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, 12 September 2020

Walls...

We had a hard time choosing what to make the main part of the walls from (there was SO MUCH to chose from). What we chose will also be used to make the tables (which lie down to form the middle portion of the bed), and the back for the control panel.

We've opted for 18mm melamine faced chipboard (MFC) in 'Kaisersberg Oak' from Meyer Timber . It comes in a huge sheet which we hope will be enough to do all the walls, and is cheaper than the products marketed as 'furniture board'

We templated the walls in OSB first...

And here's what it'll look like with the ambient lighting...

Before tracing the shapes onto the giant piece of MFC.

And cutting them out using the jigsaw...

Here's the panels in situ. Edge trims are still to be fitted. The large cut-out at the top is going to be our herb garden and the little oval cut-out is for our surround sound speakers.