MERCEDES VARIO CAMPER CONVERSION | Seating Area & DIY Drawers | LAGUN MOUNT & FOAM | Van Build Ep23
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Welcome back to our build! Where do you relax in your van? We have decided that a multitasking seating area is the best option for us! (We may have over reached...)
We want an area that will cater to all our needs, somewhere to sit up and eat, somewhere to work comfortably and somewhere to relax and watch TV - we also want it to double up as a single bed for any potential future passengers!
This week we start by running up some massive drawers out of 12mm ply to go into our seat boxes, we need to make sure we leave room for our diesel heater intake at the back of one of them. We fit our smooth running drawer runners (and test them a million times!) then try to fit the boxes into the van. We also take delivery of our foam - we went with 7.5cm Medium foam for the backs and sides, and 10cm Firm foam for the base. We also wrestle with our Lagun Table Mount - which isn't as flexible as we first thought!
After this week it feels like we are well on our way to making our very own tiny house on wheels with our Vario Van Conversion! Getting the seating right in the van is going to be such an achievement! If you want to keep right up to date please follow us on Instagram! @maxandsophieinavan
Here are some links to items we have used or are similar to what we have used in this video, some are affiliate links so we do get some pennies (at no extra cost to you!) if you follow the link and make a purchase.
Drill - amzn.to/39wMVJp
Impact Driver - amzn.to/2YyBVow
Drawer Runners - amzn.to/2MaLwzF
Pins - amzn.to/3pYtkaO
Cross Pein Hammer - amzn.to/39TRBct
Tape Measure - amzn.to/3jwPNJN
Foil tape - amzn.to/3pWUuiw
90 degree drill attachment - amzn.to/3jsZV6u
Foam - www.anyfoam.co.uk
Lagun Table Mount - www.motorhome-...
Piano Hinge - amzn.to/3rbw2Kf
We need as much help as possible! Please add any comments, hints or tips about our van build below...
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Previous Video - • DIY VANLIFE SEATING AR...
We're Max and Sophie and in 2020 we bought a Mercedes Vario to turn into our very own home on wheels. We've done the saving, so now we are starting our dream of building our diy camper van. Join us for our full time van build...
#VANLIFE #VANBUILD #MERCEDESVARIO #VANLIFEUK
Van spec:
Mercedes Vario 614D
2006 plate
7.2m long
2.5m wide
3.0m high
Air Brakes
Double Fuel Tank
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Music: www.bensound.com
Ahaha awww Sophie your confused face ! ☺️💗 think it will great guys ! Good luck with sewing this week !
Hahaha, no idea what was going on! 😂 thank you so much 💖😊
Another leap forwards 😎👍✅
Thank you so much Andrew! 😊👍
Beautiful both nice seat/bed/ food places 😋👌great job 👍
Thank you so much Gavin, we can’t wait to get out and use it! 😊👍
Really enjoying watching the build, top work 😎👍 also having a bit of workshop envy 👍
Thank you so much Lee! And we are so lucky to be able to use it! 😊👍
Everything looking fab! Well done both! A lagun table mount is the vanlifer mount of choice!
As for the holes, either mix up some filler with PVA glue and sawdust or paint and sawdust? Or get a plug cutter for that size , cut plugs from an offcut of the same thickness ply then plug the holes, fill, sand and paint 👌🏻
Thank you so much, and we are really pleased with it and managed to pick it up cheaply second hand! And that’s a great tip, will check out plug cutters! 😊👍
@@MaxSophieinaVan fab! Ply might split so try a more solid wood for the plugs perhaps.
Will do, we have some hard timber 👍
Well done, beginning to come together at last! Try filling the accidental holes with a trimmed down wooden dowel and some glue. Just sand it down then, worth a shot! Eoin
Thank you so much Eoin, it does suddenly feel like it! And that’s a great idea, thank you 😊👍
Wow well done guys it’s really coming together now putting those seats in, the table looks great and congratulations on 2K!
Thank you so much, and it suddenly feels like it! 😊👍
Great video guys. The holes can be filled with cut down dowel, then sanded over.
