Internal Structure Posts | Green Horn Country Club Blog

Finishing Touches

It's only taken a couple of years but I've finally finished the van! I thought it would be helpful just to list all the little things that I did in order to complete the van, from spice racks to shower curtains, it's all included here.

Painting & Tiling

Despite the below freezing temperatures and the very short days, I decided to get cracking on one of the last major jobs in the van which was all of the painting and varnishing in the van. As well as that, I decided to use porcelain tiles to create a small splashback in the kitchen.

Cladding and Carpeting

I decided to use auto-carpet to cover some of the more exposed areas and then used tongue and groove boards for my main cladding on the walls and ceiling. I fastened the cladding in place using a series of wooden beams that I'd previously screwed to the metal frame of the van.

Plying and Building a Retractable Table

Now that my wiring and plumbing was finished, it was time to clad my furniture in plywood and also make a neat retractable table that stows away under my bed. I also added a pull out section between my two benches to form a small single bed if I ever have a friend sleep over.

Building a Bed

Building a bed had been a long time coming! It was actually a very simple process, just using four lengths of CLS for the frame and some whitewood for the slats. The whole frame will be further sured up when I come to ply the interior of the van.

Laying Vinyl Flooring

I initially thought that if I waited to lay my vinyl flooring I would save money because I wouldn't have much surface area to cover. I was wrong. I still needed to buy the same size roll and now it meant I had to cut the vinyl around my kitchen and benches. Silly sausage.

Building Overhead Cupboards

Before I cladded the rest of the van I wanted to install two sets of overhead cupboards to use as storage and to mount a TV to. We were able to fix the cupboards in place using the wooden battens I'd fixed to metal frame of the van's walls and ceiling.

Installing an IKEA Kitchen

The initial plan was to use a series of IKEA METOD cabinets to lay out my kitchen, use them as a base and then build around them. They're simple to build, cheap and easy to adjust if need be. However, I got to IKEA and got bitten... hard.

Framing the Van

Time to start building! Before I can clad the van, I need to fit some wooden battens to the interior which I can fasten the cladding to. I also wanted to build the frames for two benches, one of which will house my electrical system...

Insulating the Van

Welcome to the insulation station - The warmest place in town. Or soon to be. At some point. It was a nice change not having to use power tools for once, nothing but scissors and a stanley knife. However, I would recommend getting a second pair of hands.

Building a Bulkhead

After stupidly throwing away my cab's shelf when I first gutted the van, I needed to make a replacement, along with a bulkhead to prop it up. Not to ruin the adventure but it was a very similar process to the flooring....but upright.

Flooring Pt 1

Stage 1 of the van build - The flooring! A (hopefully) detailed account of my first ever flooring adventure, covering the framing process, as well as insulating and covering the floor with plywood.