Its beginning to look alot like...a camper !

Ok so how many of you have a Christmas song going through your head now ? :P

Well today I managed to resize the second seat, so both are finished structurally now, and then started facing the seating with the laminate flooring :), sounds crazy but works, and actually works quite well. I still need to finish off the edges with the 20mm aluminium angle from Focus, I had enough for 2 strips left from when I finished off the flooring at the back, that you can just about make out on the pics, but need to do some more, so I think 2 more lengths will do for now.

Not sure if I am going to use the laminate on the white units for the cupboard and kitchen yet, probably will do as its pretty thin. If I do will need alot more of the angle metal. So I didnt have to ruin the line of the metal with screws to hold it in place, I used a glue, now its either Hard As Nails or No More Nails, Im thinking it is the first one which is most likely a rip off of the second :). The laminate I fixed to the seating using some 3/4" hardboard nails, they are very tiny, and if any were to be on show, the head is very tiny and buries just below the surface of the laminate, you hardly know they are there. I bought a 40g box, think there must be at least 100 in it, for 80p from our local indoor market, same place I managed to get the curtain tape, thank goodness places like that are still alive, I hope they survive alot longer too ! Definately useful ! And I bet that the same amount of nails would have cost more like £2-3 from a DIY store.

Anyway this is the seating, not bolted in yet, still have to make absolutely sure it all works before I start drilling holes through the floor :) Again we are still undecided about the bed conversion, we are thinking that the metal frame idea is looking less appealing now the seats are built, Jen came up with the idea of building 2 cubes that will live in the seat, and come out when needed for the bed to support the board when its folded out, not very slick but practical, and maybe I can build 2 cubes with tops on and use them as small coffee tables too ?

Finally, I managed to cut the worktop too, now ive done this in the hope that I can find room for the better Smev 9222 sink/hob, this has 12v ignition and the glass covers, you can see a pic a bit further back in the blog. This top I cut to 1000mm x 400mm, I think the 9222 is 900mm x 370mm, so if I can get the worktop to fit without the bed board fouling it when it folds out, then I will be a very happy chap, the Smev isnt cheap at around £230 plus postage, but will really add a nice feature to the van which in turn will add value. Here it is resting on the leisure battery, but will eventually be on a unit and hopefully run along the line where the blue meets the yellow on the walls.

Popped in to Pearman Briggs in Gloucester again today on my way home, picked up a Tow Ball cover for my new towbar, spent an extra 50p and got the one with the snazzy reflector on the back, only the best for MY camper :)

Also bought my 12v sockets, as you can see below, they are proper caravan sockets, and fit flush to the unit you are putting them in, I think they look quite smart, but a bit of a rip off, they dont come as you see in the pic, you have to buy the socket, then a surround that screws it to the surface, then a surround to go over that surround to hide the screws, seems to me they could sell the lot in one kit and knock a couple of pounds off, but anyways, the sockets are £5.29 each I think, the first screw surround is around 99p, and the second surround I think was £1.29, thats for the single one, the double one is 2 single sockets with a double screw surround and a double finish surround, all in all what you see in the photo cost just over £20, scandalous ! The mains sockets all work in the same way, you have to buy a mountain of stuff for them and as with all caravan and motorhome accessories, pretty expensive for a slightly different look to house mains sockets, so had a quick look through the Screwfix catalogue, and think im going to go for the brushed stainless steel mains sockets with the black inserts, they look more motorhome than the usual house sockets, for a 2 way socket and a 1 way socket, plus a light switch, and back boxes, its going to be around £25 all in, at the caravan place, one double socket was £16 without the back box etc, so this is the way Im going. Just thinking to myself it will be nice to get on with the wiring because that will mean that things are almost done inside :).

By the way the double socket is for the wardrobe/cubpoard unit at the back of the van, this will be useful for the Wii or the shower or for the camera and phone battery chargers, the single one is for the seat that is behind the drivers seat, just opposite the side door, useful to run the laptop 12v charger etc, think I am going to put a mains socket next to it too and power it with a 300w invertor, this will mean I can use mains off of the leisure battery if no hook-up is available, for things up to 300w, meaning that you could use a mains laptop charger or phone charger etc. Anything that doesnt exceed 300w.

Well thats it for today, I promised myself an early night tonight and its now 43 minutes after midnight ! I hope I find this blog useful once Ive finished, after all the hours ive put into writing it :) oh and tomorrow night, or tonight if you want to be technically correct, I'm going to use the camper to do the chinese for the first time in over 3 months ! Yay ! :)