It looks like I will be making some major changes inside my van.
I will take interior photos on Thursday as it is currently packed with boxes of Tassie Fire donations, and I am delivering them to the transport depot on Thursday.
My question today is - what order should I do the following in ?
Lining the van
Electrical work in the van - relocation of lights, power and light switches, and battery and inverter
Cabinetry work in the van - new beds, kitchen area, table, etc.
Air conditioning installed
Fridge installed
I plan on doing as much of this work myself as I possibly can, and to re-use as much of the materials in my van currently as I can, to,reduce costs. I don't mind if I don't have the air conditioning until next summer either.
Thank you all so much for any advice, website links, you tube links etc. you are willing to share with me.
Mate if you have no idea where to start that a bit of a worry if you plan to do it yourself ,For a start you would need a plan of what you want to finish up with , It is like building a house you put plumbing and Electrical where it is need first
Maybe some of these queries should go in Techies corner with a more appropriate heading. That makes it easier to find in search at a later date. Leave out the where to start on every heading as they all look the same and some won't bother going into the thread.
Not meaning to be picky, but a first name, gender and a rough idea of age would help with the queries. I know that might sound strange. But the ones with the answers would have a better idea on how to respond if we knew some of those details.
She signed "Julie" earlier, so it's a lady. A lot of woman really have no idea of the building trade, and I don't mean to be offensive by that statement. She should take her MH to a professional who can answer all the questions rather than spread it out over a number of different threads.
__________________
Retired Airline Pilot and Electrician..
I'm not old, I've just been young a long time....Ken
Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
I am sorry I have upset everyone by putting my post on here.
If this thread can be moved to the correct area, can someone please move it as I have not had any experience with forums before and don't know how to do it.
I am a female, 48 in a few weeks time. I really don't see what that has to do with responding to my post, because if I don't understand something I will certainly ask for clarity until I do.
Having never been fortunate enough to build a house, or indeed even be able to buy a house, I thought my query was quite legitimate as I have no prior experience to call upon regarding changing the layout of the back of my van.
I do have bucket loads of enthusiasm, determination, and the desire to learn, and do as much of the hands on stuff myself as I possibly can, in order to minimise the costs because I don't have the financial means to call in a professional to do the work for me.
And any trades person who works on my van is going to have to be prepared for me to watch what they are doing, and have me ask lots of questions so I can learn as much about my vehicle as I possibly can.
I am not afraid of rolling my sleeves up and getting behind power tools or anything else that I need to in order to get my van how I want it, I am simply after advice so I don't stuff things up.
I've done everything on my own in life so far, including raising my children and surviving cancer, so the back of a van is, as I see it, another challenge that will help me grow as a person and gain more knowledge and skills that I can share with others.
Thank you for the advice given Big Gorilla, especially on my 240V power post, it's fantastic, and for your words of support Blaze, hope to chat with some of those ladies at some stage !
Thanks,
Julie
-- Edited by Where To Next on Wednesday 6th of March 2013 11:42:54 PM
I agree with you Big-Gorilla. As a woman I would want a more detailed answer than the one you would give to a man. Didn't see the Julie. I checked her profile. There is nothing there that would give any indication.
I agree with you Big-Gorilla. As a woman I would want a more detailed answer than the one you would give to a man. Didn't see the Julie. I checked her profile. There is nothing there that would give any indication.
The name Julie is a signature on her first message below.
__________________
Retired Airline Pilot and Electrician..
I'm not old, I've just been young a long time....Ken
Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
why use gender as a responce to any thing. The person has ask for advice, shouldnt matter if is male or femaleand I might add that some of the ladies on here would do a better job than some of the males. I think the headings are good and have been asking legit questions along the lines of the headings cheers blaze
Thats ok Blaze. Maybe they should be in the correct section then. I still think knowing the gender helps a lot. It does for me anyway. If its a female I think I can relate to that. If a male I would think This will be interesting, I might learn something.
Good on you Julie After raising children and beating cancer the renos will be a breeze. Personelly I think you are doing a great job in using the forum as your quesation are being answered. cheers blaze
I am sorry if I upset you Julie. It was just getting confusing to see the same titles all the time. Now that I know more about you I can suggest you should contact Sheba as you live not far apart. Sheba is very good with her knowledge and has her own van which she has decked out herself. Also I am just down the road at Biggenden. May get a chance to catch up when I visit Sheba in April.
Sorry if I offended anyone but as you can see from my reply it certainly did make a difference to know a bit more about Julie.
Hi Julie, One of the easiest ways to find out which way you want to modify the van, is check out vans in used rv (recrecational vehicle) yards. I used to haunt yards for years for ideas. Four vans later, I think I've settled on what works for me.
I usually tell pesty salesman "I'm just checking what's around, incase I decide to upgrade in the future". If they think they're not going to get a sale, they'll usually leave you alone.
If you're usure what you want to do, leave it as is until you decide. Nothing worse than spending money & finding out it's not what you want. For me an essential would be a house battery & 12volt fridge ( I have survived many camping trips, in tents & a camper trailer, with a 30lt waeco). Keep it simple to start with.
The main thing is to get out & enjoy the camping experience. You don't have to travel for hours to enjoy it. I would do 90% of my camping within 2hrs of home, Toowoomba.
Cheers Pete
-- Edited by wasn_me on Thursday 7th of March 2013 08:53:01 AM
It's unfortunate you are not in Tasmania. Not only could I help with the electrical but there is a two man operation here in Launceston who specialize in building Motorhomes. I bought my Iveco as a Van and had them fit it out. I couldn't fault the work, and it was not expensive compared to some of these big Companies specializing in Caravan and MH fitouts.
You need an electrical Contractor, prefereably a one man show as I described to you in another post.
Second you need a first class cabinet maker to do the other work you have described. The electrician and cabinet maker will work in together so all wiring is concealed
The cabinet maker will build in and install the frig, the electrician will install a power point for it.
Google "Dometic" on the web, find out where the nearest installer of aircons is and get a quote. Do this while the cabinet maker is working as they will have to work in together.
Good luck with your project.
Ken.
__________________
Retired Airline Pilot and Electrician..
I'm not old, I've just been young a long time....Ken
Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
