Sunday Nov 24 - Early morning and late evening #2! The Campervan Layout to sleep 5 people

So I was awoken by something about 5am and ended up not being able to sleep due to continued thoughts about Annie.

• How will the layout work
• What seats shall I get
• What will run off 12v
• What will run off mains
• Where will the kids sleep

etc etc....

So I wrote a list over breakfast and started answering some questions when I got home from work tonight.

I've sourced some brand new minibus seats for the front and also the main vehicle.  So the wife, baby and two other daughters will have somewhere to sit once I collect those later this week.  Importantly they have seat-belts built in and once fixed to the chassis will create a nice safe place for the kids to travel.

The seats in the rear will need to be utilised as bed space but we'll sort that once they are in.

I've spent this evening (no tape measure yet) just trying to work on a layout.  very similar to that off of George Clarke's Amazing Spaces http://bluemooncamper.blogspot.co.uk/.  Although our beast is not as cute as theirs I think we will have more space.  So adopting that layout with a longer kitchen for more storage and an extra storage area should be possible.  I hope. 

I'll only really know when I get the seats, bolt them in and then start drawing on the floor.  But!!!  the images below show my floor-plan and my wall plans.  

Right now, it's time to get on eBay, buy some interior LED strips, a hook up, waterproof power outlet connector and a plug converter so I can power Annie up on the drive.  She will be my workshop soon and lit up at night my wife will know where to find me and my power tools.

Nov 23rd - Just the beginning for Annie the Ambulance - Our 999Camper

Well a few weeks ago we watched amazing spaces and fell in love with the little ambulance turned into a camper van by a great family for their children.  With three cherubs ourselves we face the same issues with regards holidays and want to go on many more over the coming years.  So the appeal of being able to just disappear at the drop of a hat was hard to ignore.

We chatted here and there for a few weeks after the show about going for it but not really ever thinking we would. However, last week, an old Bedford appeared in a layby 500 yards from our house. It was not for sale, but we both spotted it at different times and brought it up in conversation.

Thursday just gone, the signs went up. She was for sale!! I wandered the dog up there in the dark on Thursday already knowing we wanted it. It sounded good. Low miles, tax, MOT and in our price range. This combined with the very fact that 'Annie' was also an ex Ambulance made it even more appealing.

I arranged to go see it Friday night, again in the dark. And after a good chat with the owners I was even more tempted. They were a great couple whose change in circumstances meant they had to sell the van.

Annie wouldn't start so I left with the books and history and a plan to see it again on Sat morning with a jump pack. Unfortunately the jump pack yielded no success and I was getting worried. But just as I was about to leave I spotted that the filler cap had no lock. Perhaps she'd been siphoned as well as having a low battery??

I took the battery this time and charged it overnight. Retuning to Annie on Sunday morning with fuel and a fully charged battery she sputtered into life and at that point the deal was done and she came home.

Sundays are busy days for us but I had enough time to strip a load of stuff out and work out the space we have to work with.

Plenty of fun over the next months and plenty of learning to be done...

Seats, inner framework, wiring, kitchens, sleeping arrangements and a general tidy up on the outside.

April will be here before we know it (that's when I hope we can take our first spontaneous trip away) so keep popping back and check Annie's progress as the winter takes hold.