For the last few years, we have had this next project lingering in the back of our minds, waiting for inspiration to strike. What we didn’t know was how in the world we could actually make it work. What is it? A couch that is also a table that
Propane Install and Testing
It was finally time to install the propane system in the bus. We have had the water heater installed for almost 10 months, but with the hottest summer in Arizona history this year we were not in a hurry to hook it up. Many times during the summer, the water
Nissan Leaf Battery 3 Year Post Install Checkup and Capacity Testing
The time had come to do a little maintenance on our Nissan Leaf battery. We slid our battery into the bay on October 22, 2017 - well over 3 years ago! I am happy to report that the performance of the battery and solar system has exceeded our expectations. That
Toyota Sienna Seats in an RV - Part 2: Redo with New Swivel Base & Sliders
Two years ago, we installed a Toyota Sienna seat in our bus for our passenger seat. At that time, we made a custom mounting bracket to fit the base from the previous seat. Well, the time finally came to replace the driver’s seat as well, but we desperately needed
Wire Chases & Plank Walls
After finishing the ceiling in the kitchen/living room and front cab, we were ready to tackle the walls. However, before we could begin planking the walls, we had to deal with all of the wires in our “wire chase” that runs the length of the bus on both sides
Charging the Bus Batteries with the House Batteries
Today, we are sharing a quick project that took one “To-Do” off our mental checklist. The original bus wiring had all the battery systems were wired together. The batteries would drain rapidly only lasting about 3 or 4 days. We got in the habit of always unplugging the batteries ... until
Ford Transit Van Seats for the Kids
When we decided to travel in a motorhome versus a truck and trailer, we knew that we would need to find the safest way for the kids to be seated. Of course, there would have to be seat belts. In addition, we have two children that are still in car
Front Cab Curved Ceiling
After finishing the ceiling in the kitchen and living room, it was time to finish off the ceiling of the front cab. Last year, we built upper cabinets in this area, which was one of the trickiest projects we have encountered. Thankfully, the cabinets eat up some of the major
Ceiling Planks in the Kitchen & Living Room
Building the Upper Cabinets
Last year, we built the upper cabinets in the front cab area of the bus. It was one of the more difficult projects we have worked on. When it came time to build the rest of the upper cabinets in the kitchen area of the bus, we were slightly hesitant.
Slatted Tub Surround
After finishing the plumbing for the shower, we were finally able to build the tub surround. We really like the slatted pocket doors we built previously, so we decided to make a version of that for around the tub.
We started with ½” pre-finished birch plywood as the base layer and
Shower Plumbing
After spending many weekends working in the rear of the bus, we were finally able to move out of the kids’ room and start working our way forward. First stop, the shower. When we previously framed the bathtub, we decided that we would enclose the plumbing in the space between
More Power for a HOT Summer
When we were building the bus at our house, power was never an issue. Even in the ridiculously hot summers of Phoenix at over 110℉. We plugged in all of our power tools to the house and ran our bus air conditioners off of the solar and battery all day