you no longer have a need for

[Anonymous No.493721]

>>493631
That's how rafters are normally set.

[Anonymous No.494311]

Got the floor in today, so it shouldn't be too long before I have an actual kitchen and shower area. I'll stop being a bother now.

[Anonymous No.494313]

>>491800
Got this approx. 1 million years ago. Enjoy.

[Anonymous No.494444]

>>494311
anon, you are doing well, keep it up!

[Anonymous No.494454]

>>493631
They are actually running the right way. The rigidity is in the vertical direction. If they were laying flat they would provide fuck all support and deflect under their own way.

The wood thickness that has been used is insufficient though, it needs to be at least doubled and short pieces of the same wood need to be placed in between (horizontally) the vertical supports at varying heights to reduced the moment arm and drastically increase rigidity.

[Anonymous No.494458]

>>494313
Note: the electrical diagram on this image is bullshit. Paralleling 12v and 24v systems? Also the panels should be in a 4 series* 2 parallel configuration.

[Anonymous No.494494]

>>494454
Wasn't shown in the original pic, but I did run 2x4s between the rafters to toughen up the roof a bit.

On another note: I'm running 2x4s on a trailer, where typically 2x2s or 2x3s are the industry standard. The roof should be solid enough to hold some solar panels and keep in general shape for a few centuries.

[Anonymous No.494506]

Get a bus.

[Anonymous No.494513]

Go to bed Elliot.

[Anonymous No.494517]

>>494506
>>494506
>>494506


That is so fucking dope!

[Anonymous No.494545]

>>494517
What this diyk said!

[Anonymous No.494805]

>>494506
Any more pictures?

[Anonymous No.494808]

>>494805
Not my bus.

[Anonymous No.494824]

>>494506

oh. my. god.

[Anonymous No.494855]

>>492081
I would love to see your photos.

[Anonymous No.494890]

>>492684
I remember you, have i seen you by the albertsons on 15th and state?

[Anonymous No.495019]

>>494890
Umm, you might have hit the wrong reply. I'm the trailer guy, and that location matches with a spot I drove past in Boise when I was leaving in the evening time. You wouldn't happen to be one of the guys walking down the street who hooted at me as I drove past, would you? If so, small and slightly freaky world.

[Anonymous No.495039]

>>494855
It's dark now and the van is filled with shit, but I found some old photos that will give you a little bit of an idea. First one is all loaded up to move out west, custom bumper and hitch rack to carry the weight, brand new coil springs and an air bag system under the rear end as well

[Anonymous No.495044]

>>494855
here is the back end, bed with a slide out drawer, lower right on the floor holds a small 500 watt generator and a 20 lb propane tank, above that is a 6 gallon water cube, and above that a small storage compartment for zip locks, utensils, soap, sponges, hand sani, things like that

[Anonymous No.495046]

>>495044
along the side of the bed you can see my clothes cabinet, and below that is a drawer for medicine, batteries, and things I wanted close by when I was sleeping.

This was an old postal service van so it had a bulk head and cages on the windows, which I liked because it meant I could lock down the sleeping area if I was in it or away and not have to worry about theft

[Anonymous No.495048]

>>494855
another pic of the back end, shows the drawer size and how to lift gate doubled as a rain cover. If the wind wasn't blowing I could have the back end open in a downpour and it just barely gets damp

[Anonymous No.495051]

>>494855
Can't find any of the sliding door side, but here is one more of the back end with the kitchen out (cooking stuffed mushrooms on a mountain top in georgia). I propped the drawer up with a 2x4 always meaning to build something more refined, but the 2x4 worked so I never fucked with it

[Anonymous No.495057]

>>494855
Oh, here is one more of the new rig, I'll post all the pictures of the build in my own thread in the next couple weeks, theyre pretty in depth

[Anonymous No.495062]

Fuuuuu, i have an apartment for my self, and is not half as good looking and organized as this vans.

[Anonymous No.495070]

This is beatiful


Knowing that my tax refund was coming, I slackened my Spartan standards: I bought a case of beer, I dined at a restaurant twice, and at the field station I slept in a heated room on a comfortable bed. But treating myself made me feel a strange sense of guilt, as if I’d cut some corner I promised myself I wouldn’t cut. During my third night at the station, beleaguered with self-reproach, I dragged my sleeping bag outside and slept on the pavement under the stars.

I didn’t need these things. The beer, the food or even the bed. I didn’t even really want them. I was buying stuff simply because I could afford it. If you put a man in a country club, he’ll feel the need for a yacht. But if you drop him in the wilderness, his desires will be only those essential to his survival. I had decided not to take out loans for graduate school in part because I knew that if I allowed myself access to easy money, I’d again fall victim to the consumerist trap. I’d be indiscreet with my money. I’d begin to pay for and rely on things I thought I needed but didn’t. I’d lose perspective. I didn’t want to once again be swallowed whole by the dominant culture, accepting its norms and values and desires as my own.

[Anonymous No.495085]

you dont know what you are doing so get a van already kitted out /thread

buy one of a traveler and pay fuck all

[Anonymous No.495164]

>>494506

thats amazing

please share your tales of glory/more pics

[Anonymous No.495253]

>>494313
also
>2.5kw 8000 btu aircon for a van.
U wot m8

[Anonymous No.495862]

bumpy

[hasdafafdadfa No.497670]

yes, bump indeed.

[Anonymous No.497761]

>>492221

i remember your full thread from a while back. its a pity it went 404 because i was interested in how you were doing and if you ever got everything fixed the way you wanted.

you should keep us posted...or at least me...because i think there are some people out there interested.

[Anonymous No.497831]

>>492060
>book about living in your van
>$8.95

[Anonymous No.499362]

bump

[Anonymous No.499365]

>>491827
I want to find whomever makes these fucking captioned GIFs, just so I can fuck their face.
I hate them. They do not add anything, they do not get the whole fucking quote in, and they are just fucking annoying.

FUCK TUMBLR.

[Anonymous No.499883]

>>495070

Or you can live modestly and just invest your money that way if anything bad does happen you won't be screwed over.

[Anonymous No.499888]

I want to live in a van down by the river 2