Hands down the most well thought out practical and easy to do build for regular not so regular guys who don't have all the machinery and carpentry skills. Very well made and impecable execution. ❤
Hands down the most impressive build I've ever seen. You packed in an enormous amount, well done. All the routing, the litle hidey spots - it's all just great - the moving table is a great addition and really makes it all work nicely.
Lol… there are a few more with Luke and Stormtrooper coming, but none in the past (just to be fair). Funny thing about that is, the action figures were so accurate that the stormtrooper was 4-6” (at scale) taller than Luke, so for modeling purposes I am the stormtrooper and my wife is Luke… just to add another layer of fuzzy symbolism to the thing!
As a remodeler/carpenter and a perfectionist and a jack of many trades, I am extremely impressed. I believe you thought of everything. Totally awesome!!
Been watching builds for a long time and you do such a great job explaining how and why your designs take on the space and purpose. Truly fluid and with functionality in mind.
Thank you for sharing your "finished" build. I've been full-time living in a van for 8 years and understand well that "you're never finished" building. Love many of your ideas. Thank you for inspiring us!
07/08/2023 Hello Nomad. Too Cool. I could never. Super engineering and planning. Stay safe and happy on the road. I just noticed the brass piano hinges. Looks great and finished on the wood veneer. Sincerely Don
Very neat build! It's always good to see a build that was designed from first principles rather than just perpetuating the same van build ideas. I have a much more modest build (Mercedes Vito LWB, about as big as I feel comfortable driving - and designing too). I'm looking forward to seeing more on the foam build aspects - again, mine is going to be much more modest, but I still got some inspiration & ideas from this video. (Can't believe I missed it when it first came out 4 months ago, since I subscribed a couple of years back!)
I've been following your progress over time. All very interesting and clever. But wouldn't it make more sense to pre-make straight sheets of veneer-carbon-foam-carbon-veneer, and then cut them and join them??? I'm not an expert, but it seems that premaking straight sandwich sheets like that, and then making cabinetry as you would with ply, would give you a neater finish, better joinery and be a lot easier in terms of labour and time spent.
It could be done that way, but you don’t need the wood veneer everywhere, some areas just wood on one side… building with just foam no glue and no wood allows you to change your mind, try different layouts, etc since the foam is cheap and easy to cut. That said, everything you point out is true… just not how I did it.
Stock cargo van empty & no windows in cargo area was 6,440 pounds. Finished van with all the gear, personal items, food, water, 2 people and 2 dogs is 10,600 pounds. So, 4,200 pounds… you can extrapolate from there. I plan to do a detailed video at some point on the weight… but I would like to get a weight for “complete build empty of gear water, people, dogs” because we have a lot of weight in gear… tools, a cooler and freezer full of beer and food, etc.
@@falkornomad So I've seen a few more van builds now. It's all interesting to me seeing what people build and where their priorities are. Nobody is building with foam though, which is fine if they don't mind the extra weight. I guess... There's probably an oceangate joke in there, but I'm too lazy to pursue that at the moment.
@@falkornomad I hand a Maxi Dodge back in 78, we didn’t have some of these items so I cut special strip used paneling glue made cabinets it looked great for the time and had a stand up roof, later in years I had a buddy that worked for Aircraft interiors making cabinets fir bizjets and he gave me scrapes I’d build things in van ,, So if I could get 10-15 mpg great days we could travel to Sedona Az or ski in Colorado, when I watch vids of people doing interiors on Utube they don’t seem to think about weight!!!! But I guess they have the money, Me I have a lot of toys and small budget so I take all into account! Keep up good work and Ideas,
If I were going to build anything, I would want my kitchen and bathroom in the back and my bedding in the middle as far away from the stove as possible I hope it helps that I just subscribed.
I am in Canada. I have a couple ideas about a skirting it sure helps here. -40 C = -40 F where you are. Any good ideas. Remember average 40- 60 km wind 286 day of the year. 20- 37- 60 miles/hr. Guess what I did for two years on the southern ridge of Alberta. I am watching your floor video now.
Just wanted to say thanks for your content! Your videos helped me decide to go with a foamie build, very impressive what you can do with some time and technique!
Where's your video on the table? "Laguna table"? This is an increeddddiiibllleee build, I love the outdoor grill and shower, I love the projector, I love the locking drawers for charging things. This is incredible thank you so much for sharing.
"Heated bed option" did you ever talk more about that in another video? There's so much cool stuff here I want to know about alllll of it. I feel like you've forgotten more engineering than most people ever figure out. Also the water calorifier. So cool.
