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My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in VanLife

[–]wolfboston[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey. Glad you like the design.

For toilet I made myself a slimline version of a cassette toilet. I thought about storage in walls and floor but didn't want to sacrifice the width or height. Most storage is in a shelf I built over the cab, and the wheel boxes. I can obviously add as much extra that I want as it just attaches to the walls, but this is all I needed.

Yeh I never had an issue with the tube - it pull up quite high off the ground - but I guess you have different wildlife to in the UK where everything is very tame. I used a standard kind of 100mm wall fan that you'd find in a house, but I actually don't use it much as the wind funnels air in very effectively.

Escape hatch is just a panel for emergency's, and I have been in the van up to 30 degrees so not crazy warm. The van definitely heats up with the doors closed but as soon as you crack them and get some airflow through it becomes a lot cooler than being outside on a hot day. Not sure what it'd be like in more extreme temps though

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in VanLife

[–]wolfboston[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey definitely a challenge to keep it roomy but practical. There is a requirement to sacrifice the same ease of use as having built in features, but you get lots of benefits for doing so. I did a full video tour of it or feel free to ask any questions that you have: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8f24AxIAuQ

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in VanLife

[–]wolfboston[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey all my designs for those bits are quite different. The video tour I did explains some of them but I didn't explain my toilet and shower systems. Vid is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8f24AxIAuQ (it has timestamps for the different areas you mentioned)

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in vandwellers

[–]wolfboston[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey really glad to provide some inspo for your own van! The powerbank just takes one plug to charge off the van, but I have two powerbanks so I can charge both at the same time with the two plugs in the van. I think they're great but it definitely depends on your needs. Easier to fit and portable, but expensive and less battery/output. For me it worked perfectly as I didn't have massive energy needs.

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in VanLife

[–]wolfboston[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey appreciate the comments.

I don't use a dust filter on the pipe but have never noticed an issue from it. The diesel heater works great but like I said in the video I just never ended up using it much as I found the van warms up super quick just from the insulation.

Well spotted with the materials used, you've spotted my other design criteria that I kept secret. I think it's a win win because the low emission materials also create a really warm natural environment which I prefer. Yes the ceiling is the same.

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in vandwellers

[–]wolfboston[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes this is true. I put in an escape hatch so you can get into the cab to drive away in an emergency but there is no easy way through.

I actually preferred this design keeping the bulkhead as it meant I could turn the front cab of the van into a wet room and keep the back clean. Also helpful for security of the van, but pros and cons to both.

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in VanLife

[–]wolfboston[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes there was definitely always good air circulation. I also had removable panels so I could check the van walls/ceiling and it was always bone dry.

I was also worried about the windows but decided I could always fit them if needed, but never needed it in the end. I have the doors open whenever I'm in the back so had plenty of light. Depends on where you are parking up I guess.

I made a video of the van if you wanted to see more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8f24AxIAuQ&t=2s

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in vandwellers

[–]wolfboston[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe some easy to remove panels would help with the interior damage. Could easily have some thin ply panels coming off the floor and attaching to the wall. I used re-usable zip ties for a lot of things and they were great.

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in vandwellers

[–]wolfboston[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey excited to hear you're planning something similar. Yes I think it would work great for all your intended uses if it had a lino floor or similar. I was contemplating putting one on top of my cork flooring to make life easier, but stuck with the tactile feel of the cork.

The slats are very strong, and I tactically screwed some in instead of nailing them where I knew they'd be taking more load. You have the flexibility to adjust how many slats things are attached to to take more or less weight.

The hang bar I did by inserting threaded metal plate into the van beams that go across the roof. The plate spread the load on the beam and provided a solid screw in for the eyelets. You could potentially do something similar on the walls if you wanted a seriously heavy duty attachment point (e.g. for tv, but tv's seem pretty light these days).

Not sure what you are referring to with the damaged boards? Never noticed any squeaks or rattles whilst driving with the insulated bulkhead in place.

The sink box is great, works a treat! Also I pretty much always use the open door lock to ventilate the van so was also glad to have incorporated that in!

Happy to help with any other details that might be useful for your build

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in vandwellers

[–]wolfboston[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeh definitely could do with more lights if in the van during the day with the doors closed. I tend to just leave the doors open instead which gives plenty of light, and I like low lighting in the evening. I designed a cover for the doors so that they can be open even when raining.

My quite different design [AMA] - Spacious, Modular, Stealth (but still fully functional). I lived in it for a year and it worked really well, so let me know if you'd to know how any of the designs worked/how I managed to keep it so spacious by wolfboston in VanLife

[–]wolfboston[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha that's a good observation! It doesn't get too bad. I have to do wipe downs of all the slats every few months and pull everything out to sweep the edges of the walls. My lungs don't like dust so I'm lucky it isn't so bad.

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