Welcome

WELCOME

Welcome to the blog for our campervan build

This project began in May 2020 during the 'lockdown' in the UK due to COVID-19. We were supposed to be touring Europe in our existing camper conversion 'Movano The Van Hoe' but this obviously wasn't going to be possible... So after finishing a pretty ambitious Hot Tub Trailer build (see the blog here) we decided we needed another project to keep us occupied during however many weeks left of lockdown.

We put Movano The Van Hoe up for sale and bought a Renault Master which we will convert over the coming weeks/months.

We are fortunate in that Elliot has a fully equipped workshop with tools and space to work, and we're also fortunate in that this is Elliot's second camper conversion, so we're not totally winging it!

This is a blog of the full build and I make no apologies that it is very photo heavy. The primary purpose of the blog is to document this build both for our own records, and for anyone else who's interested.

We plan on touring around Scotland with our Trailer Hot Tub when travel restrictions are relaxed enough to allow this.

Disclaimer: This is NOT meant as a tutorial. Do not try this at home. Always seek professional expert advice.

Saturday 23 May 2020

Skylight and Roof Vent

So we want the van to have a feature 'panoramic' skylight, and figured we want it to be as big as possible, over the rear bed area so we can lie in bed and stargaze (how romantic... boke...)

Again there's been much research into materials and methods here. Choices boiled down to between a triple-glazed polycarbonate 'Mardome' roof dome or a custom made double-glazed glass unit.

Various attributes made glass the better option for us; it allows the roof of the van to be as streamlined as possible (the polycarbonate units are way more bulky), it has better sound insulation (36 LiA compared to 62 LiA)*, and its thermal properties are more favourable (u-value of 1.0 W/m2 K compared to 1.8W/m2 K)**

*LiA = A-rated sound intensity level in db = how noisy stuff is, weighted to how humans actually hear noise.

**u-value = the rate of heat transfer... So a higher number means more heat is lost through the skylight.

Mardome roof light

Now that we've decided on glass...

As the glass is on a vehicle it must be either toughened or laminated for safety (and really should be e-marked... but hey ho...) The unit we have specced (this will be custom made) consists of an outer layer of 4mm toughened Planithern 4S glass, a 20mm argon spacer, and an inner 6.4mm laminated glass. The Planitherm offers "excellent solar control properties, reduced glare and enhanced thermal insulation". So it reflects the sun and keeps the van cooler in hot weather.

We will fabricate a steel frame welded into the structure of the van to accommodate the window unit. The frame will be trimmed on the inside to prevent cold bridging from the outside which would otherwise cause condensation. Inside the van there will be a channel built into the frame to accommodate a custom made blackout window blind.

How big can we make this skylight? HUGE. We’ve ordered a 118x112cm double glazed unit from www.sealedunitsonline.co.uk. It might take up to 28 days to arrive though.

Above the kitchen area there be a Fiamma 28F turbo fan roof vent, which will ensure the van is well-ventilated and let in even more natural light.

Fiamma 28F Roof Vent