Last time I wrote about "Project Oscar" - yes the name has stuck, it was pretty much a well developed idea and 100 bits of wood. That was 3 months ago. What have we been up to since? Well, pretty much finishing the van, and living in it!
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| It's all there, just needs assembly! |
After getting Germany's finest DIY store, BAUHAUS to cut all the wood for us, the next step was to revisit the CAD model and make it a reality. I liked this part of it, as with the Transit, as things move really quicky...
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| Turning model into reality! |
Next comes the detail. Keeping things simple the specs are as follows:
- "Sauna Style" wood paneling with pull out super-king bed
- Storage space with fold out doors
- Space for a cooker and gas bottle
- Nice thick Hippy curtain to replace the ugly bulkhead
- Carpeted walls and floor (shoes off van!)
- Super bright, super efficient LED strip lighting
- USB Charging point (phones etc.)
- Voltmeter for battery %
Of course, to use the cliche, the devil is very much in the detail. These things take time to get right, and the next few weeks involved a lot of varnishing, PVC-ing and cleaning. It's so hard to be patient when the idea of taking it travelling is just around the corner!
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| Extra storage space |
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| Getting it all bolted down |
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| Varnish! |
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| 4 Way switch of USB, Strip Lights, Voltmeter, and Master |
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| LED's in action! |
Next the soft furnishings! - really important to give the homely feeling
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| Carpet Cutting a'la'Opinel |
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| Carpeted walls - just for Skelhon! |
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| (Warming Up Outside too...) |
And soon enough all the hard work comes to an end.... A couple of brand new foam mattresses from IKEA (50 EUR each) make for a comfy sleep. All in all the conversion came to about 400 EUR.
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| Just the bedding to come! |
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| Makes for a sofa / rest spot during the day |
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| Huge, comfy bed! |
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| Travel time! (sleep time?) |
And ready to hit the road....
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| Sit down cooking.... Jon's speciality! |
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| Van in action! |
We've certainly made the most out of the van over the last 3 months. Visiting Dreseden, a mega tour of south Germany, a brief visit to Austria, Poland, and lots of time down in the world famous Frankenjura.
A blog on the adventures to come!!!
