guyg
Spokane, WA
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Joined: 07/17/2010
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I'm inspired by WVVan's saga and impressed by the documentation, so..I also went to step 1, found an 03 E250 with moderate miles, a good maintenance history, etc. and begun work.
I've installed a fantastic vent, class 4 hitch, thule roof rack, and have insulated with ezcool (the 200 sq. ft. roll handled everything aft of the front seats) and am contemplating a bed and electrics. I'm going to be a good deal simpler than most, as I view this as much a rolling tent as anything else.
Right now, I'm contemplating the bed. I'm going with a queen size (60 x 80 inches, a section forward of the door folding down) and I'm wondering about the height. 15 inches clearance seems to be necessary for a cooler and a 5 gallon bucket, but puts the bed height about at the windows. I'd like to at least stash a portapotti under the bed in addition to the camp cookery, personal gear and fishing equipment..
anybody have any advice on this?
Guyg
The great Northwest
'03 E250 retired work van, now homemade camper
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landyacht318
Near a large body of water
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Joined: 07/11/2007
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Well, you know what you want to store under the bed, so that kind of determines the height.
Now the structure underneath the bed had a big impact on what you can fit under it. I built some storage boxes over my wheel wells with top accessable hatches. I then built 2 sliding storage boxes underneath which come to within 3/16 an inch of the bed platform. While these help support the 3/4 plywood, I also re enforced it with cold rolled angle iron/ steel. The boxes do not need to be there for support.
Here's a photo of a removable board which spans the 43 inch gap between wheel well boxes.
And here's a full write up about the design of my Bed over on Vannin.com. There are a lot of threads of DIY beds over there which should give you a lot of ideas about design and construction.
My bed
Good luck, and see you there.
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mumkin
Minot ND USA
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Joined: 07/16/2004
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I'm not sure how much height you have to work with... but one thing you might want to be sure of... calculate how high it needs to be to put what you want under it. Then add in how thick your 'mattress' will be. Can you still sit up in bed without banging your head? In my small unit (a very basic mini-van conversion), I forgot to factor in the padding for the bed... so I have to be careful not to sit up too quickly in bed. 
Mumkin
2011 LTV Libero
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bananadanna
Cambridge, MA
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Joined: 11/30/2005
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I built my diy with a 60" x 80" bed in mind but we found that a narrower bed (essentially 48"w x 80") suited us pretty well. The remaining inches (around 17") provide a bed level shelf that is very accessible and invaluable for all the extra storage we get. Consider how much you really need 60"w because its very dear real estate you are displacing.
My design lets me fold back the double bed to either daybed or bench width. That makes it very useful to keep the top at chair height level since otherwise your feet would dangle or drag. Chair height is a good design goal. But you don't want to waste any overhead height. I've got a tall Sprinter with 6'1" clearance inside and that allows for "airline" cargo bins down the inside lengths. If your van has just a few inches leftover above your head when sitting on the bed then I'd consider raising the bed level and using a subfloor or low stool to cure the dangling foot problem. Might as well capture a few extra inches.
The wheelwells limit access to some of the floor area covered with a bed platform. So span the center floor carefully with a few metal beams or perhaps closely spaced wooden ones to limit the depth needed for the area that would allow items to slide out.
My center spans are 1.5" high metal beams topped with 1.25" high folding atv ramps. The bench cushions atop are 2" high. A 2" roll of memory foam transforms the benchs to beds and is absolutely as thick as needed. Keeping the bed layer separate allows for lower bench height.
Consider reserving a bit of forward wall space if you can't fit your bucket/potty under your bed. Whatever you use will need to be very accessible in any case.
Dan
02 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 long tall home brew conversion
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WVvan
Home
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Joined: 07/08/2009
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Quote:I'm inspired by WVVan's saga
I try to think of it more as a mini-series that just got picked up for another year.
Open the pod bay doors Hal.
Once I exit Hal, this is what I do.
WWW.WVBIKE.ORG
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guyg
Spokane, WA
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Joined: 07/17/2010
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Thanks for your quick and thoughtful replies. My basic design objectives demand that we just not spend much time inside. A balance between head banging and potti-stashing is a great notion. Headbanging is a real possibility which necessitates the big ol' bed in the first place. And it is possible to relocate a portable loo somewhere else.
Cheers, all.
Guyg
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