Have not gotten around to all these videos, unfortunately… life gets in the way. Heated bed: the same aftermarket seat heat upgrades you would buy off Amazon for your car front seats, used on the bed via DC power. You can find the calorifier online with that search term. I do need to find the time and inspiration to put these videos out… thanks for the reminder. Hit me up if you want more details via text.
You should make the passenger seat slide back so you can use it like a computer space. You should also invest in a pure sine wave inverter, I never turn mine off because it draws probably 1w to stand by. Also it’s quite not a single sound, the fan only turns on if I draw a lot of power and that’s rare.
Been watching all your videos... You are a freaking GENIUS 💪❤ and most likely one of Elon Musk's unknown siblings...😊 People like you are a gift to humanity... Thank you for sharing... 🙏 You also are a "natural" entertainer and quite witty... F___ck the so obviously (albeit rare) jealous haters 👺 too.... God bless you my friend... ✝ PS The less alcohol, the better one's life 💪🕺🛟
Thoroughly thought out and designed. You mentioned in a previous vid free camping near Big Bend. Yes, would like more info and other free camping you find worth mentioning. As you know it's hard to find in the east so there is Boondockers Welcome which does have a membership fee which is far cheaper than paid campsites and often nicer than a Cracker Barrel parking lot. Edit: found your Big Bend vid. 😊
We do RoadTrippers and Boondocker’s and we use iOverlander for free sites. But, yes… out East is tough (except VT). I hope to have more time to do Favorite Spot videos in the future. Glad you found it.
Love love love this van build. Perfection. Reality. Some cables showing, some cabinets a bit too snug. Work in Progress. I have the same van... just haven't fully committed to a design yet. Thanks for all the advise. New sub, and hope to boost your watch hours.
Thanks! Yeah, I left several things unfinished for this first year full time for easy fixes and mind changing… trim work, loose wires (is this where I want that wire?), tight cabinets (wait for humidity to shrink/expand). Welcome to the channel, and good luck with your build. I do have a planning video coming in the next month or so.
Full of imagination! What's your design process? Did you use and CAD tool or just measure and fit everything like your first foam cabinet? How many hours did you put into it? What things did you decide not to carry? Did the foam structure and slides (particularly the pair for the cooler) hold up well during your trip? What tools, process and materials would have make the whole build easier and faster if they were available? How did you manage the reliability of the electrical wirings given the fancy lights, speakers and circuitry. My apology for having too many questions, they just kept popping up while I was watching... Thanks again for the video!
Wow… thanks for all the interesting questions… no need to apologize! While I hope to answer these in coming videos, I’ll give quick answers to each here now: Design process: 2 decades of dreaming > graph paper > hand drawn 3D perspective illustrations > scale cardboard model > mock up with no glue > revise > make it up as you go along… this process is surprising since I am an IT professional and fairly fluent in SketchUp… however… I’ve been drawing Van dealings since 1995 so that habit Carrie’s over and I enjoy the process… so I do it that way… when I do homes, barns, chicken coops… I use sketch up. Idk… great question though… I never really thought about that. Hours… uhhh…. Hard to say… let’s do an average… from August 2020 to October 2020 I had the van on order and was buying gear and planning… let’s say 20-30hrs a week at that time. Then from October 2020 to September 2021 was the build. I was also selling an moving out of our homestead (see other videos). During that time I’d say 30-40 hrs a week on build, plan, research and buying. So… 14 months at 30 hrs per week… 1,800-2,000 hrs… ish?! Felt like WAY more by the end! Things NOT to carry…. Hmmm… not much actually… I based my planning around my wife and my needs from the start, so not much had to be left off the list in the end. Early on I decided I did not want any diesel, propane, etc… only electric except a Colman stove for outdoor cooking. I would have liked to have bikes, but opted not. I trimmed down my “tools and hardware” a lot… but could have done a lot more… the build all held better than I expected. Foam / slides hold up: YES!! There are a few places that some wood trim into the foam at high impact places failed, but the slides for cooler have been AWESOME (much to my surprise!)… oddly the slides for the composting toilet have had an issue, unrelated to foam, where they don’t unlock when closing them (will be covered in future video). Tools / process / materials that would make it easier / faster: well… honestly I think I had all I needed… the hot knifes for foam, a jig and circular saw, a router for the counter tops… I don’t think a CNC would have done me much good honestly (too much revision work). What would have saved me time was having the research info I’m about to release… I tested 6 glues and 3 different screw anchors to find the best… in the end I found a way to anchor a dry wall screw in foam and took 80+ pounds to pull it out… blew my mind. But that research took time and money. Wiring reliability: I had the tools to solder every connection but did not solder anything. Just used the right gauge wire and crimps. I took my time and have not had hardly any fixes to do. Keep an eye out for the coming videos with more details and keep the great questions coming!!!
