[maia]

What are the depths of your base cabinets and aisle width? Good luck with the build.

I'm not certain on dimensions just yet since I don't have the van home yet. My sketchup floor rectangle is 68" wide. One advantage of using 8020 is framing around the support nub. I plan to use Hein's factory tie-down lugs to help with that.

 

[maia]

The winter conditions mean that AGM is a much better solution or you have to commit to doing "something" to keep the battery pack warmish ( ~ > 40 F) all of the time to be really useful.

The "something" I'm doing is using the ReLiOn LT series batteries, which come with a built in heating system that allows the batteries to charge down to -4°F. I have 4x 100Ah of these.

 

[njvagabond]

I'm not certain on dimensions just yet since I don't have the van home yet. My sketchup floor rectangle is 68" wide. One advantage of using 8020 is framing around the support nub. I plan to use Hein's factory tie-down lugs to help with that.

You are conservatively in the ballpark for width. I had the Baltic birch for my floor cut at 69" but I fear that I may need to take a smidge more off of that to actually get it into place.

We will be trying to get the aisle as close to 24" as possible. The counter height fridge on the drivers side and toilet on the passengers side will determine the cabinet depths. Actually going to cut out the corner of the fridge to sit between the wheel well and the "nub". 😬 Aisle width is especially important in build for where the galley kitchen for 2 is a priority.

We will build a prototype out of 2x2 furring to vet out the 8020 design in the flesh.

 

[maia]

The counter height fridge on the drivers side and toilet on the passengers side will determine the cabinet depths.

Yep, my aisle width is going to be determined by toilet and fridge as well.

Depending on the layout, the aisle can be narrower and not be so much of an issue. If one side is galley and the other is bench, you don't need as much space as when you have one side galley and the other side cabinets or something else that is higher up. I always cringe when I imagine trying to prep food at a galley with a full height cabinet or shower behind like many vans have. Having space for shoulders and elbows is important.

 

[njvagabond]

Having space for shoulders and elbows is important.

Good point. No bench in our layout . Working galley on both sides for 2, which will require good planning of ergonomic details and work methods. Thankfully both are in my wheelhouse and the navigator/novice CAD operator is also an engineer. Only one more month 'till her retirement. We make quite a pair. 🤓

Not starting the van for a prolonged period and lots of pondering in the actual space has been helpful before jumping in with both feet, at lest for my sensory problem solving tendency. Hoping that prototyping helps avoid many should haves. Still quite a lot of decisions that will depend on that.

 

[Thrush50]

One of my van electrical customers is in ID - up fairly high elevation.

The AGM vs LiFe decision is definitely complicated there.

In some ways, it is more like the PWN when it comes to sunlight availability, so this make LiFe useful.

The winter conditions mean that AGM is a much better solution or you have to commit to doing "something" to keep the battery pack warmish ( ~ > 40 F) all of the time to be really useful.

The customer installed 300 watts, but 400 - 500 of an overcast tolerant panel type would have been better + Lifeline AGMs.

It really takes all three charging methods (solar) + (alternator) + (120 vac plug in) to really make it work year round in ID.

Since the OP and mine are both cold weather situations, your observations are much appreciated. I'll start a new thread, though, on cold weather all-electric considerations. Too much to cover.

 

[natecostello]

I'm not certain on dimensions just yet since I don't have the van home yet. My sketchup floor rectangle is 68" wide. One advantage of using 8020 is framing around the support nub. I plan to use Hein's factory tie-down lugs to help with that.

Measure your own twice. In case this helps with planning, we cut our wood to 68 and 7/8ths and its a snug, but not too tight, fit.

 

[JamesVanCat]

Great looking sketch up!

Is there any particular reason you choose the "Floor and wall kit from AVC Rig" instead something like the Adventure Wagon Kit?

 

[maia]

Is there any particular reason you choose the "Floor and wall kit from AVC Rig" instead something like the Adventure Wagon Kit?

A few reasons:

• The AVC Rig guys have been really responsive and helpful with questions I've asked (after ordering their roof rack).
• Mostly I wanted to save myself the headache of templating floors and walls.
• I don't like or need all that L-track everywhere.
• The Adventure Wagon kit is on the order of $10k more... it comes with a bunch of stuff that I already have purchased (Thinsulate, electrical wiring / breakers / fuses, MaxxAir fan, etc).

 

[JamesVanCat]

I see, it's good to hear that they are responsive and that there are other kits out there. I'll be following your build to see how you secure your cabinets and other stuff to the van.
best of luck!

 

[gregoryx]

You are conservatively in the ballpark for width. I had the Baltic birch for my floor cut at 69" but I fear that I may need to take a smidge more off of that to actually get it into place.
...

Buddy who loves to be super-accurate had to disassemble walls and floor to take quite a bit more off everything to get rid of the squeaks. Better to have some play.

The Humble-Road dude had some good input on cabinet designs: a bit of "3D" look to the cabinets has a better "feel" and can give an impression of space even if there isn't as much. He probably would have "bumped out" the top few inches of our galley by one inch or less - to match the oven front, for example - and I think it would have looked better. I don't think we nailed it on this; but the inset of the fridge lower cabinet makes the aisle /feel/ larger than it is at the fridge-galley area. We also went "back to the drawing board" on the galley and found a way to narrow it by 3" after doing the 1x2 mock-ups. It required some plumbing redesign and different accommodation for the espresso machine; but the end result is MUCH better. It had looked just right in the 3D design mock up... 😏

To @maia's point about the cabinet stuff, the upper cabinets are set back from the aisle, but the height of them happens to be right at our ladies' forehead level (three dudes @ 5'11" and three spouses @ 5'3"). They don't see them when standing at the galley and lean forward and hit their heads. We boys never noticed or thought of this issue, of course. We'll be adding the padding to that front corner for the shorter folks. 🤦‍♀️

Since the OP and mine are both cold weather situations, your observations are much appreciated. I'll start a new thread, though, on cold weather all-electric considerations. Too much to cover.

