Sink and Storage

In order to have any functionality in this camper van of ours, we need storage and a sink. We love having "everything in its place" and so needed to create cubbies for everything we'll haul when on a trip.  Also important was a place for brushing our teeth and access to fresh water.  

While we have drawers under the bed for our t-shirts and jeans, socks and underclothes, we needed to install a closet to hang up our coats and long-sleeved shirts.  The closet was built from 3/4" plywood, stained and varnished, and cut out to be roughly the same shape as the wall.  A clothes rod was put in at the top and a shelf installed half-way down for storage underneath.  The width of the closet was chosen based on the length of our cooler, which would be stored below the shelf in the closet.  The table top was designed to be stored on the shelf in the closet, along with the table pole.  Functionality is important here so using the space we have efficiently is our main objective.  While we may eventually buy an ice box (or build our own), right now we're using our Coleman cooler for food storage.

Lighting inside the van was also a necessity and we installed a light on the outside wall of the closet, so it faced the bed.  While this was a great idea in theory, we need to re-examine our "great ideas" because when the light is on at night you feel as though you are being interrogated by the mafia.  Also, the only area illuminated is from the back wall of the closet backward and nothing forward of that area sees much light. We will need to revamp the "lighting" situation down the road.  We do have light inside the van, which was the goal, but it certainly deserves to be reworked for better comfort for all involved.  

A small shelf was installed on this same outside wall of the closet to hold decks of cards, hair brushes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, salt and pepper or anything else you want within easy reach.  (Salt and pepper within easy reach????  It depends on who's the one outside cooking.)  

Next came the counter space which again was made of 3/4" plywood, attaching to the frame of the bed and closet.  Thin sheets of oak trim were glued to the outside edge of the plywood to have a finished look and create the edge as it curved around the sink.  Our local RV consignment shop guy, Harry, came through again for us with a used sink which we sunk into the counter top, attached a plastic standard drain at the bottom of the sink and the outlet drained into a 1 gallon plastic container which we empty daily.  In order to get water, a 5-gallon container was placed under the counter and a hand pump was mounted on top of the counter behind the sink.  A simple pumping action fills the faucet and once you lock the pump in place, the faucet stays primed for the next use.  Yes, we're limited to cold water, but the joy of brushing your teeth before bed and first thing in the morning is the reward we receive for at least having the basics of a sink and cold water.  We'll eventually put a skirt of fabric under the sink to hide all the containers.  It's open for the pictures.

A 7" high piece of plywood was put in across along the floor to keep the jugs of water in place while the vehicle is moving.  A drawer was built and cubbies built to store shoes and other items.  Also, this is where we have the electrical box for plugging in our heater or coffee pot and where the switch to turn on our inside spotlight resides. As you can see from picture, we still need to finish out with stain and varnish.

Here's the view of all of our work from the back bed...

  
and from the open sliding door, showing the table in place, too...

We use our outside camp chairs as seats for our morning coffee and in the evening when we play cards.  When we don't need to use the table, the chairs are outside, the table top and pole are in the closet and we have all the open space we need.

We added a handle on the inside of the van's door to help us get in and out of the van ...  and built a step out of wood to ease the "in and out" process.  We'll eventually have a step or rail installed permanently under the sliding door, but this step works well for us in the meantime. 

In the above picture you can see the area between the handle and the bed where we need to build some more cabinets and storage area for food and finish off the paneling.  We hope to install windows in the sliding door to add more light and in foul weather, when we're forced to stay inside playing cards or reading, the addition of these windows will bring the outdoors inside, even if just a little.  


So now you're up to date with where we are with our project as it currently sits.  Nancy is finishing up one of her busiest months at work and will go into "reduced-hours" mode in November and December.  Both she and Jerry will continue to work on the van during the winter.  Nancy is sewing denim window coverings for privacy at night and Jerry will continue his building of storage spaces, finishing the paneling of the ceiling and walls, and plans to install a fan in the ceiling.  We'll continue to post updates as work continues on our project.  Thanks for looking!!