Well, after about 18 months of pondering and planning, re-planning and re-pondering, I've taken the first step to nomadhood with the purchase of a 1990 Hino Rainbow. Now the fun bit starts with deciding on the layout, power, solar, water, etc with the aim of being ready to hit the road towards the end of next year once I reach the magic retirement age. Looking forward to (metaphorically) bumping into some of the characters that make up this great forum.
Joe
kiwijims said
01:57 AM Apr 19, 2014
Howdy Joe,
After having built a Motor Home, I would say that you have taken the first very small step.
If you sit down now and add up the total cost of building including all fittings, appliances, and electrical work,
you will probably have a heart attack.
By all means, plan out your layout, where you want everything to go, use heaps of paper, as there will be tons of measurements,
then just go for it, one stage at a time.
It can be a very daunting task and at times you will be chasing advise for sure, if you get to know a good Caravan repairer near you,
get friendly with him as no doubt, you will see a lot of each other.
When we built our Coaster Bus, I took the risk and purchased many items off E Bay,
luckily for me the people I dealt with were all honest and I managed to save many hundreds of Dollars by doing so.
One example was a new H.W.S. I scored a brand new Gas / Elec Suburban unit, for around $650 with free delivery from Sydney to Perth,
The same unit here in Perth cost over $1000 . so you can see, you can save a heap if you check out the seller first and make sure they aren't a Member of the "Fly-by-night" Club.
oldbobsbus said
06:34 AM Apr 19, 2014
Welcome to the club...
We have now built 5 motorhomes from scratch..
The first one was a Hino AC140 that was fully fitted out but I didn't like the lay out so after 3 attempts I was reasonably happy with it and decided we wanted a slightly bigger bus so we sold it and started again...
Since then we have always bought retired school buses which gave us a clean slate to start with..
We usually have a fair idea of the things we need in it and their size (Stove, sink, shower, Pantry, Beds etc) so we mark them out on the floor and then shift them around untill we are happy with the lay out..
Good luck and feel free to ask for help anytime you like.
The Phantom said
08:02 AM Apr 19, 2014
Joe
Take plenty of photos of each step as you do it.
You'll love looking back on your endeavours in later years
The Phantom
GaryKelly said
08:42 AM Apr 19, 2014
I love it when people buy a vehicle that's older than mine, Joe. Hehe. But seriously, I can't claim to have built my own rig but I have made a lot of improvements to it over time which has resulted in a lot of satisfaction. It's a good thing to be involved in your dream as much as possible. As the Phantom says, take lots of pics and document the progress. Have fun with the learning curve!
Dougwe said
11:08 AM Apr 19, 2014
That just sounds fantastic Joe, I sure hope things go as you plan and you get to save some $$$$ as you go along.
I reckon if you total things now to an estimate you would not go ahead so maybe just go with it. I know if I totalled my trips each time I would stay at base camp so I just go with the flow.
Joe50 said
09:59 PM Apr 19, 2014
Thank you all for your replies and encouragement. Due to some recent health issues I plan to have most of the conversion done professionally, although I will be specifying some of the major items such as the layout, solar, batteries, fridge etc.
Happy travels and stay safe
werkin said
10:06 PM Apr 19, 2014
Good on you Joe and hope those health issues don't hold you back too much ,keep us up to date with your conversion
cheers
di and greg
Ontos45 said
09:49 AM Apr 20, 2014
Yep, after much ado Joe's finally lashed out. I have confidence he'll get it all done on time.
Sent him a cheap (free) CAD program that builds a 3D walk-through model as you design your floor plan. Has heaps of furniture to D/L.
Fairly easy to use, just start with a scale rectangle and fill it in.
Joe's been a brick helping out my carer whilst I've been in hospital........thanks Joe!
Joe50 said
11:23 AM Apr 20, 2014
Thanks Di & Greg. Problem is a bulging disk in my back which plays up occasionally, nothing too serious at the moment (touch wood), hope it stays that way. Apart from my project, gotta help Peter (ontos45) get back on his feet and his rig built and ready to roll.
Well, after about 18 months of pondering and planning, re-planning and re-pondering, I've taken the first step to nomadhood with the purchase of a 1990 Hino Rainbow. Now the fun bit starts with deciding on the layout, power, solar, water, etc with the aim of being ready to hit the road towards the end of next year once I reach the magic retirement age. Looking forward to (metaphorically) bumping into some of the characters that make up this great forum.
Joe
Howdy Joe,
After having built a Motor Home, I would say that you have taken the first very small step.
If you sit down now and add up the total cost of building including all fittings, appliances, and electrical work,
you will probably have a heart attack.
By all means, plan out your layout, where you want everything to go, use heaps of paper, as there will be tons of measurements,
then just go for it, one stage at a time.
It can be a very daunting task and at times you will be chasing advise for sure, if you get to know a good Caravan repairer near you,
get friendly with him as no doubt, you will see a lot of each other.
When we built our Coaster Bus, I took the risk and purchased many items off E Bay,
luckily for me the people I dealt with were all honest and I managed to save many hundreds of Dollars by doing so.
One example was a new H.W.S. I scored a brand new Gas / Elec Suburban unit, for around $650 with free delivery from Sydney to Perth,
The same unit here in Perth cost over $1000 . so you can see, you can save a heap if you check out the seller first and make sure they aren't a Member of the "Fly-by-night" Club.
Welcome to the club...
We have now built 5 motorhomes from scratch..
The first one was a Hino AC140 that was fully fitted out but I didn't like the lay out so after 3 attempts I was reasonably happy with it and decided we wanted a slightly bigger bus so we sold it and started again...
Since then we have always bought retired school buses which gave us a clean slate to start with..
We usually have a fair idea of the things we need in it and their size (Stove, sink, shower, Pantry, Beds etc) so we mark them out on the floor and then shift them around untill we are happy with the lay out..
Good luck and feel free to ask for help anytime you like.
Joe
Take plenty of photos of each step as you do it.
You'll love looking back on your endeavours in later years
The Phantom
I reckon if you total things now to an estimate you would not go ahead so maybe just go with it. I know if I totalled my trips each time I would stay at base camp so I just go with the flow.
Happy travels and stay safe
Good on you Joe and hope those health issues don't hold you back too much ,keep us up to date with your conversion
cheers
di and greg
Sent him a cheap (free) CAD program that builds a 3D walk-through model as you design your floor plan. Has heaps of furniture to D/L.
www.sweethome3d.com/
Fairly easy to use, just start with a scale rectangle and fill it in.
Joe's been a brick helping out my carer whilst I've been in hospital........thanks Joe!