Thank you so much Heidi! And that’s a great idea, thank you 😊👍
to fill your srewholes mix sawdust with a bit of glue to make a putty or get some dowles hope this helps. you are doing a great job
That’s a fantastic idea, we have plenty of sawdust so will give that a go! Thank you! 😊👍
If you look in Homebase, B+Q, or Wicks theysell decorative wooden strips that would cover the holes
That’s a great idea, will check them out! Thank you 😊👍
Great job. Use wood filler, sand down and repaint.
Thank you Lisa! We’ll give that a go 😊👍
there are some great two part wood fillers available now,or you could trim the edges with some metal strips,ive got some mirror finish stainless trim if you need some,think there about 6foot by 90mm wide or 35 wide,your build is taking shape!
They are both great ideas, we will look into it! Thank you so much 😊👍
you two are fantastic. I love watching you work things out together. Very inspiring couple.
Thank you so much! We can’t believe people enjoy watching us just be us 😂👍
Great to watch all the progress guys, your doing really well. Dont sweat the firm foam, it will give a little over time, its always slightly stiffer when new. Definitely getting to the point where working space is going to become tighter so factor that into your timetable as construction will be a bit slower in those tighter spaces. Super excited for the next video. Atb.
Thank you so much Dave! And Sophie is going to do some upholstery wizardry to pad them out a bit! And that’s a really good thought, hopefully it won’t slow us down too much! 😊👍
Hi Max and Sophie, just caught up on your videos and really enjoyed them 👍. Just one comment on your deisel heater, my plan is to buy a narrowboat in the future and I have investigated them a little and I am sure the advice is to mount the pump vertically to extend their life. Looking forward to your project develop ✅
Thank you so much Gary! And all of our paperwork said to mount between 15 and 30 degrees pointing upwards but I will definitely investigate a little more! Thank you 😊👍
Hi again, just found where I got the suggestion to mount vertically. TH-camr "John McK 47" see Part 7
Perfect, will check it out, thanks again! 😊👍
Bom trabalho
Thank you so much Paulo! :)
Great video
We use a fiamma tripod legset in our van
Can be used inside and out
Thank you Kevin! And we did look at those but thought it might get in the way of our feet! Might still get one for outside tho! 😊👍
Love your work guys..
Thank you so much! 😊👍
Great work you two the van is coming on well.
Thank you so much, and it is slowly! 😂👍
Looking good. Great reality of the old in and out of van build. Those holes; dowel and filler?
Thank you so much! And I think that’s exactly what we might do 😊👍
greetings from Ireland well done on the seats & table I remember when our channel hit 2000 subs it felt great well done :) stay safe
Thank you so much, and it’s so exciting! 😊👍
I would cut the right angle of the back of the seat next to the door, so as not to hurt if I slip
That’s a great idea! Sophie was thinking of rounding all of the corners to make it a bit safer! 😊👍
The same as with the fridge: if you drive and turn to the right, the cupboards under the seats will drive open., because they are big and slide very easy. So, please be careful.
We will be, thanks for the reminder! We will be adding latches to stop them sliding 😊👍
For the holes in the seating area why not try Wooden dowels and cut them Down?
Agree 👍🏻
Will give this a go, thank you so much! 😊👍
round the edges of that table/sofa extend part, round edges wont bother for the sofa/bed mode and it will help rotate more easily in table mode
That’s a great tip, we’ll give it a try! Thank you so much! 😊👍
Hi guys. Loving your videos. What kind of screws are you using for your drawers? 🐻
Thank you so much! And just normal wood screws to join them together - specifically Goldscrew Plus from Screwfix 😊👍 🐻
@@MaxSophieinaVan thank you. We've already built our van but always had problems with finding the right screws. I'm hopefully doing another van soon as I'd like to build one solo, #girlpower and all that. Looking forward to your next update. Cheers. 🐻
Ah I see! We’ll check you guys out! And that sounds amazing, so exciting! What van will you be going for? Anything else you need just holla here or on insta! 😊👍
@@MaxSophieinaVan Probably a MWB Relay/Ducato or Master /Movano type. Whatever pops up in my budget in the right condition. We had a big VW bus that never got off the ground... too much work l. We've got a Vivaro at the moment. Great little van. Can take her anywhere but I'd like to be able to stand up now 😊. Xx
That’s so exciting! That’s such a shame, we are so glad we can stand up in ours, it was a must have on our requirements! 😊👌
Hi, love watching the videos, I'm using them as guides as I build my van. Is there a reason you have not opted to insulate the floor?