Genius. What a cool, imaginative and unique build! Love the efficient use of space. I use CAD for work, and used 3D scans and a full version of Revit and Recap trial to make a virtual mock up, but now the trial is out and I think pencil and paper ‘pad’ technology might be better than Cad technology… As a highly unorganized small person trying to make the most of space in one of the smallest cars, I find videos like yours thrilling and informative. I have zero experience building and have 6 short weeks to overcome my fear of failure and setting off on my ownsome. I appreciate your previous replies. Just watching through your how’d-he-do-it vids now. Thanks for posting!
@NØMAD Thank you. I have come to realize that the process is never done. I haven't found any videos showing the strength of these materials under load across a span. I want to try crossing 2 layers of mesh at a 45 degree angle to reinforce the bend along the diagonal. Then add an extra layer of foam project board to the underside to act as an extra tensile reinforcement and see how much load a 1" and a 1/2" foam can take with the extra reinforcement over a span of 2 feet. So top to bottom: (2x) mesh + 1" foam + (2x) mesh + 3/16" composite project foam board + (2x) mesh
My first video shows a scene where I have an 18” long piece of foam, 4” inches wide, screen on both sides and with 10 pounds of weight it flexes one inch. Remember that we don’t want it to be rigid, a little flex is good in the earthquake of driving down the road. But yeah! Experiment and let me know what you find!
One of the best and most practical van designs and implementations that I've seen. Next level. Liked the pull-out cooking area. Looking forward to the rest of the series, especially on the foamie structural panel construction. Why doolies? Any idea on interior weights?
Thanks! Foam structure video will be out next. Main reason for dualy is this rig is replacing our 1991 F350 farm truck and we need a heavy duty tow vehicle for livestock trailers and moving eventually. We wanted the HD tow package and built in trailer brakes and those models usually come as dualy. The transits were hard to find when we were shopping and this one came up with all the other things we wanted so we took it.
If there's more detail on the desk/office setup I'd love to see that. That's the most important thing I need for myself and there aren't very many videos on that.
I am sure I won't use the foam .. it's just abut me I do like foam. BUT the portability / modular design is very interesting!! .. I have to build my van (a Chevy 1994 Step Van) so everything or almost everything is removable for when I need it as an empty van, or a work van.
I’m guessing that it’s also quieter and warmer than using wood? Wondering if this process could work for putting up emergency shelters? Shipping containers full of the boards would store better and would weigh less to for moving? Anyone heard anything about doing that?
❤❤❤❤❤ The Designer attention to function and Living well is just awesome! I want to create with you this makes the go so so enticing! Live well wander and enjoy your journey! Can’t wait to journey as well! Enjoy U 2! ❤❤
Sure, see this page: www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/question/does-xps-foam-insulation-board-off-gas-vocs Or my video that talks about it briefly: th-cam.com/video/2-bjB3jXW58/w-d-xo.html
How you finish it is up to you… as I say (type) in the video I’m not done… trim, etc to install… left some foam exposed for video demo… but we like the way it looks… I understand if it’s not for you.
Yep… Kindra (note the i… no need to feel bad… I think I say it with an e sometimes, lol)… has a degree in geology, worked for the USGS for awhile and managed a structural soil testing lab for years. We are both full of surprises!! And yeah… Hell yeah science!! And women in STEM careers!!
@@falkornomad Nice. Mine is a teacher and I was a Linux SysAd for a bit. Backing someone up with a more noble career is always a good move, morally speaking, and a privilege in itself.
I wonder how much weight the entire build added? I think it should be a new standard for van tours to state not only how much the whole build cost, but importantly how much weight it added.
Stock cargo van empty & no windows in cargo area was 6,440 pounds and $70,000 including the extended warranty and service package. Finished van with all the gear, personal items, food, water, 2 people and 2 dogs is 10,600 pounds. My build expenses spreadsheet says I spent $35,000 but that includes some tools and materials I did not use. So, you can extrapolate from there. I plan to do a detailed video at some point on the cost & weight… but I would like to get a weight for “complete build empty of gear”.
