John and I spent some time discussing all the things we'd change if we could do it all over again and decided to do just that. Start over. Right away, we found a great deal on a Step Van not far from home so it made sense to dive into the project head first. The second time around should be much faster and since June 1st we've been spending every day working on it. John took a leave of absence from work so we've been staying with relatives where we have some helping hands and a place to sleep during the transition.
Our new home-to-be is a 1999 Grumman Olson step van with an 18' cargo area, which will be walled off at 14' with the remainder allocated for garage/workshop space. With approximately double the insulation and half the cubic footage, this will be much more efficient and easy to manage. We'll be reusing most things from the mobile condo, but there are a few changes and lots of downsizing to do. No more trailer, mini truck, dryer, massage bed, living room chairs, piano, water heater tank and we'll have a smaller closet, countertop, and bed. One of the things that I'm really looking forward to is the custom shower & mini tub. I'll be able to do laundry in the tub, which is great for larger items like blankets that don't fit in the 5 gallon bucket.
Here is a video of the new layout design, just for the living area. I might add the workshop and the cab to the design video later, but the project is moving along so quickly that it'll probably be easier to just take photos and show you later. Anyway, I'm sure you'll get the idea.
This seems like a much more practical and thought out approach, hope it suits you better than the last on, good luck
ReplyDeleteThanks! It really helped to build the first one, just to know what we want.
ReplyDeleteHey, it's me again, good to see this project is still working out and you're still blogging it. Too often people abandon the blogs, but that makes it impossible for others to learn from the experience too.
ReplyDeleteThere is something I have become interested in recently and I think you might be very interested in. I won't put a link in out of concern it will get stuck in the spam bin, but it's at Opensourceecology.org. It's really very interesting, be sure to read some of the philosophy behind it while you are there.
I won't be devoting as much time to blogging about the new project, but I didn't want to give it up altogether. There will probably be more videos and less writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion. We're big fans of OSE and it's on our "definite yes" list of places we'd like to visit.
I've been following the progress on this blog for a bit and think it's really good that you were able to take an honest look at your needs and figure out that the original truck wasn't going to be get you there. I'm sure that was a hard decision, and I imagine that a lot of people would continue to sink their time and resources into something that ultimately couldn't be what they really wanted.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate the previous post where you discussed life in the condo after you'd been at it for awhile. I've been doing a lot of research into tiny homes and mobile lifestyles and haven't seen very many frank assessments like yours and I wish I could find more.
Just a couple questions. How did you find living without windows? Are you considering them for the step van?
Thanks!
Thanks for your interest and input, Danny. :) I think a lot of people consider learning experiences to be personal failures, but I try really hard to avoid that. Instead of feeling bad about how much time and resources went into making our apartment look cool then completely remodeling our house then building the mobile condo, I just think about how great the new plan is going to be and how many more opportunities I'll have because of it. Plus, it'll cost less to maintain, drive, and we'll have more free/close parking options with a much smaller, less noticeable vehicle. I'm aiming for ultimate flexibility when it comes to my life plan so when I encounter something I truly want to do, I don't have a bunch of okay stuff standing in my way.
ReplyDeleteI love living without windows! The skylights leave the whole place filled with natural light but allow for tons of privacy. If I had windows, I'd keep the curtains closed anyway. We aren't putting in windows or skylights in MC2 (yet) but the bulkhead door opens to let light in through the cab. Eventually we might consider putting in small porthole marine windows in the bed area on the sides but near the ceiling (disguised as vents, perhaps?)but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm not sure if we'll even need them.
So, is your AC in the garage/workshop space? Based on your video, the cab entrance is at the opposite end of the AC, so it must either stick out of the back of the truck or be in the garage/workshop. Either way, it needs to be ventilated. Why not use a roof mounted unit, or a split unit with a roof mounted component?
ReplyDeleteAs for the custom shower and minitub, some older class B RVs used a minitub that I really liked-- sometimes found on the MB Cruiser, or the Falcon class B RVs with the head at the rear, and the minitub adjacent. It's a small tub, with a small sitting area. It's always looked like a reasonable idea to me.
It's always hard to keep an RV's floor clean. I don't think that is easily avoidable. Shoes/feet bring in muck, muck ends up on floors, and there is only a very small amount of floor space available, hence it's mucky floors.
Good luck, and as others have suggested, please keep posting-- it really helps some of us who are also trying to figure out what works and what doesn't/
@Big Ears: Hello and thanks for the message. :)
ReplyDeleteThe AC sticks into the garage area but is vented through the back doors. I'll have a dedicated post about it once we actually start using it.