You can pretty much do anything you want as long as you build knowing you need the air to circulate in order to dissipate moisture. No airflow and you’ll have mould and va;our damage. Cheers from Canader eh!
Fair point. There are so many views on vapour barriers and insulation, but ultimately you’re 100% right. Air circulation is key! We tend to keep our back window cracked a little and have air vents in our roof light which we never close. Plus the fan gets a good blast every time we are cooking to draw any moisture straight out. It’s so easy to get caught up worrying at the vapour barrier stage because everyone you ask has a different opinion
I think another benefit of battening after the vapour barrier like this is then you can do the wiring after the insulation, and no have to worry about making a bunch of tunnels around the place in your insulation for the wiring Thanks for the vid both :))
We had to do the exact same thing with countersinking lots of self tapping screws just to get them to the right depth. Looks like you've had to do much more of it, must have been a real faff to do so many!
Yeah we had to do a fair amount of it! It was quite scary putting the screws in as well as we had no real way of knowing exactly how far they would go through 😅 Fortunately we didn’t have any major mishaps with it though
I am at the same stage with my build and my understanding is that when you come to put the plywood walls up there is now an air gap between the insulation and the walls which is good, enjoyed another great video guys xx
That makes sense, it’s definitely not sitting directly touching the vapour barrier which could bring a couple of benefits. Guessing you did/are doing the same then, battens on top of vapour barrier? Glad you enjoyed the video 😀
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Absolutely, I know there is loads of different advice out there but here's hoping that this is ok. We are not doing all of our build ourselves as we are retired and do not have the stamina now. We are doing what we can then the professionals step in. Really enjoy your videos guys, not far from you I think in Newcastle. Anyway take care guys, see you next week xx
That’s a great way to do it, still getting hands on when you can. Plus you get to do all the fun bits 😀 Yes we were very nearby! We’ve just hopped over the border now but we’re not planning on staying in Scotland long. We’d love to see your van once you’re all finished. Catch you next week ☺️
Looking good guys! Myself and my fiancé are currently mid build on a 2016 sprinter. Identical to your one actually it was a former Next Van. We looked at various build layouts and absolutely loved your one! Although it doesn't seem to be a very common type. I'm currently trying to draw everything out on sketch up. But silly things like how high do I put the countertops? And how wide the seats etc is puzzling me. Did you guys just look up the average dimensions of the various things to keep things ergonomic? Thanks Ryan and Sarah
Great stuff! Yeah we’ve not seen any layouts exactly the same as ours, there are a few similar with the same bed and bathroom placement but we tailored the rest to suit our needs. We struggled trying to find reliable numbers for measurements too, some are easier than others! For example countertops seem to be at around 90cm as standard. But with the seats and our pull out table, we based it on a set of dining chairs and a table we found comfortable to work and eat at and literally measured them. Don’t forget to include the foam in your calculations though! We’ve seen some people do that and end up with comically high seats and stuff 😀 Overall we tried to think about what we’d be using each thing for the most and then adapted those measurements to fit the space if necessary. Hope that helps.
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Hi guys! 😊 Thanks for the tip! I had not even thought to factor in the foam. You saved me alot of embarrassment hah. Best of luck with your travels! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. Ryan and Sarah
😅 glad we could help. Just noticed you asked about seat widths before as well, we worked off the more fixed dimensions we already knew i.e bathroom, sink, bed and cooker and bed on the other side and then played around with what was left in between. Good luck with the rest of the build! And we’d love to see how yours turns out when you’re done 😀
Hey thanks very much! We may even do a wee tour video when we're all done! Thanks again for all the information! Sorry one last thing if you don't mind. What was your dimensions for the bathroom? Do you find it big enough for your needs? I was thinking 900x700mm? Thanks again! Ryan and Sarah
Yes do it! And be sure to send us the link 😀 We made our bathroom 900 x 600 which works for us but wouldn’t for everyone. If you’ve got the space for 700 width then for for it, we prioritised the slightly bigger work surface but that’s just because we love cooking so much! Feel free to ask any questions you have, we’re more than happy to help if we can 😀
Hi Guys, amazing work. Are the ceiling battens (25x38mm)? Was flexible enough? Did you had to cut the in several pieces to fit every line? Thanks. Jose
Hi I'm in the process of converting a van and just wondering why you have to screw the battens into the metal frame instead of screwing the playwood / cladding into the metal frame right away? I am looking for answers all over the internet and it is not written anywhere. is there any logical answer that is why everyone does it?
