Converting the Van on the Cheap - Part Two

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you go through them to make a purchase I can earn a commission.  But I only link to products that I recommend based on my experience with them, not because of the commission. :)


Now that I finished the main parts...insulation, walls, ceiling and floor (see last post), it was time for the fun stuff...

I decided to build a 'chest' type structure around the right side wheel well.  This was to hold some of the van essentials, like antifreeze, oil, tools, gas can, etc, as well as my shoes.  I used the 2x2's to make the frame and the 1x4 against the wall to secure the lid to, and I used the remainder of the plywood from the floor to make the outside of the structure.

Building the frame for the van essentials/shoe compartment...

Maybe not perfect, but it is done and it totally does the job!

Next was the shelving for the other side.  I wanted it to include a countertop space to prep food, as well as a spot to inset some kind of water catch receptacle and attach my 5gallon water dispenser. Below I wanted to have some shelving for regularly used items, cleaning products, etc.

Building out the frame for the counter and shelving. 

I was super lucky in that a friend gifted me a nice chunk of butcher block that fit perfect as the food prep surface. (You can kinda see it in the upper right corner.)

I didn't get any pics of the shelving installation, but basically I made a cross support on the initial frame and then laid my 1x2's along these to create shelving just over the wheel well and under the food prep area.  The butcher block took one end of the counter and then plywood for the rest of the counter.  I made it not super tall, as I can't stand in the van anyway, so I can sit at the counter fairly comfortably.

Then I took my 5 gallon container and found this little trash can that fit perfect as a water catch.  I like that it is deeper than most of the other receptacles I was looking at.

Coming together!

As you can also see, I got a 3 tier utility cart like this that worked perfect as my pantry.  I just left the wheels off and put my heaviest jars, etc on the bottom shelves and have found it to be quite stable.  I have gone over some bumpy spots and it has shifted a little but never turned over.  And of course a little Ikea rug!  

I found a little tiny wood crate sort of thing at the thrift store and it fits 3 8oz ball jars that contain my toiletries now and I mounted that up on the wall, as well as a little wooden paper organizer.  

Then it was time for decorating! <3

I will say that Command hooks and strips are the best!  I used these strips to hang my pictures. I used hooks for all kinds of things, like jackets and towel and garbage bag.  And I found the Command Mirror which was perfect.

I added some Ikea hanging containers to hold a few plants and my kitchen utensils.

Did I mention that wet and dry erase markers work on the wall?! :D

I took a couple weeks at this point to live in the van and see what else I might want and need.  My friend had pulled out some drawers and I realized they would be a perfect fit under the bed!  So that was the next part of my build....

Drawers in!

The lower drawer now holds my dishes secure, and the upper some clothing like socks.  Then the rest of the clothing is in the plastic tubs and my camp grill fits securely next to the drawers.

As you can see, there is still some finishing stuff I can do, and a few things I still want to build out.  But those will be an update later!

I think that I spent about $600 on all the building materials and other goodies for the van.  So with the van itself, mechanic repairs and supplies and conversion, I spent less than $2500.

I have now lived in the van for a couple months and I am loving it.  It forces you to downsize and really see what you use on a weekly basis.  It also forces you to be organized, which is great, too!

I also joined the local gym to have access to showers, and so it forces me to use the gym, which is a seriously awesome motivator!

Thinking of converting your vehicle, even if just for road trips here and there?  Do it!  And if you have questions, I am always happy to help!

Happy travels, friends!

- Ash

Converting the Van on the Super Cheap - First Steps

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you go through them to make a purchase I can earn a commission.  But I only link to products that I recommend based on my experience with them, not because of the commission. :)

It's about time that I start telling you about my Van Conversion!

It was a cool challenge to do my van conversion as cheap as I could but still accomplish the things I wanted to accomplish for the van. I'm sure if you have looked at van conversions, you can see that it can be done on the cheap all the way to quite spendy. Of course, if you have the resources, you can have someone convert your van for you, but I had almost no resources, and I was not going to let that get in my way!

As I mentioned before, the van I found was $800 and I put about the same amount of work into it with the new catalytic converter (a little more expensive due to regulations in CA) and radiator replacement.