You know one of the things I'm wondering is basically the screen provides tensile strength and it does seem like there would be some wallpapers or some vinyl coverings that if you pick some that we're not very stretchy that if you glue those on your finished phone pack yeah form factors sorry then you might get the strength that you need from the screen without having to do that whole layer of screen on most of the things. I mean even newspaper with its fibers it's wood paper fibers has a lot of tensile strength when it's covered with glue and I would imagine if somebody decided to go with a non-stretching wallpaper of some kind even if it was a solid color it would provide much of that same kind of strength. Also I wonder if there's any very thin sheet of a stainless steel or aluminum other than obviously tin foil that could be used as a liner and of course metal does not really stretch much so if it was glued to foam it would provide that same tensile rigidity that screen does
There is a tear factor with any paper. The screen is fiberglass covered with nylon, so it’s basically a loose fiberglass mesh. But yeah, more experiments to do in this area for sure!
Holy crap this dude thought of everything
Thanks, There’s more where that came from, lol
Isn't it fantastic ! ? ! ?
I've got to spend a weekend watching these!
I watch a lot of these van build vids. This is by FAR the best design and execution that I've seen. Nice work. Now go get lost.
Well, shoot… thanks!
As a former Carpenter and Composite Bonding Specialist (20years ago) I like your stuff and give you a little bumper
Thanks👍🏽
Hands down the most well thought out practical and easy to do build for regular not so regular guys who don't have all the machinery and carpentry skills. Very well made and impecable execution. ❤
Hands down the most impressive build I've ever seen. You packed in an enormous amount, well done. All the routing, the litle hidey spots - it's all just great - the moving table is a great addition and really makes it all work nicely.
Wow, thanks… if you think that’s impressive wait till the later videos come out… she’s got a lot of tricks up her sleeve!
Wow majorly fancy. 🎉❤🎉❤ And that's not even all the fancy dang.
I'll definitely go binge watch every other video you made simply because you put a storm trooper sleeping in Luke Skywalker's Van
Lol… there are a few more with Luke and Stormtrooper coming, but none in the past (just to be fair). Funny thing about that is, the action figures were so accurate that the stormtrooper was 4-6” (at scale) taller than Luke, so for modeling purposes I am the stormtrooper and my wife is Luke… just to add another layer of fuzzy symbolism to the thing!
As a remodeler/carpenter and a perfectionist and a jack of many trades, I am extremely impressed. I believe you thought of everything. Totally awesome!!
Has ever someone else called you the MacGyver of van self building? I certainly would do so!
Not exactly, but something along those lines. I used to love that show! I’ll take it as a compliment!
Very interesting about the drywall anchor screws and the glue strength test
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Incredible. You're an absolute freaking engineer my guy. In the next couple of years I'm hoping to build something similar.
Been watching builds for a long time and you do such a great job explaining how and why your designs take on the space and purpose. Truly fluid and with functionality in mind.
Glad you like them!
Thank you. You solved a lot of problems that I had no answers for and kept me from starting .
Great, my pleasure!
Thank you for sharing your "finished" build. I've been full-time living in a van for 8 years and understand well that "you're never finished" building. Love many of your ideas. Thank you for inspiring us!
WOW! Super well thought out with loads of features!
Thanks
Yeah I'm just luvin it all bro 😎
Happy to hear it!!
I really appreciate how thoroughly you thought all this through
Thanks!
Great stuff good complete explanations thank you so much
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Very cool. I'm late to the game and just saw your vid from like 6 yrs ago! So glad you're still posting things! This is phenomenal. Truly
Thanks… I’m just slowly going about my curiosity and obsession… glad you like it.
Wow man, what a cracking build you've done, everything is in super useful place to suit your life, well done👏
Thanks Paul! I put a lot of thought into each element and it turned out perfect for us!
Lots of thought in the build! I like it.
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Fantastic!
I've got to spend a weekend watching these.
One of the most in-depth builds with the most thought out planned out setups I've ever seen bravo
Ahh thanks!
07/08/2023 Hello Nomad. Too Cool. I could never. Super engineering and planning. Stay safe and happy on the road. I just noticed the brass piano hinges. Looks great and finished on the wood veneer. Sincerely Don
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Very neat build! It's always good to see a build that was designed from first principles rather than just perpetuating the same van build ideas. I have a much more modest build (Mercedes Vito LWB, about as big as I feel comfortable driving - and designing too).
I'm looking forward to seeing more on the foam build aspects - again, mine is going to be much more modest, but I still got some inspiration & ideas from this video. (Can't believe I missed it when it first came out 4 months ago, since I subscribed a couple of years back!)
New video out now!
