Promaster Build- Floor

Today we put the floor into the Pedro.  We decided to do the floor first because we will be doing most of the build after ski season in April down at my brother’s house where we will have a smart engineer, lots of tools, and warm sunny weather at our disposal, but we need the van to be usable in the mean time and the dogs wouldn’t be able to ride in the van with the bare metal floor (how’s that for a run on sentence).  So, the floor was our priority.  Everything went really smoothly!  Here’s what we did:

Materials:

2 rolls of 10’ x 4’ reflectix ($21 each)

1 roll of Gorilla Tape ($5.50)

1 can 3M spray adhesive ($11)

2 sheets of 8’ x 4’ .5" foam board ($7.45 each)

1 sheet 12’ x 6’ plastic vapor barrier ($6)

3 rubber horse stall mats 4 x 6’ ($39.99 each)

2 wood strips .5” x 8’ ($8.99 each)

1 metal door frame threshold ($13.99)

Time:

5 hours

Cost:

$222.34

Steps:

1. Relfectix.  Reflectix is like magic!  I plan on covering the whole van with it.  It’s a great insulator.  We used spray adhesive and cut reflectix to fit the whole floor and the wheel wells.  We got it all stuck down and used Gorilla tape between all the separate pieces.  We were able to cover all the space with 2 rolls of 10’ x 4.’  It was about 40 degrees outside while we put the floor in and the metal was quite cold on our feet.  Once we put the reflectix down it was noticeably warmer, and a perfectly comfortable temperature to stand on in just our socks. 

I've seen some people put little wood strips in between the ridges on the floor to make the whole thing more level.  We opted not to do that to save some more time and money.

All the reflectix is glued in and all the seams are covered with Gorilla tape

2. Foam board.  Next we cut our foam board to shape.  We again used tape between all the seams.  I chose 1/2 inch foam board because that seemed plenty sufficient given all the layers we would eventually have on the floor.  We were just shy on having enough with the two sheets that I bought, so we will have a little gap to fill in when we buy more foam board for the ceiling. 

3. Vapor barrier.  I’m pretty sure this wasn’t necessary but I had it and decided to throw it down just in case our top layer wasn’t 100% waterproof.  We cut the plastic a little larger than the floor space so it came up the walls a bit around all the edges and then trimmed it down once we had our top layer in.

4. Horse mats.  We chose to use rubber mats because hardwood is too slippery for the dogs, the rubber seemed like it would not only insulate well but also be a great sound dampener, it would be easy to clean and it wouldn’t be a problem to get into the van with wet clothes or gear.  We bought our mats at Tractor Supply Co.  They come in 4’ x 6’ rectangles, which was great because the van is 12’ x 6’ so three mats covered the space perfectly.  The mats are heavy enough that they lay perfectly flat and don’t curl or move around, and there is no gap in between the pieces.  We trimmed them with a utility blade, which was hard work, but we got nice curves around the wheel wells and other features of the walls. 

The mats are dirty because we have already been using them in the van.

5. Doorways.  Because we didn’t frame the floor with wood or use a solid sheet of plywood before our mats, we wanted to make sure that our foam board wouldn’t get crushed on the edges when we stepped into the van.  We used .5” wood strips along the back door and the side door to reinforce the edge of the floor.  This went under the rubber mats, above the relfectix, and as a side edge to the foam.  For the side door, we also added a metal threshold, which we screwed into the wood strip to protect the edge further.

Layers.  The wood strip keeps us from crushing the edge of the foam when we step into the van.

Here's what all the layers look like from the side.  The foam board is behind the wood strip.

Here is the metal threshold which hides everything and makes it look clean as well as protects it.

The project was really fun!  The floor feels really comfortable to stand on and we expect it will insulate very well as well as quiet things down significantly in the van.  The van is about 6’5” inside, so we didn’t have to worry much about having our floor or ceiling insulation too thick.  All in all the floor was a little under 1.5” thick.  

For Sale

The time has come to sell Silas.  It is very bittersweet.  He is all smogged and had his oil changed and I cleaned him all out.  Here is the link to the Craigslist ad if anyone is interested.  I hope he goes to a good home and makes someone as happy as he made me!

