Sunday, December 28, 2014

No work today

Today is a day of rest and recuperation. My poor little foot is turning a lovely shade of burgundy from where it was subject to a vicious and unprovoked attack by a vicious, rampaging bedframe. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow with luck.

The plan for the motorhome is simple. There will be a solid partition between the driving compartment and the living compartment. The living compartment will be divided exactly in two. The front half will have the kitchenette on the driver's side and the toilet. The other side will have the dining area, a shower and possibly a bookcase.

The kitchen area will have a small fridge with an inverter because a small fridge and an inverter is a load cheaper than buying a 12v fridge. The kitchen will have a microwave and an inverter - again because this combination is a load cheaper than a 12v microwave. There will be two or three 110v sockets for electric kettles, slow cookers and steamers. There will be no cooktop because quite frankly I never use a cooktop. I've lived for 3 years in my current accommodation and have never used a cooktop. This does not mean I might not have a movable electric ring.

The toilet will be a self-contained unit that will require emptying, hence my decision to position it next to the emergency exit. Exactly opposite will be the shower unit. This will be a unit with a seat on the basis that the ceiling of the bus is not tall enough for me to stand to shower. The seating for the dining area might contain storage. It is hoped there will be sufficient space for a tall yet slender bookcase also containing a USB charging station.

The other half of the bus will be devoted to a bedroom with a bed down one side and a closet down the other side. Beside the rear emergency exit on the bed side will be a small desk - if there's room.

The dining area will most likely be a bright and cheerful yellow with pine-look furnishing. The bedroom will be a cheerful magenta with white or red trim. The exterior of the bus will remain grey with a reflective strip along each side and the back.

Construction materials will be the angle iron that was part of the 4 beds that were originally in the bus, a sink that was already in the bus, some treated 2x2 and OSB. Due to the use of OSB and the fact there is condensation inside the bus, it will be necessary to use a dehumidifier. With luck it might be possible to locate a 12v dehumidifier. Ventilation will be straightforward with plastic tubing and a fan. 

110v plugin input will be provided with the fuse box situated in the toilet area. It is not envisaged that 110v will be supplied to anything other than the kitchen and shower. There will be a 12v line to the bedroom powering LED lighting (which will be used throughout). There will be a USB charging station in the bedroom.

The one afterthought is  garbage disposal - cans, packets etc. That's usually such an afterthought. This will have to be something I will have to work into the system somehow.

Power and water will be things that will be worked in later. The important thing is to get the motorhome livable soon. There will be some small water tanks on board and a small amount of onboard waste water. Below decks there is intended eventually to be a 50 gallon waste water tank, a 25 gallon sewage tank and a 50 gallon fresh water tank. There will be solar panels on the roof and a bank of rechargeable batteries under the bus. It is anticipated that solar might not be sufficient to power a shower, microwave and so on at least in the early phases. Thus a small Harbor Freight generator might be necessary.

It is anticipated construction will recommence tomorrow and that replacing the rotted floor panels might be challenging. None of this is complicated. It's just a matter of persistence and problem solving.

No comments:

Post a Comment