Step 1) Mechanical Fixes

This go 'round, the radiator was first and foremost.  I mean...it's not really supposed to do this....

Can you see the spray of coolant?!

I replaced it all by myself, and I will say, ladies (and gents), you got this shit.  Get on the YouTubes and look up your make and model and get your hands dirty.  I was so freakin' proud of myself for just going for it myself.  And even with a few small hiccups, it only took me a couple hours or so.

Old radiator out and other pieces parts...

New one in and just in time for the rain!

Step 2) Cleaning out the Van...

Next was to clean out the van.  While I was on the road, I made a huge mistake...which, by God, I learned from.  I left a few food items out. My first few nights back in my van were riddled with cleaning mouse poop and even mice running across my foot. (There may have also been panicked texts to my mom asking what the likelihood of me dying from hantavirus was.  I was sure I was a goner.)  Needless to say, after I got everything out of the van and cleaned up and mice eradicated, I made damn sure I put every single food item in a plastic bin or glass jar.

With that taken care of, it was on to the actual build. I elected to leave my already installed bed/couch in place.  But generally you would remove everything that existed.  In a previous post I showed my dad and I cutting out the welded in shelving, so all I needed to do was remove the carpeting and rubber mat.

Tearing out the bed lining stuffs...

After I tore all that out, I got to discover an access hole that was cut into the floor above the gas tank...

Surprise! Wait....That's not supposed to be there....

For some reason they cut a piece of metal out I assume as a make shift cover, but didn't secure it.  So I took my liquid nails glue and applied a heavy coating to it to try and keep moisture out.

I then vacuumed out the van and cleaned the floor as well as I could.

Step 3) Insulating and installing the sub-floor...

The next part was buying all the goodies to start the actual build.  I decided to go with rigid styrofoam insulation for a couple reasons.  First, they are resistant to moisture, and as I mentioned in my previous post, I know condensation can be an issue.  Second, it seemed like it would be pretty user friendly...just cut to fit and use a little glue to keep in place.  And third, it's quite affordable. I actually only used 4 sheets of 4x8 1/2in thick insulation.  I think this trip to Home Depot cost me about $250 for almost all my initial supplies.

Insulation, plywood, white backer board, 2x2's, 1x4's, and 1x2's

First I needed to secure the boards to my subfloor.  Every couple feet I laid down a board cross ways and opted to secure them to the van with liquid nails.  I alternated 1x4's with 1x2's for reasons that I now realize I cannot really tell you.  It...just seemed right to me. I added 1x2's along the sides, too. Then I cut the insulation to fit the gaps.

Oh...and what about tools to cut the wood (and in the next step, screw in the wood)...?  I used this Porter Cable Circular Saw and Drill Set.  Not only are they affordable for a cordless circular saw and drill, they are also quite compact.  They had no problem doing literally everything I needed to do!

Step 4) Insulating walls and ceiling and installing the hardy backer board...

My next step was cutting insulation to fit between the metal supports on the walls and ceiling.  I just used the existing metal supports rather than adding wood.  So I glued insulation pieces into the spaces and then used spray foam insulation for the gaps. (I also learned that spray foam is super fun...like adult utilitarian silly string...)

I opted for white hardy backer board for the walls and ceiling, again for price and I like the white look and could shape it to the van.  Added bonus!  You can totally use dry or wet erase markers on it!

Backer board on the ceiling and a peek at the insulation on the walls.

I wasn't strong enough to hold an entire piece of the backer board up AND screw it in to the metal, so I cut pieces the size of each metal support.  I used 1/2in self tapping screws and have to admit I had to put in some serious muscle to get those to go in.  For those ladies doing this, my dad offered the advice to get all phillips screws, and a size 2 gold impact screwdriver bit which doesn't strip out as fast or easy. I got these Impact Gold Number 2 Phillips Insert Bits and it worked better than the alternative for me for sure!

As you can see in the pic, I will eventually need to put up some trim to cover my seams, but for now, ceiling is up!

Walls were next and a little easier to hold up, so I kept them in larger pieces.

Walls up.  Don't mind the mess on the bed. 

I knew I was building in some shelving and cabinets, so I just stopped the walls at that point.  It would likely add some extra heat regulation to go all the way down, but all my stuff helps insulate...right?