@harryn has great observations on this stuff. But the ~50% usable AGM vs ~90% usable LFP plus the weight and space... there's a math formula in there for the rather large amount of heating that one could do before these things start to equal out. Hard to see a use-case for AGMs in most cases where a human can survive.

 

[njvagabond]

Buddy who loves to be super-accurate had to disassemble walls and floor to take quite a bit more off everything to get rid of the squeaks. Better to have some play.

Moi? 😉 Agreed 100% Didn't want to end up with the initial cut from the lumber yard to be too short. Now I am not looking forward to the possibility of needing to trim a small slice off of a large sheet of 3/4" baltic birch on my table saw. Maybe a router with a guide and a straight cutting bit? Of course my vintage 1/4" router might not be up to the task ...

The Humble-Road dude had some good input on cabinet designs

He really understands light and discusses it well, Made his living off of light for many years. Check out his work (pre van builder). George Mauro | Photography | Lighting & Grip | New Jersey He is local to me but keeps his location under wraps. I suppose there would just be too many interruptions.

To @maia's point about the cabinet stuff

Like @maia we are also vertically challenged (5'7"/5'6") which is a big advantage in van layout especially with a HR. We have the further advantage of not having any plans of sharing out bed with a revolving cast of tall ski bums ...... and for some reason I don't think the idea of a 6 foot tall "bumetrix" guest would go over too well.

 

[orton]

Moi? 😉 Agreed 100% Didn't want to end up with the initial cut from the lumber yard to be too short. Now I am not looking forward to the possibility of needing to trim a small slice off of a large sheet of 3/4" baltic birch on my table saw. Maybe a router with a guide and a straight cutting bit? Of course my vintage 1/4" router might not be up to the task ...

I bought a small 4 1/2" diameter "Skill saw". Put plywood on the floor with short multiple 4" x 4" wood blocks between plywood and the floor so saw blade can not hit the floor. Used 3/16" x 1 1/2" aluminum angle on top of plywood with "C" clamps at both ends for a guide.

Worked very well. Move saw not the plywood. Saw lighter and easier to handle than full size saw. Easy to measure to angle for correct plywood width. Add saw blade to edge of saw guide to each measurement.

 

[maia]

To @maia's point about the cabinet stuff,

When I talked about cringing prepping food at a galley with a narrow aisle backing up to cabinets, I meant solid floor to ceiling pieces, like a bathroom with closed door or a full height cabinet. Galley opposing galley across an aisle is easier for mobility. And yes you are absolutely right that uppers must be set back. I plan to determine the size of the upper cabinets once the lowers and bench are built so I can be in the physical space and just measure what feels comfortable. This is why you don't see 8020 framing plans for uppers in my SketchUp model.

Buddy who loves to be super-accurate had to disassemble walls and floor to take quite a bit more off everything to get rid of the squeaks. Better to have some play.

As noted above, I'm using the CNC'd floor kit from AVC Rig. The question about width measurement is mostly for the distribution of bench-aisle-galley, not for cutting material for the floor.

 

[njvagabond]

I plan to determine the size of the upper cabinets once the lowers and bench are built so I can be in the physical space and just measure what feels comfortable.

Exactly.

When I talked about cringing prepping food at a galley with a narrow aisle backing up to cabinets

Or adjacent to to your working surface, especially on the side of your dominant hand. It looks like the countertop next to you cabinet is wide enough to be OK if you are right handed. If it's a problem you could end it short of the counter and a bin could go there that would be moved out of the way when cooking. That would also gain some counter space too. 🤷‍♀️

If you happen to be in communication with AVG, could you ask them what width they cut their floor? Thanks.

 

[maia]

It looks like the countertop next to you cabinet is wide enough to be OK if you are right handed.

On the left is the induction cooktop with a few inches of room before the cabinet. I plan to use metal WilsonArt aluminum material to cover the cabinet and the wall there. I plan to chop mostly on the counter in the center, with my dominant hand (right) closer to the sink, which is at the far right of the galley. The Lagun table which will be mounted in the corner of the bench will be counter height without adjustment since my bench is counter height. I can pull it over to cover the back bench by the bed to make more of an L-shaped kitchen setup to hold other bowls or things while I cook.

If you happen to be in communication with AVG, could you ask them what width they cut their floor?

Will do! I believe their process is that they designed in CAD and then have it outsourced for production. In any case I can measure once I have it.

 

[natecostello]

Those AVC products look tight. That roof rack could have worked for me if I wasn’t already down the Hein-angle approach.

 

[maia]

I picked up the van on Sunday, Sept 6. One week of progress:

Installed sound deadener
Installed thinsulate insulation
Flarespace flares, Arctic Tern window, and MaxxAir fan installed by VanCo NorCal.




Up next: floor, electrical

 

[DividedGuy]

I'll be following with interest, very curious about that floor kit from AVC Rig.

 

[NW_Freedom]

Now that you have it are you stoked on the Avalanche? I like all the thought into the layout.