I sat on my husbands little step & made the borders wider yesterday evening, then started filling it in. Someone drove past as I was drawing it, stuck a DSLR out the window, stopped & took photos of me. 🙈 I was still painting lines when darkness fell, which was a mistake coz my lines got a bit drunk with the paintbrush (that's my excuse & I'm sticking to it!)
#TheGreatReBuild #UnderTheShelf #VanLife #Decorating

It's my own take in Mondrian ... drawn faintly in pencil. I'll colour it in with paints.
Had an audience and a million questions plus van tours while I was drawing the lines 🤣
#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife #Decorating

My rear shelf/worktop.

I think it's perfect for a Mondrian type thing.

Don't you?

#TheGreatReBuild #Decorating #VanLife

Doing a bit to the side of the electrical panel. I'm on markers today, coz ... dunno where I put the paint when I packed up in a rush to make the journey to the vet
#TheGreatReBuild #Decorating

I've added the mirrored butterfly to the loo door. They were cheap years ago, so I thought they'd be less reflective than tin foil. It turns out that they're actually a good mirror 😲
I'm still pondering how to transfer writing. I've asked Mr F if he has Carbon paper. I don't really wanna buy a receipt book just for the carbon paper at the back, coz I've dozens in storage & an actual BOOK just of carbon paper.
#TheGreatReBuild #Decorating #TheLooDoor

The top & bottom of the end of the bed are 2 different colours. The 1st & 3rd lat of the bed are the same 2 different colours. I wasnt happy with how little difference there was so I added stripes to the bottom & I changed one of the lats to blue. The hinged one & the one in front were yellow so I added the darker purple to have each 1 a different colour.
I've also done the edges of the inside of the kitchen and 1 part of the shelf (that's removable to get at the tanks)
#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

Soooooo... 😁 I tried all the colours 😂
The 1st pic is the loo door.
The 2nd pic is the back of the kitchen unit on the left and up the top in yellow is my electronics box. The rear of the dog crates is on the right.
Even the edges of the planks for the bed got a lick of multicoloured paint 🙈

The flip up table and cargo net pockets were removed so I could paint properly. Theres still a stripe to be added to the kitchen unit when I take the masking tape off

#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

1st coat on to see what's it's like. Darker colour for near the dogs coz they might have dirty feet. Looks OK, so I'll add another coat.

#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

Shopping earlier for paint and "counter-top" type vinyl. And baskets .. coz everything is just stuffed in 😬
#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

Water pump connected today. 2 net pockets screwed onto the rear of the kitchen.. and it has been handed over and packed.
We're waiting on 2 parts - 1, switch so I can swap between charging the leisure battery and the ecoflow from the solar, and 2, a t-piece for the diesel heater.
Now I must vinyl things and paint, which I can do at my leisure. The paint may end up being multicolour .. coz why not 😁
But for now, I've moved in
#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

#Today is Diesel Heater day.
He always gets iffy about cutting holes in vans when so he kept putting it off.
It's in now. The small 2kw heater (rare now) is under the passenger seat & the hot-air hose comes out behind the seat, in the entry step at the sliding door. Lots manage to get it to come out between drivers seat & passenger seat at the rear of them but he couldn't do it coz the hose would run over the hot engine to get to that spot.

#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

One of the quirky things in a Mazda bongo is a little seat thing at the rear of the passenger seat. You pull the passenger seat forward, flip the bottom over & you have a little seat at the door. When it was a 6 seater, you could flip the bottom the other way and it became a footrest.
Here is photo of the little seat, with the shelf in front put up - a nice way to relax and look out the door (if there's nice scenery 😁)
#TheGreatReBuild #Vanlife

Mr F enquired about adding USB ports to the side of the kitchen by the shelf that collapses. Theres USB ports between the driver & passenger seats and more on the blue electric panel at the side of the sink but he was testing it out with his tablet & wondered if he should add some where the cable wouldn't be stretching across anything.
I said OK.
So he did.

#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

Control panel for the diesel heater has been mounted behind the drivers seat.

The fresh water tank has been secured by a baton along the floor to stop it moving (it can't move far if it did, but just in case!)

#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

Kitchen light wired and mounted. Wires are tucked in behind the tiny metal cupboards.
#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

New grey-waste tank and new pipe from sink to tank so it doesn't drain straight on the ground and I no longer have to carry a bucket 😁

#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

There are metal tiny cupboards on the roof inside. As the kitchen unit is higher than where I had it previously, I was concerned about the flame from the gas cooker being too close to them and the roof. Now there's a pop-up shelf on the side of the kitchen unit. It's lower than the kitchen unit so should be OK to use the gas. If I'm iffy about it, I can use the induction cooker I have. It can also be a table for the little seat behind the passenger seat
#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

The hinged plank at the side of the bed to access space behind the crates has now been cut in two. I figured it would be easier than trying to raise one long plank, especially with seat cushions & bedding on it.

#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

Mr F arrived down last night get to my "ok" on it before continuing.
I'm delighted with it, it will be much more suitable for my needs.

He returned to the shed.

The sink drained straight out to the ground,which I was never happy with.I didn't like the idea of toothpaste,soapy water etc draining out onto the ground (I used a bucket under the van.) Now I have a grey-waste tank elsewhere, there's no need for the hole the pipe came through under the van so its sealed.
#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife

As the sun sets on another day, this is the inside - it's usable, so he doesn't have to sleep in the roof 😁

#TheGreatReBuild #VanLife