Thank you so much, defiantly learn from all of our mistakes 😂 and purely height in our van, Max is pretty tall and we want him to be able to stand up comfortably in there! We are however going to insulate all of the drawer/cupboard bottoms and then have an insulating underlay going under our wooden flooring when we do it 😊👍
@@MaxSophieinaVan you're doing a great job, the videos are full of helpful info. Thanks for getting back, I in a similar situation with height and was thinking the same. 👍
Thank you! 😊 and you’re welcome, it was a close call but we prioritised comfort! 👍
@@Wes2578 insulate if you can 😁 I am in my van as I have bag of height, but some people have height restrictions. Even if you can put a thin layer down it is better than not as the van floor will always be super cold. Another option is to add heat films under the floor so it takes the chill off 😁
The proper way to fill those ‘extra’ screw holes is with plugs. But you could just use body filler and sand down flush
That’s a great tip, we were bound to have some extra holes eventually 😂 we will try to make some plugs! 👍
@@MaxSophieinaVan you can get plug cutter attachments that will fit your vast array of makita drills! 😉
Ah I’ll never heard of those, will check them out! 😊👍
@@MaxSophieinaVan your favourite shop, Screwfix, stock plug cutters. You need to drill out the holes to match the size of the plug you need
That sounds like a winner to me, I’ll get some ordered now! 😊👍
I thought you were going to use a telescopic table leg so it can go up and down, finish lines in sight
So did we but then we managed to get a great deal on this one second hand! It can still do some vertical movement which is good! It suddenly feels like it! 😊👍
@@MaxSophieinaVan I sent some picys on insta
Thank you! 😊
👏👏👏
Thank you! 😊
hi where did you bye the foam from
We got it online from AnyFoam 😊👍
@@MaxSophieinaVan thanks look forward to more videos
Thank you 😊👌
No idea and cut down the size of the drawer, you do not have to pull the drawer completely out, and you can mount a block on the underside of the drawer that makes the drawer stop before it comes out completely.
why not leave the bed plate in one part and make the table a little smaller so that it fits between the benches, and the lagun attachment can then be placed against the sliding door side, it will give you a flush backwall
That’s a really good idea with the drawer, we might give it a go tomorrow! And the table isn’t strong enough on its own unfortunately so needs the ply base to help support it! 😊👍
@@MaxSophieinaVan I think a bit about how it will be and lie in the bunk when you have 12mm plywood on the outside of the wall and the lagoon base at knee height :)
it is possible to put on a 9mm plywood or something on the underside of the table top to make it a little stronger.
The bed plate itself can be stored in a place where it is not in the way when not in use, becoming a bit like a folding guest bed :)
That’s a great idea, we’ll have a look at what you suggested when we are there tomorrow! Thank you so much 😊👌
@@MaxSophieinaVan I bought a vario 814 about 5 months ago, if everything goes as planned, I will start converting to a all-year round motor-home in approx. 1 month.
So have a great interest in seeing different solutions for furnishings/layout, have decent expertise in metal and woodwork so I look forward to having time to start with the project.
Since my van has the steering on the right side 😎 the only sliding door will be the one where you have the benches and the table, in fact a good idea and use that space for loose chairs and dinner tables so maybe I will steal that idea from you 👍
That is so exciting! And you’ll have it built in no time with those skills! Will you be posting about it on TH-cam or instagram? 😊
You just need a central leg for that table
We prefer the flexibility we have with the lagun one over a central leg 😊👍
two pack wood filler Ronseal
Thank you Keith! Great idea 😊👍