Identity Crisis

Help!  As many of you know, I recently purchased a new van (Pedro the Promaster) and I am planning to sell Silas.  Silas the Sprinter has really become part of my identity over the past few years.  All of my friends and many people I haven't met know the van by name, I have some loyal Instagram followers, I am referred to as Silas the Sprinter in my guest blogs on various sites, and Silas is linked to in tags and references (he was even recently mentioned in Cosmo Magazine!).

So that begs the question: What happens when I sell Silas?  I realize that this is extremely trivial, but I don't care, I'm asking anyway.  Do you think I should:

1. Keep the Instagram handle @silasthesprinter and the blog name (I actually bought the domain silasthesprinter.com last year, but haven't had a chance to build that site yet).  As Silas was the inspiration and the foundation for this lifestyle, I could keep the names as they are as an homage to the van that started it all.  But, this could be confusing because I won't own a Sprinter any more and people may wonder why is she called Silas the Sprinter when she drives a Promaster, is she confused about what type of van she has?

2. Keep the same Instagram account but change the named to PedroThePromaster (I'm pretty sure you can change your Instagram name without creating a new account?).  This would mean those interested in continuing to follow the journey in Pedro would not need to follow a new account, but it would also mean everything tagged or linked to Silas on Instagram would now come up as "user not found."

3. Start all new accounts for Pedro.  Start from scratch with the new van.  Kind of not as thrilled about this option, but it is still an option.

What do you think?

A New Van to Call Home

After much consideration, debate, research, and pondering, I have purchased a new van to call home.  The new van, Pedro the Promaster will become the full time residence of Brian and me.  Silas is a wonderful van and is still driving fantastically, but there were a few things that tipped my decision in favor of a new van rather than keeping Silas for the remainder of his life.  These things were:

The new wheels.  Purchased from the dealer with 17,000 miles

1. Head room.  Silas is not a tall top Sprinter, and as such not many people can stand in him.  At 5'4" I can just stand fully if I'm not wearing shoes.  Chelsea is the most accommodating person ever and was nice enough not to complain about the fact that she had to stand with her neck crooked the whole time we lived in the van together.  After I acquired an amazing boyfriend last year (Brian) who is taller than Chelsea and even more uncomfortable trying to stand inside the van, I decided that for the happiness of everyone who is in the van, a taller roof would be ideal.  This is also good for adding a ton more storage space in the form of overhead cabinets.

2.  Front wheel drive.  Silas is rear wheel drive, which really proved to be a problem this winter.  Just getting through small amounts of snow or ice while going up driveways and in and out of parking lots was creating problems (as in spinning the wheels and being stuck).  No other similar van offers front wheel drive except the Promaster.  I think this was the single most important and deciding factor in choosing the Promaster above other options, like the Ford Transit, which we were pretty set on getting for awhile.  The 4WD Sprinter wasn't really a considerable option because of the cost of ownership (see #3) and the purchase price.

Pedro proved himself right off the bat in the snow at the Pole Creek Trailhead this weekend

3.  Cost of ownership.  Sprinters are very expensive to own and maintain.  There is no getting around this.  Fortunately they have nice engines and are known to drive well into 300,000+ miles, and they are of course, really nice and high quality vehicles.  Because we will be living in a van as our only residence for the forseeable future, it was determined that it would be good to have a van that was less costly to repair and maintain.  As I sit and write this in a sandwich shop, Silas is getting a $230 oil change, which is a totally standard price to pay for such a common and necessary thing on a Sprinter.

For now, Pedro is an empty shell (besides pups, ski gear, and hammocks as pictured here) but the build will begin soon

Eventually it was decided and the new van was purchased.  I cannot wait to begin the build out process to create my new dream home.  I am looking forward to sharing this space with the love of my life, with my friends, with Titan and Star, and whoever else might come along for a ride!  Here are the specs on the new van:

Ram Promaster 3500
Diesel Engine
159" WB
High Roof

If you have any questions about my experience as a Sprinter owner, the decision to get a Promaster, my thoughts on the Promaster so far, or anything else about van life, please don't hesitate to ask!