Next step was designing the interior. As I have mentioned before I really recommend taking many trips before you design the interior. My plan changed so many times after I took trips in it. What I thought was important turned out not to be and things I though I could do without I ended up needing. A lot of my ideas came from previous RVs I have been in including a 2006 VW Rialta (Winnebago conversion) and a campervan rental I used in Costa Rica (Hyundai Starlex Conversion - costarider-campervan.com) which really helped out with the interior design. The guy who does this rental designed 11 of these vans and did such an amazing job with such a small space. Pictures of his design are here.
My goals for the interior build originally were as follows:
-Sleeps 2 permanently, 4 if needed
-Portable Toilet
-Plenty of cargo space
-12v Fridge
Things I added after doing trips:
-Interior shower
-Stove
-Sink
-Large drawer safe
Things I decided I didn't need after doing trips:
-Large inverter for AC current (no need to AC)
I was going to have help building the interior so I had to get the design out of my head and onto paper (or computer). To do this I used SketchUp (free). In order to use SketchUp I watched countless hours of YouTube videos on how to use the software, which is needed as although its a easy to use software there are a lot of tips and tricks to it.
To Start I used this pre-made dodge sprinter van model that you can download and load into SketchUp. Using the dimensions that measured from my van I cut a cross section out of the pre-made model and made sure all the dimensions I took matched the model I was using. I left the floor plan out of the van for the time being and would eventually move the floor plan into the model.
After a bit of work this is the design I came up with in SketchUp:
and reversed view:
Once I was happy with the design I move the floor plan into the model:
and with the folding bed removed:
Although my model is very simple it finally allowed me to share the design with the guy who was going to help me do the build. It was also very interesting to see what my design would look like in the van. I had to make adjustment as the van was much bigger in my head.
Things that are still in the design phase that I have not figured out is how to construct the folding bed and how to construct the interior shower.
For the interior shower I would like to change the back right corner of the floor into a shower style floor similar to this:
Where the wood is flush or close to flush with the rest of the floor, but drains to a holding tank underneath the van. For the rest of the shower it would just be a hose/shower head and shower curtains that would be hooked into the roof of the van. I am still trying to make this idea work and have not perfected the idea yet.
For the folding bed I am stuck between piano hinges and legs or running a support beam across. Still in the design phase though.
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