10 thumbs up and a new sub for this one!
Awesome, thank you!
Dito
I am at the 3/4 mark… and I am just amazed. Sub’d and going back to give some likes and comments… Brilliant mind and design 👊👊💯💯
Well, welcome aboard… you’re in for it now… wait… stop here ant start from the beginning, lol!!
So much cleverness!! Ingenious adaptation of space to maximum use.
Thanks! I did put some thought into it!!
I've been following your progress over time. All very interesting and clever. But wouldn't it make more sense to pre-make straight sheets of veneer-carbon-foam-carbon-veneer, and then cut them and join them??? I'm not an expert, but it seems that premaking straight sandwich sheets like that, and then making cabinetry as you would with ply, would give you a neater finish, better joinery and be a lot easier in terms of labour and time spent.
It could be done that way, but you don’t need the wood veneer everywhere, some areas just wood on one side… building with just foam no glue and no wood allows you to change your mind, try different layouts, etc since the foam is cheap and easy to cut. That said, everything you point out is true… just not how I did it.
I really appreciate you sharing all your wonderful ideas that truly will make a home on wheels so much more bearable during Unbearable temps. ❤
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You're living the dream, man! I've really enjoyed discovering your channel.
I’m a lucky luck boy!
@@falkornomad
Have you weighed the van, before and after? I'm curious about how much weight she gained. You saved a lot building it like you did.
Stock cargo van empty & no windows in cargo area was 6,440 pounds.
Finished van with all the gear, personal items, food, water, 2 people and 2 dogs is 10,600 pounds.
So, 4,200 pounds… you can extrapolate from there. I plan to do a detailed video at some point on the weight… but I would like to get a weight for “complete build empty of gear water, people, dogs” because we have a lot of weight in gear… tools, a cooler and freezer full of beer and food, etc.
@@falkornomad
That's a good point.
@@falkornomad
So I've seen a few more van builds now. It's all interesting to me seeing what people build and where their priorities are. Nobody is building with foam though, which is fine if they don't mind the extra weight. I guess... There's probably an oceangate joke in there, but I'm too lazy to pursue that at the moment.
I have watched a TON of builds but nothing like this. Damn dude
Nice build. Thanks so much for all your testing and research.
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This is AMAZING. I am binge-watching your build videos. Great job, man!!
Liked and subscribed. And, I will go back and watch and like others.
I really appreciate your channel! (I wish I felt competent to do it myself)
This stuff is so cool. Now I have to watch all your stuff.
Best Wishes my friend
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A lot of creative ideas here! I look forward to binging more of your videos.
Thanks! Several videos out since this one, take a look.
It's a great idea Weight is fuel milage !
I agree! Even though I can take a lot of weight in this van, lighter is better… especially if I’m getting 3x-5x the insulation out of the deal!
@@falkornomad I hand a Maxi Dodge back in 78, we didn’t have some of these items so I cut special strip used paneling glue made cabinets it looked great for the time and had a stand up roof, later in years I had a buddy that worked for Aircraft interiors making cabinets fir bizjets and he gave me scrapes I’d build things in van ,, So if I could get 10-15 mpg great days we could travel to Sedona Az or ski in Colorado, when I watch vids of people doing interiors on Utube they don’t seem to think about weight!!!! But I guess they have the money, Me I have a lot of toys and small budget so I take all into account! Keep up good work and Ideas,
Will do!
Very nice 😊
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great use of all the space
Thanks… watch for the “electrical overview” and “using every inch of space” videos over the next few months to see more clever space utilization!
Love the screwing and door slides
Very nice
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Amazing!
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Thank you for all your great content. I’m thinking of building my own
It’s still experimental, but good luck.
If I were going to build anything, I would want my kitchen and bathroom in the back and my bedding in the middle as far away from the stove as possible I hope it helps that I just subscribed.
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Hmm that's an interesting layout I hadn't encountered or considered before. Thanks, I'll think about it more. Might be more ideal for me
Thanks for bringing my dreams to life.
This is incredible! I have liked and subscribed. Thank you!
Looks like it's very well lay out throughout. Like you actually thought through the usage...
I am in Canada.
I have a couple ideas about a skirting it sure helps here.
-40 C = -40 F where you are.
Any good ideas. Remember average 40- 60 km wind 286 day of the year. 20- 37- 60 miles/hr. Guess what I did for two years on the southern ridge of Alberta.
I am watching your floor video now.
Skirting is hard when you are on the road… I don’t have any good ideas for that.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with building foam core cabinetry. Ones im fully “finished” i will share my foam core builds too.
