[EnviroProf]

Seeing your inline water heater makes me want to nix the one I have and do that. I'll have to research dimensions and see if this is a possibiity.. the main big things that are lurking for me for next year are awnings, cartridge toilet of some sort, and we'll see whatever get's added to the list when we take our trip out to CA/OR this summer.

If not for the challenges of mounting the traditional tank hot water heater where you can cut a big hole in the side of the van, I might have gone that way. I had six-gallon one in my Four Wheel Camper and it worked great. Stayed hot for a long time. Haven't had a chance to fire up the new instant on heater, but others on this forum have liked them. The good news is that if it doesn't work well, or we are uncomfortable with the amount of venting, I think it ended up where there actually is room to mount a tank heater.

 

[EnviroProf]

Are you going to stain the wood, or what's the final look for the cabinetry?

After changing our mind several times we decided to paint all the cabinets. We will add some wood trim here and there, possibly with the small table, to warm up the interior a bit.

 

[EnviroProf]

Made some progress with the galley area today. Cut the countertop to fit and then cut holes for the sink and stove. Next will be laminating the countertop, and then testing the propane and plumbing connections before adding a cabinet door and building two drawers to the left of the cabinet. My goal is to get all the major systems working in the next three weeks so I can take her out on her maiden camping voyage. The ceiling and upper wall panels will be added over the summer in-between trips.

 

[EnviroProf]

Laminated the countertop yesterday and happy with the results. We have a nice piece of hickory we are going to oil and use as a backsplash. I hadn't ever done laminate work before so it was a little stressful. Not as scary as cutting holes for the windows and fan, but you only get one chance to do it right. I practiced routing the edges on a few pieces before working on the actual countertop to get the depth of the bit right. We went back and forth on choosing countertops, ranging from the solid wood butcher block to paying a cabinet maker to build some sort of solid top, but in the end went with saving some weight and money, having something that cleans easily and is low maintenance, and learning another new skill.

From the bottom photo you can see where the last two feet of our bed will slide out over the left end of the countertop on the gray rail next to the van wall. When we are stopped and need more counter space (or access to the bench seat), we will flip over the end of the mattress and the bed support (blue with the aluminum bar) will slide back over the bed frame. We got the idea from our Four Wheel truck camper design. Next will be adding two drawers to the left of the sink, adding a cabinet door under the sink, and testing all plumbing and propane systems.

 

[takedown]

Beautiful build. Thanks for sharing.

 

[EnviroProf]

Beautiful build. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks @takedown

 

[EnviroProf]

I'm getting close to finishing the galley area, and that meant installing the Lagun table, which had to be attached before the fridge goes in. I ordered two mounts of the Lagun when it was on sale several months ago, not exactly sure where I would mount each. I ended up installing the mounts directly on top of each other, which allows me to have three different positions for the table, without having to lift it in and out and store while driving.

Below is the low position in front of the two seats, which is probably the primary need for a table to eat, play cards, etc.

Below is the high position, which serves as additional counter space next to the stove.

Finally, below the table will swing over the countertop while driving.

The table top should be arriving today. After considering different options ranging from a laminate table to match the counter, to making one that would have Plexiglas covering a counter map, I decided to order a bamboo table designed for Laguns from Panther RV. It will be lightweight and I like the sustainable nature of bamboo.
VanHaus VAN-B24 Camper Van Bamboo Dining Table for Lagun Table Leg

 

[EnviroProf]

Had a couple of productive days. In the photo below you can see my co-captain Laura trimming our mattress to fit.

Below is the full-length bed, which stretches over the bench seat and about 20 inches of the galley counter. This gives us almost a full length king mattress.

When we are hanging out, cooking, etc., we will fold the bottom two sections of mattress over and the last 20 inches of so of the bed support will slide under the rear part of the mattress, opening up the bench seat and countertop. The plan is to cover the bottom two mattress sections so they can be pulled out and used.

 

[eranrund]

Awesome build! Thank you for sharing it.
I'm also going through the process of trying to figure out what to use for countertop. I like how yours turned out! What plywood did you use and what kind of laminate?
Thanks!

 

[Jamesh]

Top job!

That is one big bed!

Cheers James

 

[EnviroProf]

Awesome build! Thank you for sharing it.
I'm also going through the process of trying to figure out what to use for countertop. I like how yours turned out! What plywood did you use and what kind of laminate?
Thanks!

Thanks @eranrund . I used 3/4-inch plywood for the base of the countertop, and then added pieces of 3/4-inch board underneath at the edges to give it a thicker appearance on the sides. The laminate was from Home Depot and labeled "FORMICA 4 ft. x 8 ft. Laminate Sheet in Smoke Quarstone with Premiumfx Radiance Finish." You can't find it in their stores, but I ordered it online for $80 with free shipping. For the adhesive I used 3M 90, which I had a bunch of because I used it on several van projects, including attaching insulation to the walls. It was my first time working with laminate and it went well, but I do recommend practicing on some smaller pieces to figure out how to adjust your router bit.

I went back and forth on different counter types. I considered butcherblock, but was put off by the weight and future maintenance. I'm hoping the laminate will hold up well under the camping environment.

 

[EnviroProf]

Top job!

That is one big bed!

