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I left you last week at the end of the demolition phase. We couldn’t believe that pulling a bus apart could take an entire week! While items such as the discarded chairs, seatbelts and wall linings went to our local tip shop (the chairs were salvaged into their recycling area) we did keep a box of “spares”. The box contained button covers for panels we had removed that conceal screw heads, there was an array of air conditioning vents, the “break in case of emergency” hammer and various nuts and bolts that I thought may come in handy. To be honest, I had no idea why I kept some items, but that box proved to be invaluable during our build.
(Pictured: Clean slate)
(Pictured: Pile of chairs)
We also kept several panels that we had removed to gain access to items such as the rear taillights. The contours of those panels are such that we could never replicate the intricate profiles, so we kept the panels and planned on refurbishing them (more of this to come later). After our first few vintage caravan builds, we learnt a very valuable lesson… and that is to keep as many items as possible for the purpose of templates.
My other big tip is to take photographs and measurements. Every single centimetre of our bus has been photographed at frame stage, along with a detailed drawing with measurements of how the frame is constructed, where pipes and electrical cords run and the depth of unusual cavities or spaces. Once again, this proved an invaluable resource during the build and we referred back to it on my occasions.
That detailed drawing and photographs actually took an entire day. It makes you stop and think about how your plan will come to life and poses much debate about, “What if we did it this way instead?”.
Once satisfied we had all our measurements correct, it was time to mark out our floor in blue painter’s tape to ensure that our plans really would work. This not only gives you a visual representation of how the bus will look but allows gives you the opportunity to easily adapt and change items that don’t work.
(Pictured: starting to map out the floorplan)
Another great tip I saw recently for people who have trouble visualising how the build will look and feel is to use packing boxes. So instead of just taping out the design on the floor, this very clever couple mimicked the height of the kitchen, the dinette and bed all with the help of packing boxes taped together. This step and the rough installation of our cabinets threw up another challenge.
The challenge that we encountered very early on was that both our kitchen cabinets and our mattress would be above the height of the bottom of the window. There was also the added complication of how do you cover the back of wardrobe and the fridge area as the entire bus is glass windows from the waist up. We once again asked what others had done and wadded through photographs online. In some instances, it would appear that this didn’t bother some people, but to a designer with an eye for detail, I knew I had to come up with an aesthetically pleasing solution.
Another challenging component came in the form of where to actually cut the roof lining back to. We knew we didn’t want to remove it from the drivers cabin as this lining housed the air conditioning system. Once again, with so many moulded angles to this highly sophisticated space, we knew that we would never make it as slick and well-finished as the original Toyota roof lining. The decision to some degree was taken out of our hands as the roof lining planks we used were 4.8m long. So, we took to the ceiling with a plastic cutting blade on our multi-tool and hoped we were making the right decision.
(Pictured: Herb cutting back the ceiling lining...eeek!)
By now you are probably thinking, just get on with the reno story… but my friends this is the renovation story. This build, like the others before it consumed my every waking moment and invaded my dreams on more than one occasion. If you aren’t thinking about how every little piece will go together now, you will run into issues down the track. My mind constantly buzzed with new ways to fix and problem-solve issues and when we decided to do a 15cm band of black blockout internally to disguise the back of the kitchen and then use the same product to black out back of the wardrobe and fridge, we were met with mixed responses from car window tinters.
I was convinced that this was the correct way to go and kept calling around until I found someone to come out and quote us. Being in a country town and unable to drive the bus as it had been deregistered, it was hard to explain my vision on the phone. Even after the window tint owner had come and completed the quote himself, he was still not convinced my solution would work and I am sure he thought I was mad. You can see the result and judge for yourself in a later blog.
(Pictured: blockout film installation)
So, back to our plan and taping out the floor. I can’t describe to you the feeling of elation when our plan worked out to the exact centimetre. Those hours spent at university designing space and building models served me well here. We had made allowances for wall frame timber, then cladding on both sides and it’s important to also factor in a small allowance (about 5mm) in between cabinets and your bed.
During this phase we also used blue painter’s tape on the walls and ceiling to indicate where electrical fittings would go. We used a simple A1, A2 type method to identify each of the components. Trust me when I say it’s easier to run all your wiring before you start covering up your walls and ceilings in any way. 240v wiring is all the same size, however the 12v system uses wires that are different thicknesses and ampages, so labelling every single wire at both ends and using a map like this one I have included here is key. You think at the time you will remember, but trust me, when every cable has an entry and exit point, it soon gets very confusing and you don’t want your lights coming on when you think you are hooking up your water pump!
(Pictured: electric layout)
The inside of the bus stayed in this current state for a few weeks while we moved onto the outside of the bus. We wanted to make 100% sure that we were happy with the layout and constantly toyed with alternatives, always coming back to our initial plan.
Working on the outside of the bus was relatively quick, but did come with it’s own challenges… of course!
I look forward to sharing the external transformation with you next week.
Samantha | @hello_mr_pemberton
(Pictured: The outside before)
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