All the Luck in the World

All the Luck in the World

I have officially begun working on my new van! 

The vision is to turn it into something that I’d be comfortable living in for a year or two—a comfortable bed, stove, sink, refrigerator, toilet, shower, lots of counter space and a robust solar system. Just to name a few.

When I purchased the van it didn’t have much more than a bed, a small solar setup and some decorative paneling on the walls and ceiling to make it look nice. But even though I have a ton more work to do, I was happy to have at least some of the work done already. 

The very first thing I did was to strip off the paneling from the walls and ceiling so that I could see what’s underneath. And I’m glad I did. Because even though the previous owner actually did a pretty good job insulating the van, quite a few sections were left with either minimal, or zero, insulation. Proper insulation is really important in a van, so completing the insulation became my first project.

Once the wall panels were off, in addition to the lack of insulation in parts, I was surprised to find that there was practically zero wood framing to attach the paneling to. Instead, the previous owner had screwed the panels directly into the metal of the van (don’t worry, vans have interior and exterior walls, meaning that you can screw into the interior wall without having your screws poke out the exterior wall). Admittedly, screwing directly into the metal can work for very simple van builds, but that won’t fly with what I have planned.

So yesterday I began attaching wood framing to the metal of the van so that—once I begin installing heavy things like cabinets, countertops and my redesigned bed platform—I’ll be able to screw into the wood framing instead of the metal.

Once the framing is complete, my plan is to start attacking the electrical system. This is where I feel particularly overwhelmed. I’ve done basic electrical work before, but a 12 volt system in a van is a whole different ballgame. In moments of doubt I think maybe it’s best to hire help. But in moments of strength I know I can figure it out on my own. 

I will continue updating you as the project progresses. For now, please send me all the luck in the world as I begin doing things that I don’t know how to do. Yet.

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”― Pablo Picasso