Hi! Yeah great question. There’s a couple of good reasons but it’s by no means necessary. Firstly if you’re planning on running any services behind your cladding or ply then you’ll need the space to do that (electric cable/water pipes) so the 10cm or so this method gives you is valuable. Also depending on what insulation you’re using and the shape of your van, in some places your insulation may stick out beyond your metal struts - ours did in various parts so the batons create an even surface to screw into. Another reason we’ve come across (but can’t confirm as we used batons) is that it avoids potential squeaking caused by the wood rubbing against the metal. Ultimately it’s up to you as there’s no rule to say you have to use batons! Hope this helps though.
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Thank you for the answer :) my partner and I decided we will not use battens in our Iveco because its shape is appropriate to screw everything directly into the van, or into construction holes that are already there. Thank you so much for the great explanation :)
Is the vapour barrier better OVER or UNDER the battens? And why?
We're still not sure which is best and would love to hear any opinions either way.
You can pretty much do anything you want as long as you build knowing you need the air to circulate in order to dissipate moisture. No airflow and you’ll have mould and va;our damage. Cheers from Canader eh!
Fair point. There are so many views on vapour barriers and insulation, but ultimately you’re 100% right. Air circulation is key!
We tend to keep our back window cracked a little and have air vents in our roof light which we never close. Plus the fan gets a good blast every time we are cooking to draw any moisture straight out.
It’s so easy to get caught up worrying at the vapour barrier stage because everyone you ask has a different opinion
I think another benefit of battening after the vapour barrier like this is then you can do the wiring after the insulation, and no have to worry about making a bunch of tunnels around the place in your insulation for the wiring
Thanks for the vid both :))
Brilliant guys. Love your videos. Will be building a van this winter
Great stuff! Hope you’ve got somewhere indoors to build on those cold nights 😂. Is it a sprinter you’re going for?
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing looking at a dodge Promaster. Winters in North Carolina are not as bad as back home in Scotland
Ah we hear they’re quite similar vans. Haha, ok fair enough. Sounds like you’ll have ideal weather for building then. Not jealous at all 😂
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing slightly smaller but way cheaper to get serviced. Mercs are expensive over here
Makes sense. Sprinters are so common here I think it probably makes the services etc. relatively reasonable in comparison.
Was looking for methods. Found good mood too :) You're cool! Thx for sharing!
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it 😀
I like this couple. Quality videos, deserve more subscribers but they'll come in time.
We had to do the exact same thing with countersinking lots of self tapping screws just to get them to the right depth. Looks like you've had to do much more of it, must have been a real faff to do so many!
Yeah we had to do a fair amount of it! It was quite scary putting the screws in as well as we had no real way of knowing exactly how far they would go through 😅 Fortunately we didn’t have any major mishaps with it though
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Yeah, definitely scary. You guys did an awesome job though!
Thank you 😊
I am at the same stage with my build and my understanding is that when you come to put the plywood walls up there is now an air gap between the insulation and the walls which is good, enjoyed another great video guys xx
That makes sense, it’s definitely not sitting directly touching the vapour barrier which could bring a couple of benefits. Guessing you did/are doing the same then, battens on top of vapour barrier? Glad you enjoyed the video 😀
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Absolutely, I know there is loads of different advice out there but here's hoping that this is ok. We are not doing all of our build ourselves as we are retired and do not have the stamina now. We are doing what we can then the professionals step in. Really enjoy your videos guys, not far from you I think in Newcastle. Anyway take care guys, see you next week xx
That’s a great way to do it, still getting hands on when you can. Plus you get to do all the fun bits 😀
Yes we were very nearby! We’ve just hopped over the border now but we’re not planning on staying in Scotland long. We’d love to see your van once you’re all finished.
