The build took 3 months. I was only able to work 4 hours in the morning and 2 in the evening due to the south Texas heat. All the materials came from Home Depot, Lowes, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, or Amazon. The long lead items were the side windows from Motion Glass (1.5 months).
The floor was the first task. I wanted at least one solid layer of insulation below the plywood so I selected this combination. 23/32″ plywood slats in between the van floor grooves with 1/2″ insulation to complete the layer. Then a 1/2″ layer of insulation and a 1/4″ plywood for the top.
The plywood slats were glued using construction adhesive. The top plywood was screwed to the slats.
Next was the attachment of the structural members for the ceiling and sidewalls. I don’t like drilling sheetmetal or using self taping screws so I used a combination of bolts and Rivnuts. Love the Rivnuts. I added a dab of construction adhesive on or near the locations of wood to metal in order to reduce squeaking as the vehicle vibrates.
Adding 3/4″ insulation and wiring needed to be considered at the same time. Great Stuff as the adhesive can get a little messy but with the right technique and patience, the added insulation is a bonus.
The doors are a little tricky as there is limited access and there are mechanism’s inside that need to be avoided.
Eventually, the ceiling was ready for the AC and Vent.
Cutting a hole in a new van is always an emotional event for me …
Cutting 4 large holes is cathartic…
I chose to construct the overhead cabinetry and kitchen cabinet outside the van this time because I thought it would be easier and I wouldn’t need to work inside the van during the south Texas summer. Also, we chose spray enamel paint which would require multiple coats and long dry times. Working on the pieces separately would be required.
Framing in the windows was a challenge. I added foam during the installation to eliminate any squeaking. Building the kitchen cabinet separate was a good idea.
Thermal curtains for both the front and back were purchased. Window curtains are two layer, sewn cotton and flannel.
I didn’t take many more pictures after this point as most of the work was creating the irregular pieces of the walls and then painting and installing. Very time consuming and monotonous.
The laminate floor was the last piece of the puzzle.
