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206K views 162 replies 55 participants last post by  furnitureguy  
#1 · (Edited)
There's lots of info on different ways that forum members have approached different parts of their build. I was thinking about how new members could get a lot of planning info in one place. The threads currently on the forum plus a good search engine do a pretty good job, but I figured I'd give this a try....

In this case, a thread dedicated to just floorplans - the design and thinking behind it. My thought would be that forum members add a single post on their floorplan that would then become a thread of floorplans.

I'm going to give it a try and see if others think it's useful... if not, there's still the search engine method on the terrific forum!

ed

Keywords for search: floorplans, floorplan, layout, bed, cabinet
 
#4 · (Edited)
We should probably include a link to our build thread at the bottom for others to get more info. The idea may be overkill on the subject, but having lots of ideas in one place might be useful. Hopefully members will post the specifics of their Promaster (ie. WB length, Hi or Lo roof, Windows?) that affected their floorplan design.

In lieu of a drawn floorplan, some members might add a single post with some pics that illustrate their floorplan along with the why's
 
#3 · (Edited)
Proeddie's Floorplan

Here's how I laid out my floorplan for my Hi Roof 159WB Promaster:

Image


Design priorities:

Parallel to sidewall sleeping with lots of storage underneath and a dining area between
30" wide beds for sleeping, 24" wide for travel and daily use
A way to minimize wheelwells
A private area for portapotti / dressing use if the curtains are open (window van)
A spot for a chest type refrigerator/freezer
A kitchen cabinet with some counterspace for food prep
Lots of overhead space
A way to use the passenger seat as an additional rear facing seat

I'm hoping others will add to this thread specifically for floorplan ideas. I fooled around with some 3D software and made these to display a different view.

Image


Image


ed :)
My Build Thread: My "Overnight Plus" Build II
 
G
#5 ·
I enjoy creating floorplan models in Sketchup, but actual execution; not so much. Having just a modicum of cabinetry skills would have been nice! We have a 159WB high roof and enjoyed a 6 month trip with the interior roughed in. I recommend putting human models in your 3D plans to ensure proper scale. When I first put my human figures in they looked 12 feet tall!
There is just my wife and I and 3 cats. The bicycles are 20" folders with electric motors and hang from a block and tackle hoist. The beds are 74"x30" and easily convert to an athwartship 60"x72". We have a moonroof and Fantastic vent but have not installed the swivel seat or starboard galley yet. To accommodate my lack of skill the cabinetry is plywood covered with carpet and a Home Depot 3 drawer 24" base cabinet. On top of the cabinet is a Walmart 3.2 cubic foot dorm refrigerator which has worked great with 300 watts solar and 6 golf cart batteries. My big experiment will be a window air conditioner under the strb. bed with a floor cut out for intake and a 4" duct with fan for exhaust through the floor. Basically it is all mechanicals under the beds and storage on the overhead shelves. I have struggled mightily at the altar of K.I.S.S.
 

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#7 · (Edited)
Gene,

I keep saying I want to try Sketchup. You design looks very space-use-effective. Mine was drawn with model railroad design software that allows you to do 3d views, strange but it works OK. Adding people would be tough! I like the shower tray you designed. That's a good idea and would work with my floorplan too. :D

Hein,

Nice and modular! The small folding chairs are a good idea... I carry two folding outdoor chairs but they take up more space. I built a 6" basement, so they are stored under the floor.

Ed

ps. I hope others will contribute. No need for the fancy 3d graphics pictured above, just a sketch or pics would be fine! Include your design criteria too...
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
:eek: I know you are going to laugh but having designed houses in Turbo Cad years ago I decided to just use a template and my pencil! I printed lots of scale templates, overhead, left side and right side. Then I scaled and drew the ideas. Lots of waste paper but in the end...... Eureka a camper van, it was FUN! I then tried it out in my new hollow van with CAD- Cardboard (box) Aided Design! Is there a emoticon for shame?? :eek:

61939


61944
61948
 
#10 ·
Hi,
I'd put in a word for building an actual 3D mockup of your proposed interior layout inside your PM.

We found 3 layouts we liked a lot on paper and built all three in the back of our PM before deciding which was the best for us. They are very crude mockups using scrap lumber and cardboard, but enough to let us see what living in each layout would be like. You only get the real feel of a layout by being able to sit/stand/lay down in it. It takes a little time and effort, but well worth it.

http://www.buildagreenrv.com/our-conversion/our-promaster-camper-van-conversion-interior-layout/

I spent 34 years as an design engineer at Boeing and even though we had the most sophisticated 3D cad software in the world, we found there is no substitute for a real mockup for anything that involves humans occupying a space -- there is just nothing like living in the actual space.

Gary
 
S
#87 · (Edited)
GaryBIS said:
I spent 34 years as an design engineer at Boeing and even though we had the most sophisticated 3D cad software in the world, we found there is no substitute for a real mockup for anything that involves humans occupying a space -- there is just nothing like living in the actual space.
Click to expand...
Gary, I totally agree, there is no substitute like a a mock up. A complete one inside the van is the ultimate mock up goal.