Step 5) Floor...

Well...the last pic sort of spoiled it. But while I was installing the ceiling and walls, I took a couple sheets of plywood and painted on some polyurethane (this is what I used but I'd assume any polyurethane finish would work).  I chose this cuz it is waterproof and seemed like it would be best for flooring.  I went back and forth on what type of flooring I wanted, but I actually really like the look of plywood grain (I got just the cheaper CDX plywood at 3/8in thickness) and it seemed like a more cost effective and easy to install flooring. Surprisingly (as if I actually knew WTF I was doing) it was the perfect width for the floor of the van.  As for length, I just had to add about 3 feet of an additional sheet of plywood to get the desired length.  I used 1in wood screws to attach the plywood floor to the 1in subfloor supports.

Floor in.  My trusty Porter Cable tools at my side. 

Next time in "Converting the Van"...

With the most important parts of the van done, its time to figure out what I needed for storage and counter space! Stay tuned for the next installment! ;)

Ash

10 Ideas for Chicken Nesting Boxes

Today's to do list...

1) Bake some cookies to warm up the house (and because they are delicious)

2) Make more dryer balls (we sell them!  Check them out here if you are curious...)

3) Build some nesting boxes for the chickens.

That, of course, led me to start looking up some ideas for different nesting boxes, and we thought we ought to share our faves with you!

So without further ado, here are....

1) Pretty in Pine...

I just love the look of these ones.  The pine seems like a good choice and the 2nd story boxes are a neat addition....  Head over to the folks at Keeping it Cozy to check out their blog post on their coop.

2) One piece of plywood...

The folks over at Green Willow Homestead did some serious calculations (and graciously shared them with the internet) to create a very nice set of laying boxes from just one piece of plywood!

3) Simple and Spacious DIY Boxes....

This post by Remove and Replace shows us the step by step to make this simple set of nesting boxes (much of it could be with salvaged wood, too!)  I personally would add a coat of paint.  (Also, I'd make sure this was not the only roosting bar, as I want their roost to be away from the eggs to discourage pooing on the eggs.)

4) Astroturf?...

The folks over at Hawk Hill have come up with Astroturf for their set up!  But this post is about nesting boxes, right?  Well, I honestly am interested in this concept, but I also love the set up of these boxes, opening out to the outside.  Our chickens are freerange and I have been thinking I want something accessible from the outside....

5) Upcycled boxes...

I am always up for re-purposing old things into new ones.  Give some new life to a dresser for the chickens? Not sure of the original post, but found this bad boy over at The Homesteading Boards.

6) Unconventional but easy to clean...

Found this over at a forum on Backyard Chickens.  I love the ingenuity and I bet these are crazy easy to clean!

7) Too cute....

Ok, this whole set up is an inspiration!  I love granny chic and this looks just like a coop of my dreams.  And her ideas on cleaning and everything...yes! Head over to Farmhouse38 to check out this transformation and the neat little set up.

8) Ana White to the rescue...

If you don't know of Ana White's plans, you are missing out.  She is prolific in creating building plans for some the cutest furniture. And that includes this adorable nesting box.  This baby will stand the tests of time, that is for sure!

9) Ok...it's silly but great!

I just love this. I can't find the original post, so this is a Pinterest link, but how funny and cute is this? Talk about re-purposing!

10) Now to decorate...

Ok, I am definitely doing this.  No matter what kind of boxes we build this is a must!  How cute is this?  The folks over at Cluck Wild Homestead certainly came up with an adorable idea on this one!

Hope you liked these ideas, and once our boxes are done we will share them with you!  In the meantime, you can also find all these ideas and more at our Pinterest page!

-Ash

Hearts Handwarmer Knitting Pattern

Hey Folks!  We are super stoked about two things.  First, we are finally back to offering some new yarn crafting patterns with today's "Hearts Hand Warmers"!  And secondly, this also marks our first in crafting kits we will be offering in our Etsy Shop!

For being our loyal follower, we would love to offer you the pattern for free here.  (Speaking of, don't miss future patterns and updates by signing up here for our little newsletter!)

