Icicles!

This Winter really doesn't want to go, and so Waki has been adorned in an array of quite spectacular icicles again. The door was also frozen shut at the bottom the other morning and required a bit of a kick to get out, which proves that we still have some work to do regarding the rubber seal!

It's hard to believe just how well the insulation works though for a mere 25mm of foam + 4mm of foil/foam sandwich (and I'm very glad of it too!) considering that I sleep literally inches away from those icicles! :D

We bought a set of Milenco insulated covers for the cab windows and the windscreen before Winter really kicked in. Before these we'd just been using the previous owners' windscreen cover, which seemed to be sized for a tiny car, and some foam offcuts stuck up to the side windows with masking tape! The Milenco ones really are fantastic, they're a universal fit type but are at least actually designed for motorhomes/vans so do cover all of the glass and even overlap slightly, but we noticed a temperature difference immediately. They have the usual bubble wrap and foil combination but with a few extra layers of metal mesh and a smart fabric backing and come with suckers to hold them up. Hopefully they'll help us out in Summer too in keeping the interior cool, perhaps sunshine is wishful thinking though...

The cab in currently blocked off from the living area by a duvet for extra insulation and privacy as we still haven't done the curtains (despite having the fabric already, as usual the curtains are looking complicated to design as we want to block the cab windows but still use the seats) and there's quite a draught from the old door seals and probably a rusted hole or two!

Ryan had managed to get some protective paint on most of the bodywork before this wave of cold weather hit, I'll explain & get some pics up in another post, but for now it looks like we're back to inside work!

First things First

So where do we begin? We're still lodging with Ryan's parents and have spent nearly every evening since we got her just sitting inside on the driveway staring about, opening cupboards, poking things and discussing ideas. There's a lot to be done, and we need to get the order it's done in right! 

1. The ceiling and wall behind the bunks needs to come down as leaks in her previous life have left some unsightly damage to the plywood and paper covering, also we need to 'winterise' the vehicle so can use the opportunity to pack in as much insulation as possible! This also needs to somehow extend to the floor and outside of the vehicle so that our water tanks and pipes don't freeze if the weather gets really bad, especially as we plan on spending a lot of time in Scotland.

2. The electrics are shocking (excuse the pun!) and lights flicker or switch on and off when we close cupboards! :S The one leisure battery certainly isn't up to the task of living full time without hook-up so it needs some friends, and as we will want to add a couple of solar panels and a TV etc the whole electric system needs re-wiring, a nice confusing and frustrating job for Ryan... Thankfully we can salvage and re-use most of the lighting and can get electronic accessories on the cheap.

3. Whilst we're re-wiring and insulating we can run our blown heating system, including devising a handy clothes dryer facility in the shower compartment with one of the outlets! Our main source of heating will be via a skinny wood burning stove by the door (as we both wood-carve as a hobby fuel will be plentiful!) with just enough space on it's top for the kettle or pot to save on cooking gas.

4. Storage, and more storage! We will be using the space where the extra berths are for more cupboards and work surfaces. So they need to be carefully planned and built in.

5. We also need a toilet on board, and plan on getting one of those bench type in built ones with the cartridge that comes out through the wall. Or to start with we may just have to go with a traditional portaloo but I really don't like the idea of carrying the waste through the kitchen, I know those cartridges are also sealed but still! :(

6. Last but not least on the inside (and probably not really last either as something is bound to change!) the bed platform needs widening and a nice new mattress bought. Then the left over things like furnishings, extra thick lined curtains (the existing black out blinds are good already) to add colour and extra insulation.

7. I leave this part at number 7 with the view that it will get slotted in somewhere else dependant on the weather and Ryans work shifts. We need to address the rust on the cab but need a spell of dry weather where we are both available for a couple of days in a row to be able to get it all rubbed down and protected. The actual van paint job will be someday in the summer when the inside is finished so for now she'll have to stay looking tatty.