Or at least halfway. Because we actually had a plan for a long time, which, to be honest, had to be reworked a bit due to many events, and not just because of the extensive, let’s call it Corona measures.
First of all we would be looking for a motorhome. First it should be a van to expand yourself. Then it switched to an LT, or similar vehicle that already came with a lot of equipment. In any case, a bathroom with shower and toilet. Not a portapotti that you simply put in the middle of the mobile… Not just an outdoor shower, or strangely patched windows, seams, or with the well-known rust spots in beads, on the window frame
Then it kind of became (at least in our minds) a mobile home with solar panels on the roof and finally we were pretty overwhelmed by a never-ending search over the months.
We looked at a wide variety of models. We took test drives, interviewed workshops and received the most adventurous suggestions. Because what you saw in the advertisements and what was expressed with the words “…is just not the youngest anymore…”, “…still looks very good for his age…”, “..of course you can’t expect to buy a new car…”, at first it didn’t look so bad in our imagination, but then mostly turned out to be a hopeless failure. And finally, about a week ago, I had to laugh out loud while reading the descriptions of a young couple on a blog about their mobile home search.
Because actually: how amazing it is that you can suddenly divide all panel vans into the correct size and height, as well as the manufacturer. That you know all engine variants, years of young-timer approvals and the associated “galvanizing series” of the old LTs, Ducato and Co. How to scan the roadside all at once when driving to the next appointment, lost in thought about the actual expansion project. It’s like a new world is revealed that I never thought I’d get to know. But also a lot of crap accumulates. I don’t know how many TOP self-builds I’ve looked at and still clicked away again and again, almost a little scared. Now and then, they reappeared in my watch list because, yes, why?
We thought about it beforehand:
– What do you really need for the mobile?
– What is essential for personal well-being and what is important for work?
– Can you really spend a long time without a wet room and toilet?
– What would be the consequences?
– And do I really want to climb into the stupid alcove every night and bang my legs at night when I have to go down to the toilet drunk from sleep?
– What kind of power consumption do we actually have with the few devices?
– Can we get by without solar and without shore power for a few days?
We have discussed all these questions over and over again. Identified our needs and discarded. Watched mobile, discussed. Laughed and found flaws that were previously concealed. So everything back to start. No purchase. And then the subsequent consideration: The 2-length is not enough! So maybe yes, but is that “airy” enough? After all, you don’t want to have to gawk at the remarkably ugly Spax screws on the interior paneling even after 7 days of rain in a row. You might have to do it yourself. Insulate everything yourself. Determine the floor plan with the best utilization for OUR needs and accordingly tackle the water outlets, windows, fans, lay the electrical wiring and flooring as well as covering the walls and ceiling according to your own taste. A foldable seating group to a large bed was then also clear.
All material such as slats, multiplex panels, screws, brackets, hinges, dampers, paints, glue, sealant and lots of glue have already been roughly calculated and with the acquisition costs for cool box, solar panel with charge controller, converter, batteries, tanks, lines, new composting toilet Drawings and calculations planned.
So we decided on a size. Height was already clear anyway. We just needed our extension vehicle. But then the bad news: The loan was not approved. So plan B. Back to the beginning. No running over the lot. Rather slowly bring the old ones back into play. All the LTs previously banned from the watch list, the Ducatinos and the coati MB300s were romping about in the imaginary front yard again.
Who doesn’t know it!? Or was it just us?