For our new kits, we will be offering quality and eco-friendly materials with our patterns in fun, reusable packaging whenever possible. In this kit, the first of its kind, we will give you just the right amount of our hand spun wool which we dyed (using non-toxic food grade dyes) in fun bright colors, as well as the warming pouches made from organic cotton fabric and filled with organic flax seed.  This is a fast and easy gift for your beau on Valentine's Day or a special little gift for yourself!

You can find one of our kits here!  We have several different color combos, so make sure to peek around!

This is just the start of our kits, so if you are not a knitter, don't worry, we will have some other yarncrafting kits for you all soon!

Ash

Granny Chic a Week Knit and Fabric Heart Potholder

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you go through them to make a purchase I can earn a commission.  But I only link to products that I recommend based on my experience with them, not because of the commission. :)

Hey there fine friends! This is a little late...it is really last week's project.  But better late than never, right?

So to get ready for Valentine's Day, what better than a little hand knit gift, perfect for your bestie or great as a hostess gift!

Cute, right?  It is an awesome fast little project to whip up for you knitters out there.  Then just a little more cutting and some quick hand stitching, and you are set!

Here is what you need to make this project:

• Scrap yarn in 2 contrasting colors - about 100 yards of main color (MC) and about 20 yards contrasting color (CC)
• Size 10US Straight Knitting Needles
• Scissors
• Wool felt approx 8x8
• Scrap of fabric approx 8.5x8.5in
• Matching thread
• Sewing Needle
• Crochet hook (optional for hanger)

How to make the cute lil' potholder:

Knitted side:

Abbreviations:

Kn: Knit

P: Purl

MC: Main Color

CC: Contrast Color
RS: Right Side
WS: Wrong Side

NOTES: You will be working in seed stitch throughout, except for the contrast color, which is done in stockinette.  When you get to the heart color work, pay attention to the change in the pattern.  And you can leave the yarn behind on the wrong side while changing colors, but make sure not to pull too tight, which will cinch up your fabric and it will not lay flat.

Here we go....

In MC, cast on 40 stitches in your preferred method.  

Rows 1-6 :Seed stitch pattern - *kn1p1 - repeat from * across each row.  

Row 7 (RS): Switch to CC and knit across.

Row 8: Continue in CC, Purl.  Cut yarn and secure ends.

Row 9 (RS): In MC, knit.

Rows 10 -11: Seed stitch - *kn1p1 - repeat from * across each row.

Row 12 (WS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 10 times (20 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p1. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 13 (RS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 9 times (18 stitches).  Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, kn3. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, p1.  Return to kn1p1 to end.

Row 14 (WS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 9 times (18 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p5. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 15 (RS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 8 times (16 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, kn7. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 16 (WS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 8 times (16 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p9. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 17 (RS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 7 times (14 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, kn11. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 18 (WS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 7 times (14 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p13. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 19 (RS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 6 times (12 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, kn15. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 20 (WS - NOTE: No increases in CC): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 6 times (12 stitches). Kn1. Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p13. Keep tail at WS, return to MC. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 21 (RS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 6 times (12 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, kn15. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 22 (WS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 6 times (12 stitches). Kn1. Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p15. Keep tail at WS, return to MC. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 23 (RS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 6 times (12 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, kn15. Keep tail at WS, return to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 24 (WS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 6 times (12 stitches). Kn1. Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p15. Keep tail at WS, return to MC. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 25 (RS - NOTE - Decreasing of CC begins): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 6 times (12 stitches). Kn1. Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, kn6. Keep tail at WS, return to MC and p1. With CC, kn6. With MC, continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 26 (WS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 7 times (14 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p5. Keep tail at WS, return to MC and p1,kn1p1. With CC, p5. With MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 27 (RS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 7 times (14 stitches).  Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, kn3. Keep tail at WS, return to MC and p1,kn1,p1,kn1,p1(total of 5 stitches in MC). Then, with CC, kn3. Back to MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end.

Row 28 (WS): Kn1,p1 (seed stitch) 8 times (16 stitches). Keeping MC at back (WS), switch to CC, p1. Keep tail at WS, return to MC and p1.  Kn1p1 pattern 3times (total of 7 stitches in MC). With CC, p1. With MC, P1. Continue kn1p1 to end. Clip CC and secure ends.

Rows 29-32: Kn1,p1 across.