Catch you next week ☺️
Loved it!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽
Thank you 😊
Thanks very much great video, what screws did you use?
What were the screws that you used please?
Can you still change an indicator bulb?
Hello you two lovelies, how long were your self tapping screws please and where did you get them from ?
Riv nuts are the way my friend
Looking good guys! Myself and my fiancé are currently mid build on a 2016 sprinter. Identical to your one actually it was a former Next Van. We looked at various build layouts and absolutely loved your one! Although it doesn't seem to be a very common type. I'm currently trying to draw everything out on sketch up. But silly things like how high do I put the countertops? And how wide the seats etc is puzzling me. Did you guys just look up the average dimensions of the various things to keep things ergonomic? Thanks
Ryan and Sarah
Great stuff! Yeah we’ve not seen any layouts exactly the same as ours, there are a few similar with the same bed and bathroom placement but we tailored the rest to suit our needs.
We struggled trying to find reliable numbers for measurements too, some are easier than others! For example countertops seem to be at around 90cm as standard. But with the seats and our pull out table, we based it on a set of dining chairs and a table we found comfortable to work and eat at and literally measured them. Don’t forget to include the foam in your calculations though! We’ve seen some people do that and end up with comically high seats and stuff 😀
Overall we tried to think about what we’d be using each thing for the most and then adapted those measurements to fit the space if necessary. Hope that helps.
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Hi guys! 😊 Thanks for the tip! I had not even thought to factor in the foam. You saved me alot of embarrassment hah. Best of luck with your travels! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.
Ryan and Sarah
😅 glad we could help. Just noticed you asked about seat widths before as well, we worked off the more fixed dimensions we already knew i.e bathroom, sink, bed and cooker and bed on the other side and then played around with what was left in between. Good luck with the rest of the build! And we’d love to see how yours turns out when you’re done 😀
Hey thanks very much! We may even do a wee tour video when we're all done! Thanks again for all the information! Sorry one last thing if you don't mind. What was your dimensions for the bathroom? Do you find it big enough for your needs? I was thinking 900x700mm? Thanks again! Ryan and Sarah
Yes do it! And be sure to send us the link 😀
We made our bathroom 900 x 600 which works for us but wouldn’t for everyone. If you’ve got the space for 700 width then for for it, we prioritised the slightly bigger work surface but that’s just because we love cooking so much!
Feel free to ask any questions you have, we’re more than happy to help if we can 😀
Hi Guys, amazing work. Are the ceiling battens (25x38mm)? Was flexible enough? Did you had to cut the in several pieces to fit every line? Thanks. Jose
Hi I'm in the process of converting a van and just wondering why you have to screw the battens into the metal frame instead of screwing the playwood / cladding into the metal frame right away? I am looking for answers all over the internet and it is not written anywhere. is there any logical answer that is why everyone does it?
Hi! Yeah great question. There’s a couple of good reasons but it’s by no means necessary. Firstly if you’re planning on running any services behind your cladding or ply then you’ll need the space to do that (electric cable/water pipes) so the 10cm or so this method gives you is valuable. Also depending on what insulation you’re using and the shape of your van, in some places your insulation may stick out beyond your metal struts - ours did in various parts so the batons create an even surface to screw into. Another reason we’ve come across (but can’t confirm as we used batons) is that it avoids potential squeaking caused by the wood rubbing against the metal. Ultimately it’s up to you as there’s no rule to say you have to use batons! Hope this helps though.
@@TheWholeWorldorNothing Thank you for the answer :) my partner and I decided we will not use battens in our Iveco because its shape is appropriate to screw everything directly into the van, or into construction holes that are already there. Thank you so much for the great explanation :)
Basics not shown from start ,jumpy sections and no learning benefit
Not sure we billed it as a “how to guide”