The van just after I bought her in February 2017.
Make: Volkswagen Transporter
Model: T4
Year: 1999
Body: Short Wheelbase
Engine: 1.9 liter diesel
Scroll down to see the build progress.
This was the inside of the van when I got it.  Awesome sound system but no space for it so it had to go.
It had some reflectix but no proper insulation so I added Earthwool and just used the existing panels.  I left the carpet on the plywood for extra insulation and just added cladding from B&Q.
Next job was to put a window in the sliding door. This was done in two stages cutting a smaller size than required first just in case any mistakes were made.
My good friend Myles (galibier.cc) took on the job of the first cut.  I did the final cutout and it turned out pretty good.
Pro tip is to not drive the van straight after putting the window in.  Leave it over night if possible.  I had to drive back to Dublin and it slipped down a bit.  It’s still sealed just not dead centre in the panel.
Luke and his dog Kuno took on the job of laying the floor.  Luke is a master carpenter and was the only man for the job.  Standard foil underlay was used and just put on the existing floor.
Great job on the floor.  I’m not sure white was the best idea as it’s never been that clean since.  The flooring is a white wash laminate from B&Q and cost around €60.
Next I added two 100w flexible solar panels to the roof.  This came as a kit with with an MPPT charge controller and MC4 connectors. I needed to buy a extension cable which connected the two panels into one and was long enough to reach the second battery.  I bonded the panels to the roof and used six self tappers in each just in case. Because the roof has ridges there is airflow under the panels.  The great thing is they only add about 10mm to the height of the van so I can still get into most carparks.  Link to solar kit
I wanted to keep the van as stealthy as possible but in Dublin stealthy also means suspicious.  After getting stopped by the police a number of times in the first month I added some decals to make it look a bit more like a camper.
I wanted to be able to use the full length of the van for carrying stuff and be able to walk from the drivers seat through the van and out the back door so a slider seemed like the way to go. For this I took an old double bed, cut it in half and offset the slats so it would slide.
It’s a full length double and can easily sleep two when pulled out. There is plenty of storage underneath which can be accessed from both ends without having to pull out the bed.
And this is it in couch mode.  The end panel just lifts off so you can slide stuff in and out.  With the panel off you effectively can use the full length and width of the van to carry stuff.
Next up was the foam for the bed/seat.  I had thought that just two bits would be the way to go but it just wasn’t comfortable with the back so high.
So I got out the stanley knife and cut the back part.  It’s way more comfortable and it also acts as a handy shelf when cooking.  Another mod after using it for a few weeks was to cut the front of the bed into two pieces which let’s you have a L-shaped couch and is a great spot for chilling at the back of the van.
When the bed pulls out it fills up the entire space up to the kitchen counter.  If I was doing this again I’d think about putting a hinge on the back of the counter which would allow you access when in bed mode.  The trick is to just take things out that you might need during the night before you make up the bed.  You can access the back of the kitchen when the sliding door is open so this is a good spot to keep the essentials.
The kitchen is a real important part of the van for me as I love to cook.  I built this prototype kitchen first.  It is pretty flexible as it allows you to cook inside and outside the van.
The prototype has a pivot in one corner which allows most of the kitchen counter top to rotate so you can cook outside the van on those sunny days.  Because it has a tailgate you can even cook outside if it’s warm and raining.  A simple pin locks it in place when it is back in the van.
Counter space is always a problem in a van of this size.  When the sink isn’t being used the bit I cut out for the sink can be put back in to give you more counter space.  It also doubles as a chopping block.
Happy that the prototype kitchen worked I had a counter top made to measure from a place in Rathdrum.  It cost €40 and it made from Scots pine (Red deal).  The long bit with the stove on it did warp a bit with the heat during the summer so perhaps go with a hard wood to avoid this happening.  I used a standard jigsaw blade to cut this when I really should have used a thicker one because of thickness of the wood.  It didn’t always give me a flush edge where I cut as the blade would bend a bit.
The red deal was then stained and put back in the van.  This is the counter top in situ  with the sink cutout in place to give extra counter space.  I’d like to take a few millimeters off the bottom of it so it sits flush.  Any suggestions on how to do this let me know.
This is the kitchen in the outside cooking mode.  3/4 of the counter pivots out to allow you to stand outside and cook.  In this photo I had put the pivot point in the middle of the counter which made it quite unstable.  I moved the pivot back to the corner which leaves the full width of the counter top resting on the unit when it opens so it is must more stable.  I haven’t come up with a solution for a support at the other end.  I’d imagine though I will have a support pivot up from the end of the bed that sits flush behind the end panel when not in use.
With nothing but bare metal the van was unbearable in the summer once the sun hit the metal roof.  I used the same pine cladding from the walls for the ceiling.  With some long self tappers I screwed some cross beams to the metal cross beams.  I could have screwed this to the side of the beams to save a bit of height but I figured the extra space would allow me to add more insulation.
Before the ceiling was finished I fit the stainless 12v lights and ran the wiring over to the corner where it will go down to the leisure battery.  Once the wiring was in place I back-filled the void with Earthwool insulation and put up the last few bits of cladding, insulating as I went.
And here it is with the cladding finished and with one coat of paint.  I used a white matte paint to give it a feeling of space with the colour and warmth from the finish.