Cheers James

Thanks @Jamesh . Yeah, it is one big bed. Looking at the mattress on the ground next to the van, it didn't seem possible it could even fit inside. It was definitely one of the must haves in our design, partly due to our previous experiences. We started with a 1989 VW Syncro camper, which had a narrow bed that folded out from the bench seat, and then a slightly larger one above with the top lifted. Neither were really suited for two people. Our next camper was a Four Wheel truck camper, which had a king-size mattress. That spoiled us and we copied the Four Wheel slide out bed design to make it work in our van. We are basically building a bed and a kitchen.

 

[EnviroProf]

Our bamboo table arrived and was just what we were hoping for.

Here it is in the "driving mode." Our goal was to mount the Lagun hardware so we weren't carrying it around and stowing it when not in use.

 

[eranrund]

Thanks @eranrund . I used 3/4-inch plywood for the base of the countertop, and then added pieces of 3/4-inch board underneath at the edges to give it a thicker appearance on the sides. The laminate was from Home Depot and labeled "FORMICA 4 ft. x 8 ft. Laminate Sheet in Smoke Quarstone with Premiumfx Radiance Finish." You can't find it in their stores, but I ordered it online for $80 with free shipping. For the adhesive I used 3M 90, which I had a bunch of because I used it on several van projects, including attaching insulation to the walls. It was my first time working with laminate and it went well, but I do recommend practicing on some smaller pieces to figure out how to adjust your router bit.

I went back and forth on different counter types. I considered butcherblock, but was put off by the weight and future maintenance. I'm hoping the laminate will hold up well under the camping environment.

Thank you for the detailed answer! While I prefer the appearance of butcher blocks, I am also put off by their weight, and also by potential issues regarding expansion due to changes in humidity levels. Supposedly that could cause cracking, especially if the countertop is attached firmly in all four directions. I think I will give the laminate a shot. Why did you go with 3/4 instead 1/2?

Our bamboo table arrived and was just what we were hoping for.

View attachment 153239

Here it is in the "driving mode." Our goal was to mount the Lagun hardware so we weren't carrying it around and stowing it when not in use.

View attachment 153240

That bamboo is beautiful!

 

[jacka714]

Beautiful table, did you order it custom online? If so can you share that info? I tried a travel position table prototype with the Lagun and I had enough vibration that my screws loosened. I had nylon washers though and I’m pretty sure that’s why it loosened.

 

[EnviroProf]

I think I will give the laminate a shot. Why did you go with 3/4 instead 1/2?

As I researched how to do the laminate work 3/4 seemed to be the standard. The right side of my countertop is about 90% covered by stove and sink, so I wasn't concerned about additional weight of 3/4 ply. On the left side I have a long span that I want to be self supportive so that I can remove the cabinet face if I need to access plumbing, heater etc., so I wanted the additional stiffness of 3/4. All of my cabinet cases are made of 1/2 inch ply. You'd have to check with someone more familiar with laminate to see how 1/2 might work.

 

[EnviroProf]

Beautiful table, did you order it custom online? If so can you share that info? I tried a travel position table prototype with the Lagun and I had enough vibration that my screws loosened. I had nylon washers though and I’m pretty sure that’s why it loosened.

I ordered the table from Panther RV in Washington. The link is below. I wouldn't have guessed that the screws could vibrate loose. I'll have to check them after some time on the road. I don't want people to think I have a loose screw.
VanHaus VAN-B24 Camper Van Bamboo Dining Table for Lagun Table Leg

 

[eranrund]

As I researched how to do the laminate work 3/4 seemed to be the standard. The right side of my countertop is about 90% covered by stove and sink, so I wasn't concerned about additional weight of 3/4 ply. On the left side I have a long span that I want to be self supportive so that I can remove the cabinet face if I need to access plumbing, heater etc., so I wanted the additional stiffness of 3/4. All of my cabinet cases are made of 1/2 inch ply. You'd have to check with someone more familiar with laminate to see how 1/2 might work.

Awesome, thank you for the reply!

 

[EnviroProf]

Mounted two Newpowa 210W panels on my Flatline roof rack this morning, giving it roughly the same power as a "fully functional Death Star." Next will be drilling a hole in the roof to run cables and mount the solar gland. It's great to move some more gear out of the garage and onto the van. I bought them several months ago when they were on sale. The installation went fairly smoothly, but there isn't a lot of room to spare on the sides, which meant using some creative yoga moves with one foot balanced precariously on the tallest ladder that I own.

 

[EnviroProf]

It's been a pretty productive week and the weather has cooperated. My goal has been to get all the systems working so that we can take it somewhere this weekend for its maiden overnight voyage. This meant stringing wire to all of my loads and testing them to make sure they function properly. This included the water pump and switch, fridge, stove igniter, ceiling fan, Propex heater, DC USB outlets, propane detector, and some limited lights (ceiling isn't done yet). I still have to connect the inverter, and tidy up a few lines with some zip ties, but we should be good to go for the weekend.

Below is the end result of this labor. Sliding doors keep all of this out of site and prevent the dog from playing tug of war with anything sparky.

I built control panels for all of the electronics gear. They are semi permanent for now, as I haven't finished the walls yet above the bed.

The blue outlet box will house an AC outlet that will be wired to the Samlex inverter. The small round switch is for the water pump.

This is the control panel on the passenger side. It felt great to connect the Victron solar controller to the new panels this morning and watch the power flow in to the batteries for the first time. The monitor is made by Simarine and will also monitor my propane and water tanks. The round switch is for the front porch light and the cutout is for a dimmer switch for the overhead lights.