Just wanted to say thanks for your content! Your videos helped me decide to go with a foamie build, very impressive what you can do with some time and technique!
Full foam build system (3part) videos coming soon… tons of editing on these!!!
Excellent Van build! Superb Interior design work. Foam-Core model panels is genius. The Force is with you, Skywalker! Subbed.😁
Glad you like it!!
Where's your video on the table? "Laguna table"? This is an increeddddiiibllleee build, I love the outdoor grill and shower, I love the projector, I love the locking drawers for charging things. This is incredible thank you so much for sharing.
Unbelievable. So intricate.
Thanks! If you think it’s intricate now… wait until we get into the details!!!
"Heated bed option" did you ever talk more about that in another video?
There's so much cool stuff here I want to know about alllll of it. I feel like you've forgotten more engineering than most people ever figure out.
Also the water calorifier. So cool.
Have not gotten around to all these videos, unfortunately… life gets in the way.
Heated bed: the same aftermarket seat heat upgrades you would buy off Amazon for your car front seats, used on the bed via DC power.
You can find the calorifier online with that search term.
I do need to find the time and inspiration to put these videos out… thanks for the reminder. Hit me up if you want more details via text.
@@falkornomad Thanks for the update! This is certainly enough to get me started, and thanks for sharing so much.
Absolutely amazing...
Good job dude.
You should make the passenger seat slide back so you can use it like a computer space.
You should also invest in a pure sine wave inverter, I never turn mine off because it draws probably 1w to stand by. Also it’s quite not a single sound, the fan only turns on if I draw a lot of power and that’s rare.
Been watching all your videos... You are a freaking GENIUS 💪❤ and most likely one of Elon Musk's unknown siblings...😊 People like you are a gift to humanity... Thank you for sharing... 🙏 You also are a "natural" entertainer and quite witty... F___ck the so obviously (albeit rare) jealous haters 👺 too.... God bless you my friend... ✝ PS The less alcohol, the better one's life 💪🕺🛟
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Thoroughly thought out and designed. You mentioned in a previous vid free camping near Big Bend. Yes, would like more info and other free camping you find worth mentioning. As you know it's hard to find in the east so there is Boondockers Welcome which does have a membership fee which is far cheaper than paid campsites and often nicer than a Cracker Barrel parking lot. Edit: found your Big Bend vid. 😊
We do RoadTrippers and Boondocker’s and we use iOverlander for free sites. But, yes… out East is tough (except VT). I hope to have more time to do Favorite Spot videos in the future. Glad you found it.
Excellent use of space! Great organization ideas!
I enjoy watching your work. Very methodical.
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@@falkornomad Sat and watched all your videos in two days. Enjoyable to say the least. Waiting for more.
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Thank you for your video. Great value on the well thought out storage.
LOVE the TShirt - Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't - Shout out to Joey!
Wow… bonus points for shirt recognition!!! Love that channel! Favorite Episode: #196 Phenotypic Variations of the American Trash Panda 🐼 🦝
Well done , you explained the build and benefits clearly. God bless.
Rewatching. Genius.
Love love love this van build.
Perfection. Reality.
Some cables showing, some cabinets a bit too snug.
Work in Progress.
I have the same van... just haven't fully committed to a design yet.
Thanks for all the advise.
New sub, and hope to boost your watch hours.
Thanks! Yeah, I left several things unfinished for this first year full time for easy fixes and mind changing… trim work, loose wires (is this where I want that wire?), tight cabinets (wait for humidity to shrink/expand). Welcome to the channel, and good luck with your build. I do have a planning video coming in the next month or so.
This is a smart and absolutely beautiful build!! Great job!!
Amazing layout and execution! I'm just gobsmacked.
Thanks! Glad you like it!
Well done! And much appreciate the foam building (older) videos
Updated foam building videos coming VERY shortly!
Full of imagination! What's your design process? Did you use and CAD tool or just measure and fit everything like your first foam cabinet? How many hours did you put into it? What things did you decide not to carry? Did the foam structure and slides (particularly the pair for the cooler) hold up well during your trip? What tools, process and materials would have make the whole build easier and faster if they were available? How did you manage the reliability of the electrical wirings given the fancy lights, speakers and circuitry. My apology for having too many questions, they just kept popping up while I was watching... Thanks again for the video!
