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***Delivery schedule update***
I spoke to the lease company a couple of days ago (22/12/20) and my Transit has been built and will be shipped to England (From Turkey) to the dealer in the next few weeks. It should be ready for collection at the end of January on time, barring some catastrophe that causes a delay (Like Covid!).
So back to the topic of this blog.
Walls, floor, roof and insulation
So the very first thing I will do with the van is remove the ply lining one section at a time and insulate the walls, floor, and roof.
Walls
The van is coming from the dealer ply lined but without a floor or ceiling, I intend using the ply lining for my walls but first I need to strip them off and add sound deadening and insulation. The ply on the walls will be usually about 5mm thick from the dealer.
I will apply a coat or two of waterproof stain to seal the ply from any moisture in the van and ensure it stays in good condition and breathable.
For sound deadening I intend to use Dodo Hex self adhesive mats https://amzn.to/2WFWyyc. Stuck on all the flat side and roof panels to deaden the sound of the panels vibrating. Especially road noise when driving and when parked up, as well as when rain and wind are hitting it. You don’t need loads of it but it should make a big difference to vibrations.
For insulation I intend to use recycled polyester loft style insulation, made from shredded plastic bottles. It’s cheap, eco friendly, very effective and easy to apply. It’s also light and very breathable and won’t absorb moisture so the van can be dried out naturally and air circulate fully. This will prevent mould and damp getting a hold in the van.
This is the stuff I intend to buy https://amzn.to/2KkMZCA, 1 or two rolls should be more than enough.
I wont be using a vapour barrier, commercial motorhomes and caravans don’t use a vapour barrier and neither do aftermarket conversion companies that I can see. They just rely on good ventilation for moisture control.
This is a good article by https://faroutride.com/ about why they chose to not use a vapour barrier. https://faroutride.com/condensation-moisture-van/. They have a self built transit and I have found their site very useful.
I will cover the ply in carpet in the area of the head and foot of the bed, this will make for a warmer and softer feel in the van. I will also carpet the area inside the sliding door and around the seating area at the front for the same reasons. The areas in the garage I will leave plain ply as wet gear and wet bikes will go in there, I want it to be able to breathe in there and the carpet might get wet and dirty easily. The areas above the sink and food prep area will have some sort of waterproof splashback fitted to be easy clean.
The walls of the transit are full of small areas that the polyester insulation will fill in nicely. Held in place with contact adhesive and the plywood lining.
Floor
On the floor I intend to use 25mm Foam board and raised battens with a 12mm ply flooring on top. I will stain the ply again to protect against damp but still be breathable. I won’t be putting in a vapour barrier here either so any water that gets into the floor can dry out. I will be using the van for storage of event kit, as well as a camper and a base for outdoor activities so it’s inevitable it will get wet inside at some point. If it can breathe it can dry out.
I will then use hard wearing carpet tiles on the floor to make it a bit warmer in the areas I will walk but still be tough enough to stack kit and boxes on top of. Easy to replace sections too.
Ceiling
The plan is to pack out the ceiling with more recycled polyester insulation and compress this to the ceiling with a 3mm ply headlining covered in a grey coloured hard wearing vehicle carpet. This should insulate well and have a nice warm feeling to it. I will be mounting lights along the ceiling in the centre. These will be controlled from switches in the kitchen area and by the bed area.
Again this should breathe well and any moisture or condensation from the roof can dry quickly, as the van warms up during the day and moisture is vented through the roof vent. I will fit the vent above the bed area.
I did think about tongue and groove and more foam boards for the ceiling but I am very conscious of keeping the weight down in the van, especially higher up and I am already fitting a roof rack.
With the van being leased I can’t put something like a Max Air or caravan vent fan in the roof, I will have to return the van to normal looks and use at the end of the contract. I will however be fitting a Flettner spinning vent to keep the van well ventilated, along with opening a window at the front this should create good airflow driving or sitting still. It will still look like a work van if I am trying to be stealthy and when I return it I will leave it fitted as it’s a usual work van fitment. Not expensive either. https://www.flettner.co.uk/products/flettner-slimline-lpv-ventilator/
With all these done it should be nice and cosy inside the van, summer or winter and sounds should be a bit more subdued compared to a regular panel van.
Roof
Before I do the ceiling I need to do some of the roof items, such as fit the roof rack and feed the solar panel and light bar cables down through some of the existing grommets and holes in the roof to the batteries. This will be easier to do before the ceiling is put up so I can check for leaks and route the cables in the best way.
I intend to put up a Rhino Roof rack like the one below, I can then attach solar panels and some storage for recovery gear and other rarely used items out of the way.
I don’t intend to put a rear ladder on the back, instead I plan to have a collapsible ladder like this one in the back of the van to use when access is needed https://amzn.to/3pmJ3jr
This should be a bit of a deterrent to people climbing onto the ladder and thinking of pinching stuff of the roof if there is no access, especially those times I leave the van unattended for periods when out on a walk or out of the country. Or just people dicking about or kids thinking it’s fun to climb the ladder.
As always these thoughts, ramblings and plans are as much about me putting plans down in writing as a starting point, and maybe giving others a few ideas.
In the next blog I will go though the planned layout of the van in more detail and my reasons for the layout.
Thanks for reading.