Row 33: With CC, kn across.

Row 34: With CC, purl across.

Rows 36-39: Kn1,p1 across.

Row 40: In kn1,p1 pattern, bind off.

Now you are done knitting!  Whew! Now to finish....

Take your finished square and lay it on your felt.  Cut out felt to match size of knitted fabric.

Now take your fabric, and cut about half an inch larger than the wool and knitted fabric size.

Take your handy iron, and press under about 1/2in of the fabric on each side.

Sandwich your felt in between your knitted fabric and regular fabric (making sure right sides are facing out.)  Hand stitch the sandwich closed with a whip or invisible stitch.

And you are done! If you would like a little hanger for the corner, grab your main color and a crochet hook and chain 10, and then secure onto a corner.

We hope you enjoy it!  We will try and get a grid of the pattern out asap, too!

If you make this cutie, make sure to use #fibertonacres on social media so we can check it out!  We would love to see your creations!  And if this is all too much, you can just buy one at our Etsy shop here!

Thanks again!

Ash

PS - If you want a PDF version to download, head here and click on the tutorial!

Granny Chic a Week - Crochet and Fabric Coasters

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you go through them to make a purchase I can earn a commission.  But I only link to products that I recommend based on my experience with them, not because of the commission. :)

This week I decided to try out something I have been wanting to do for a while.  I love pairing different mediums, especially when it is yarn/cotton thread and fabric!

So this week, we are doing crochet and fabric granny chic coasters!

Here is what you need:

• Scissors
• Size 10 crochet hook 
• Crochet thread
• Quarter yard of fabric
• Iron
• Optional Variation - Upholstery needle to make a blanket stitch

How To Make Some Awesome Coasters:

Abbreviations:

Ch - Chain

Sl St - Slip Stitch

Sc - Single Crochet

Dc - Double Crochet

Grab your fabric and cut 4 rectangles (or however many coasters you would like).  I made mine about 4in wide by 8in tall.  

After you cut these out, press in each side about a 1/4in like so....

Then press in half so wrong sides are facing and all edges are turned under, like this...

Now you have 2 choices - you can either use your crochet hook to pierce through the fabric or you can do a blanket stitch around and crochet off of that.  I chose to pierce the fabric with the hook, so that is the tutorial below, but if you would prefer to do a blanket stitch, here is a great tutorial over at Red Brolly. (If you do this method, skip down to the singe crochet section.)

For those of you using the crochet hook, start near a corner and carefully press the hook through all layers of the fabric like so...

Next, hook your crochet thread and pull through, leaving the loop around your hook and pull enough through so it is even with the edge of the fabric so it doesn't pucker up.  Then wrap thread around hook and pull through, as if to slip stitch.  It will look something like this...

Continue like this.  Pierce through the fabric again about 1/8in away from the first one, pull loop through, making a long loop and slip stitch.

Also, beware silly kitties who want to attack your work...

I spaced it to where there are about 14 stitches on the sides (not including the corners.) When you get to the corner, chain one, insert hook back into the hole you pierced for your last stitch, sl st, ch 1 and then insert into same hole one more time, slip stitch and then continue across as you did before.

Once you have worked all the way around (or after you have you finished a blanket stitch around), ch 1 and sc across.  For the size I made, you will need to space 28 stitches across. (But if you want a larger square, the scallops are worked in sets of 4.  So increase or decrease your sc's across by 4 stitches.)

At each corner, ch 1 to turn the corner, and sc 28 across next side.

When you reach the end, slip stitch to join. Then sl st across 3 sc so you will start your first shell (or scallop) in the 4th stitch from the corner.

Ch 2 (will act as first dc), dc5 times into same hole. Sk 3, 6 dc into 4th hole.  Continue across, making 6 shells/scallops.

When you reach the corner (after your 6th shell), ch1, 6 dc into corner turn ch, and ch 1. Sk 3, and 6 dc into 4th hole from corner.  Continue in this fashion all the way around.

When you reach the last corner, join last dc with a sl st to the first dc (the 2 chains) and finish off.  Weave in ends.  And tada!  Your awesome new granny chic coasters!

PS - If you want to print this bad boy out, click here for a downloadable PDF.