Wow… thanks for all the interesting questions… no need to apologize! While I hope to answer these in coming videos, I’ll give quick answers to each here now:
Design process: 2 decades of dreaming > graph paper > hand drawn 3D perspective illustrations > scale cardboard model > mock up with no glue > revise > make it up as you go along… this process is surprising since I am an IT professional and fairly fluent in SketchUp… however… I’ve been drawing Van dealings since 1995 so that habit Carrie’s over and I enjoy the process… so I do it that way… when I do homes, barns, chicken coops… I use sketch up. Idk… great question though… I never really thought about that.
Hours… uhhh…. Hard to say… let’s do an average… from August 2020 to October 2020 I had the van on order and was buying gear and planning… let’s say 20-30hrs a week at that time. Then from October 2020 to September 2021 was the build. I was also selling an moving out of our homestead (see other videos). During that time I’d say 30-40 hrs a week on build, plan, research and buying. So… 14 months at 30 hrs per week… 1,800-2,000 hrs… ish?! Felt like WAY more by the end!
Things NOT to carry…. Hmmm… not much actually… I based my planning around my wife and my needs from the start, so not much had to be left off the list in the end. Early on I decided I did not want any diesel, propane, etc… only electric except a Colman stove for outdoor cooking. I would have liked to have bikes, but opted not. I trimmed down my “tools and hardware” a lot… but could have done a lot more… the build all held better than I expected.
Foam / slides hold up: YES!! There are a few places that some wood trim into the foam at high impact places failed, but the slides for cooler have been AWESOME (much to my surprise!)… oddly the slides for the composting toilet have had an issue, unrelated to foam, where they don’t unlock when closing them (will be covered in future video).
Tools / process / materials that would make it easier / faster: well… honestly I think I had all I needed… the hot knifes for foam, a jig and circular saw, a router for the counter tops… I don’t think a CNC would have done me much good honestly (too much revision work). What would have saved me time was having the research info I’m about to release… I tested 6 glues and 3 different screw anchors to find the best… in the end I found a way to anchor a dry wall screw in foam and took 80+ pounds to pull it out… blew my mind. But that research took time and money.
Wiring reliability: I had the tools to solder every connection but did not solder anything. Just used the right gauge wire and crimps. I took my time and have not had hardly any fixes to do.
Keep an eye out for the coming videos with more details and keep the great questions coming!!!
Genius. What a cool, imaginative and unique build! Love the efficient use of space. I use CAD for work, and used 3D scans and a full version of Revit and Recap trial to make a virtual mock up, but now the trial is out and I think pencil and paper ‘pad’ technology might be better than Cad technology… As a highly unorganized small person trying to make the most of space in one of the smallest cars, I find videos like yours thrilling and informative. I have zero experience building and have 6 short weeks to overcome my fear of failure and setting off on my ownsome. I appreciate your previous replies. Just watching through your how’d-he-do-it vids now. Thanks for posting!
Go for it! 6 weeks is not much time, but prioritize and know these kinds of projects are never “done”, only “useable” or not!
@NØMAD Thank you. I have come to realize that the process is never done. I haven't found any videos showing the strength of these materials under load across a span. I want to try crossing 2 layers of mesh at a 45 degree angle to reinforce the bend along the diagonal. Then add an extra layer of foam project board to the underside to act as an extra tensile reinforcement and see how much load a 1" and a 1/2" foam can take with the extra reinforcement over a span of 2 feet. So top to bottom: (2x) mesh + 1" foam + (2x) mesh + 3/16" composite project foam board + (2x) mesh
My first video shows a scene where I have an 18” long piece of foam, 4” inches wide, screen on both sides and with 10 pounds of weight it flexes one inch. Remember that we don’t want it to be rigid, a little flex is good in the earthquake of driving down the road. But yeah! Experiment and let me know what you find!
Impressive build
One of the best and most practical van designs and implementations that I've seen. Next level. Liked the pull-out cooking area. Looking forward to the rest of the series, especially on the foamie structural panel construction. Why doolies? Any idea on interior weights?
Thanks! Foam structure video will be out next. Main reason for dualy is this rig is replacing our 1991 F350 farm truck and we need a heavy duty tow vehicle for livestock trailers and moving eventually. We wanted the HD tow package and built in trailer brakes and those models usually come as dualy. The transits were hard to find when we were shopping and this one came up with all the other things we wanted so we took it.
@@falkornomad How much gas mileage change have you seen finished vs. empty?
Beautiful use of space
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If there's more detail on the desk/office setup I'd love to see that. That's the most important thing I need for myself and there aren't very many videos on that.
There is not yet… I’m working on a video of the wood build out elements, I’ll try to include it there.
