When we bought the van, it came with a protective vinyl floor matting. We decided to keep it & once the floor was insulated we would put it back, then lay a timber floor on top.
We figured the more insulation/protection on the floor the better!
We did have to customise the floor matting a tad, so it would fit back in, around the insulated wheel wells and bed legs.
For the flooring we chose a 6mm Oriented Strand Board. This was mostly due to how it looked and the fabulous texture.
TADA! We were pretty happy with the fit… (which took a couple of goes!)
We secured the sheets of OSB to the floor using the existing anchor point bolts and bolt holes.
I applied 3 layers of a clear, satin finish waterproofing/ protectant.
Knowing the bed needed to be as comfortable as if we were at home – for us to want to go on long adventures with no compromise on comfort – as well as being aware of head space once the bed was installed as we are both tall humans (6ft +), but also not skimping on under-bed storage…. Meant coming up with a design that was both aesthetic and functional, a challenge.
All I had was a design in my head and a rough sketch of the type of bed I wanted in the van.
Cue Max’s Dad… Stewart!
Turns out Stewart is rather handy with metal/welding and can interpret my verbal design instructions and dodgy scetches perfectly!
We started with some custom brackets, designed to use the existing mounting points/bolt holes in the floor.
Then the frame…
Test fit…I kid you not, everything lined up and bolted together PERFECTLY, FIRST TRY! An absolute fluke!
We primed and painted the steel black, to prevent rust. VERY important!
When designing the bed frame, I wanted to be able to use pre-made slats – so that they could be easily removed from either side if needed. But also comfortable and provide support.
Ikea had the perfect slat solution! Which allowed us to have an Australian standard queen sized bed in our van!
Once the bed was installed, we chose a Koala mattress. We liked the reviews and the size, height, weight and style were perfect. The online shopping option was super convenient, as purchasing the mattress fell right in the middle of Victoria’s COVID lockdown, so getting to a store was impossible.
Having a queen sized mattress delivered to your door in a small rectangular box was quite amusing!
Anyone who has ever been in the back of a van will know how noisy they can be. There is only two layers of sheet metal between you and any road/traffic noise.
There is also no insulation.
So, our first task was to remove the thin black internal cladding, the vinyl floor mat and the internal door panels.
Once these were removed, Max planned out the wiring for the solar, batteries, lighting, switches and power outlets. We ran wiring through the van from the dash, roof, rear door and sides.
We made sure to label all the wiring as we went… Thank goodness!
Once all the wiring had been finalised, we could insulate!!
We started with the floor.
Before insulating the floor, we painted any exposed metal with a rust sealant, to prevent any rust developing once the flooring was installed.
For the floor we chose an adhesive backed insulating foam called Formshield from Clark Rubber.
Formshield is effective insulation against heat transfer. It reduces and absorbs the transmission of noise and vibration. Is a moisture barrier and has a high resistance to mould and fungi.
Being adhesive on one side and very easy to cut with a knife, we found it super easy and convenient to install!
We chose to use 15mm foilboard insulation for the ceiling, as it was the perfect thickness to fit between the ceiling bracing and provide a flush surface once installed – ready for installing our ceiling cladding.For filling in the side walls, hard to access areas and door panels – we chose Earthwool. This was partly because we had some left over from our home reno’s, but also because it is super efficient and sustainable.
Fingers crossed we will be toasty warm in winter and cool cucumbers in summer!
Max and I have been toying with the idea of buying a van for the past 4ish years and have had a shared dream of converting a van or bus or truck into a tiny-home on wheels for as long as we have known each other. At the end of 2019 Max’s car was on the out, so we were looking for a new vehicle.
After chatting to a work wholesale customer, about car stuff, renovation stuff and our random idea about converting a van into a camper-van/tiny-home – He mentioned that he had an ex-delivery van from a previous business, with low kms in very good condition we may be interested in. Ummm yusss plllesss!
He lent the van to us for a weekend to test drive, measure and brainstorm and of course we were sold! After haggling an amazing price, we secured ourselves a new (to us) vehicle and a new project… Just as COVID-19 hit Australia.
We purchased a 2010 Hyundai iLoad – dual sliding door – with just under 80,000 kms on the clock!
Thanks to a lifelong dream to convert a van/bus/truck into a home on wheels and the arrival of the global pandemic… We decided to take on another project during the craziness that was 2020…
