Van build week 1
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Getting Started
We have just started our van build, and I am so unbelievably (nervous and) excited!
We finally picked it up and brought it home after buying the van in December, close to Christmas! Then, Reed and I flew out to Atlanta, Georgia, visited with Reed’s parents and grandparents, and picked it up. Afterward, we drove the 25 hours back to Boulder, Colorado.
On the way back to Boulder, we stopped at Reed’s brother and sister-in-law’s house to visit with them and his soon-to-be one-year-old niece Mckenzie. Afterward, we stopped in Monte Vista to meet with a close family friend who had agreed to help us with our electrical system when the time came.
We talked with him about the system we wanted, asked questions about our options, and gave him insight into our build plan and budget.Â
We planned to drive back out to Luke’s house at the end of April and have him set up the electrical, but the novel coronavirus and life had other plans in store for us.
Go here to read more about us picking up the van.
What now?
It’s the end of April, and we hoped to be farther into our build by now, but then the coronavirus swept the world, and we had to make some changes. There was a lot of insecurity and fear surrounding the state of the world. Because of this, we slowed down our projected build timeline.
Finally, we decided that we may not know what the next few months (or more) may look like, but that doesn’t mean that we should entirely lose sight of our plans.
Also, the decisions we made for our van build based on our own needs and research. Therefore, we HIGHLY suggest that you do your research and develop a plan that works best for you.
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Dimensions and layout
After getting home, the first thing we did was show the van to Bella and Rita. After they had a look inside, the real work began.
We taped out the van and figured out the dimensions we would need based on the appliances and the layout we had created on paper before.
Once we had come up with the layout that suited us best for our van build, we had to figure out what we would need to make our dream come alive.
The Floor
Necessary materials:
Plywood: Lucky for us, my dad had some lumber in storage that he was willing to rustle up for us. So if you go out and buy plywood, make sure that it is 1/4″ or 3/4″ deep. Many people do 3/4″ to be precautionary, but 1/4″ should do the trick just fine.
Vinyl or laminate: We debated between vinyl and laminate for a while. While both are great options, there are just a few key differences. We ultimately decided to go with vinyl because it is available in waterproof options. A downside of vinyl is that it may fade easier than laminate. We got vinyl tongue and groove plank flooring, but another option is to get the sheet vinyl that you roll out and then cut and lay on top of your subfloor.
Far Out Ride has written a comprehensive floor plan that you can look at here:
Soundproofing: We debated back and forth about whether we wanted to soundproof the floor and decided instead to add insulation to the floor, which also has some sound deadening properties.
We used minicell foam and cut it into strips to fit between the ridges on the van floor to be level. We then used adhesive to stick it to the bottom of the van.
Then we laid down the plywood over it.
Sound deadening
We used kilmat sound deadening on our wheel wells and the walls and ceiling of the van.
Pro Tip: You only need to cover 25% of the space to sound deaden the van effectively.
Why not add sound deadening and additional insulation?
We thought about this decision a lot, but ultimately it came down to a few things. Reed is 6’1.5,” and we wanted to give him the best chance of standing that we possibly could. Many of the van builders we have watched put two types of insulation under their plywood or sandwiched it between the floor and the plywood. We decided to use one layer of mini cell foam to keep height in the van. We will be sure to insulate and use sound deadening on the wheel well, the walls, and the floor. Along with having windows, a vent fan, and a heater, we should be just fine.
Steps
We first swept the van’s floor and made sure that we had a clean workspace.
Minicel foam
We took the Minicell foam, which we used as our base material for insulation and partial sound deadening. We cut the minicell into sections that we placed between the grooves of the van floor.
Snap off utility knife
We used the Dowell utility knife to cut the minicell fam, amongst many other projects during our van build. So this tool comes in handy often!
Tape measurer
Once we measured the slots and cut the Minicell foam, we sprayed the adhesive onto the foam and the van floor and then glued it down. It took us about 4 hours to finish that job.
The Craftsman tape measure was helpful for a multitude of projects throughout the van build!
Cardboard or crafting paper
Next, we needed to outline and trace a template for the plywood. Some vans come with a floor that you can take out and trace. Ours did not, so we got Brown Kraft Paper, but we can also use any large paper or cardboard laying around to draw out a template for the subfloor and the venal or laminate floor, or any other type of primary flooring use.
After tracing our van floor, we placed the plywood planks inside. We had to cut and resize the planks about 100 times, so if you do the same, that’s completely normal.
3m90 adhesive
Once the flooring was in, we glued it down with the same super-strong industrial-grade 3m90 adhesive we used for the minicell foam.
Circular saw
I am pretty sure that if I asked Reed, he would say his circular saw became one of his best friends during the van build process.
Heads up: This is not a required step, and it’s not one that many of the people we researched do. The floor isn’t going anywhere, and therefore for many, this can be a pointless task. We only did it to prevent our floor from squeaking. They were squeaking HARD beforehand, so we wanted to do something to help it if we could. It made a huge difference.
Great Stuff Gaps and Cracks
The last step we took that day was to fill in the outside gaps and cracks with Great Stuff Gaps and cracks spray. It was less than $5 and was incredibly useful. We wanted to go with a more non-toxic and eco-friendly product, but we also are balancing a budget, so we made the tough decision to use this. It was pretty easy to use.
Painters Tape
We taped the edges of the van with painter’s tape, then cut and then pulled off the tape once it dried in the morning.
Be warned; it comes out fast, and cutting it down takes time.
Day 2
Mask
Safety goggles
Our task for the day was to cut out the Great Stuff that overflowed and then sand it down to fit the cracks. Then we got started on cutting down and then putting the vinyl in.
Jigsaw
We spent an entire day using the Dewalt jigsaw to cut, resize, and fit the vinyl just right. Of course, we wanted it to adjust well because we didn’t want to worry about water getting underneath and causing molding or damage.
Less essential, but another factor is that it’s the part that we would look at every day, and guests will see. We used the jigsaw all day for this project, and it went beautifully.
Some people use tin snips to cut your vinyl as well. However, it works better for sheet vinyl, which we used in our van, so the jigsaw did the trick.
One tip for the vinyl is to take your time.
Earplugs
The earplugs were handy while we were cutting throughout the day. Unfortunately, I didn’t use them the first day, and I regretted it.
You will need:
We used a 1/4″ spacer to fill in the silicon around the edges of the completed vinyl flooring.
That’s what we got done on Reed’s two days off.
Overall the entire floor took us about two days and a few hours extra to have cut and glued down the minicell foam—roughly 26 hours or so.
Other products you may need include:
Gloves
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Other beneficial resources for a van build-out:
- Far Out Ride- They have been a HUGE help to our van build-out. They are detailed, share pricing, and time has taken on each task, give a ton of great information, and they even update the posts with how their build is doing after years of use. They share what they would have done differently, as well. I highly recommend them. You can follow them on Instagram @faroutride.
- Gnomad Home- For a more budgeted van build, nomad home shares tips and tricks, and they want this lifestyle to be accessible to a large number of people. They give you information that is informative and more within a budget You can follow them on Instagram @gnomadhome
Next week we will be tackling the insulation and windows! Stay tuned!
Go here to learn more about van life and why I chose it.
We Picked Up The Van, Now What?
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