I am sure I won't use the foam .. it's just abut me I do like foam. BUT the portability / modular design is very interesting!! .. I have to build my van (a Chevy 1994 Step Van) so everything or almost everything is removable for when I need it as an empty van, or a work van.
Really appreciate you Bud 💖
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Thanks for sharing, great ideas love the testing I’m doing a build at the moment so will be using your techniques
Glad it was helpful!
I’m guessing that it’s also quieter and warmer than using wood?
Wondering if this process could work for putting up emergency shelters?
Shipping containers full of the boards would store better and would weigh less to for moving?
Anyone heard anything about doing that?
I have not heard of it being used that way… cool idea!!
Wow that's an incredible idea
Thanks for the video
I’ve been playing around with
Foamcore laminate
Myself
Nice
Incredible
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The Designer attention to function and Living well is just awesome! I want to create with you this makes the go so so enticing! Live well wander and enjoy your journey! Can’t wait to journey as well! Enjoy U 2! ❤❤
👍 Super cool man. Really picking up some ideas, thanks and nice job on the van and tour.
Awesome
ThankQ
Incredible build. I want one
Do IT!!!
I started watching when you started the foam cabinets
Look how far we’ve come!!
Most helpful content.
Glad you think so!
I’ve watched and enjoyed a few of your videos. Very interesting and impressive.
What are the inside dimensions. Thank you
Phenomenal, my gf was very impressed too. Must look into foam, has anyone done any research into it giving off any toxic fumes?
Sure, see this page: www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/question/does-xps-foam-insulation-board-off-gas-vocs
Or my video that talks about it briefly: th-cam.com/video/2-bjB3jXW58/w-d-xo.html
Good series. Hope it'll be cheaper. Already spent 1000 bucks just for cheap solar. tinkering geezer
You and me both!
Thought it would look better. I will use this technique to build SIPS for a tiny house to save space
How you finish it is up to you… as I say (type) in the video I’m not done… trim, etc to install… left some foam exposed for video demo… but we like the way it looks… I understand if it’s not for you.
Brilliant 😉
as always amazing videos!
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Love the creativity, new subscribe. looks like you get issues with maintaining tolerance gap between elements. is that a challenge?
Can you comment on off-gassing using this foam?
Sure… already have… see my video “..toxic & flammable” for more info.
"Kindra is a geologist." Hell yeah science!
Yep… Kindra (note the i… no need to feel bad… I think I say it with an e sometimes, lol)… has a degree in geology, worked for the USGS for awhile and managed a structural soil testing lab for years. We are both full of surprises!! And yeah… Hell yeah science!! And women in STEM careers!!
@@falkornomad Nice. Mine is a teacher and I was a Linux SysAd for a bit. Backing someone up with a more noble career is always a good move, morally speaking, and a privilege in itself.
I wonder how much weight the entire build added? I think it should be a new standard for van tours to state not only how much the whole build cost, but importantly how much weight it added.
Stock cargo van empty & no windows in cargo area was 6,440 pounds and $70,000 including the extended warranty and service package.
Finished van with all the gear, personal items, food, water, 2 people and 2 dogs is 10,600 pounds. My build expenses spreadsheet says I spent $35,000 but that includes some tools and materials I did not use.
So, you can extrapolate from there. I plan to do a detailed video at some point on the cost & weight… but I would like to get a weight for “complete build empty of gear”.
You know one of the things I'm wondering is basically the screen provides tensile strength and it does seem like there would be some wallpapers or some vinyl coverings that if you pick some that we're not very stretchy that if you glue those on your finished phone pack yeah form factors sorry then you might get the strength that you need from the screen without having to do that whole layer of screen on most of the things. I mean even newspaper with its fibers it's wood paper fibers has a lot of tensile strength when it's covered with glue and I would imagine if somebody decided to go with a non-stretching wallpaper of some kind even if it was a solid color it would provide much of that same kind of strength. Also I wonder if there's any very thin sheet of a stainless steel or aluminum other than obviously tin foil that could be used as a liner and of course metal does not really stretch much so if it was glued to foam it would provide that same tensile rigidity that screen does
There is a tear factor with any paper. The screen is fiberglass covered with nylon, so it’s basically a loose fiberglass mesh. But yeah, more experiments to do in this area for sure!
F'ing LOVE it man!
You could replace a few van body panels with foam and really start saving weight
Lol… I almost had to (future video) but luckily not.
Imagine how much better your gas mileage is compared to heavy wood...
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What about using foil sided insulation foam for the extra stiffness?