While wife and I are coming up with a floor plan from scratch and know the design is very fluid we measure real world things at home such as our home toilet seat height, minimum elbow room width using toilet, bed height and width, counter top heights, hanging clothes length and width, etc

We assemble parts of the floor plan using household items to get an idea if what we are drawing on paper is realistic. But as you pointed out, the final mock up needs to be done inside the van and with full size materials that highlight how it feels to be in there. Keep in mind that for many of us, we will be in that confined space for long long time. We will do the van mock up soon after it's delivered.

I also find it useful to imagine what life in the van will feel like. What outside viewing we would like and where in the van? Eating arrangement, privacy issues, sleeping area issues. Think through what your life on the road would be like, your likes and dislikes and use that as a design guide.

Finally, this forum is perfect for us since we get to see what others have done, WHY they did what they did and lastly, how they put it all together.
 
N
#11 · (Edited)
Cool thread. Here's my layout for my 159 WB standard length.

Requirements:

- Fridge, stove, sink
- Bed
- Heat
- Wet bath
- Off grid capability w/solar
- 4 season capability (water and batteries inside the van)
- Work desk with computer monitor and keyboard
- Be able to carry:
- 2 bikes inside or
- Sailboards or
- 6 pairs of skis and gear

and ... be able to haul 4x8 plywood, tools and lumber when not being used for recreation

What a fun puzzle to figure out. Here's the rough space planning model I did in Sketchup. I'm planning on a folding bathroom with a removable Portapotty to make enough room to allow me to haul full sheets of plywood when needed. I have the next 5 weeks off and nothing planned other than my build. Will see how far I get.

Agree with Gary, build a actual mock up inside first. I have a friend who used to work refitting boat interiors and she gave me the tip to use 1" strips of 1/4" plywood and hot melt glue to create mock ups and templates. Very quick and easy and more sturdy than cardboard.

Another space planning tip is to take a road trip with your van with nothing in it except a sleeping pad or mattress and get a feel for how your gear and other cargo works and what spaces you use the most.



- Kevin
 

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#13 ·
Cool ideas, did I miss the propane tank? Underneath perhaps? Fasten those batteries! It looks like the second desk blocks the slider?? You will revise, revise but this will be a very unique van. I did mine in 8 weeks counting a bunch of time off to accommodate family. 400 watts of solar is a lot. What do you see your use as. It might be paired with 400 amp hours of battery. I have half of both, similar refrig. and have plenty of power, however soar is cheap.
 
N
#15 ·
I had a local fabricator weld together a battery hold down out of steel tubing. Going to thru bolt it through the floor. They're not going anywhere.

Desk is a flip up to allow use of the second slider. Second slider will just have a ~15" squeeze through space when open so main door will be the passenger side.

Propane is underneath in the standard location behind the muffler. Had the welder extend the propane mounting brackets and make some a big washers for the top side of the floor. Didn't want to trust 2 bolts through sheet metal for the mount. Bolted in with 6, 3/8" carriage bolts now.

Solar is cheap and 400 watts still won't be enough for indefinite use in the winter due to the low sun angle. Flip up panels would help but pretty complex to mount. Calculated it out using PV Watts solar calculator and amp loads and can go about 3 to 4 days to 50% discharge in the winter before I have to drive or find a plug in. Although snow and clouds will probably make that much less anyway.

Anyway, should probably start a build thread ... :)
 
#16 ·
Great insight and sounds like you have really thought it out. Please do start a thread and you might begin getting your pictures onto a hosting site as this one won’t hold enough to document all you do with those thumbnails. I use tinypic.com but there are many. I missed that you had 2 sliders, one could have permanent screening for a nice breeze! I did flip up solar on my last truck camper and only actually lifted it once in 8 years so I said never again, too much design and fabrication time for the use.
 
#19 ·
taisau said:
Does anyone know if a fairly accurate 3D model of 159 HT interior is available? From FCA or anywhere? I've seen models online, but not with reasonably accurate interiors. I'd like to start planning some modular casework.
Click to expand...

The SketchUp Warehouse lists some ProMaster models -- no idea how complete they are.
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/?hl=en

Search for "ProMaster"

Gary
 
#23 ·
My Layout

This is my layout sketched onto the Sportsmobile template. Ignore their square wheel well enclosures. Mine are angled. The drawing also shows a shallow counter, but it is actually 21" deep because it goes into the window well.

Image


Boots sit on low shelves beside the slider. A charging station is above them.

The permanent bed covers the 4' X 6'+ area to the left. The bed board is at 28", so with a 4" mattress and bedding, the bed is still visually under the windows, which are maximum for the opening. The head of the bed is easily articulated for reading in bed. The storage above the wheel wells is accessed by lifting the ends of the bed, thus the storage at the foot of the bed is "deep storage" of lesser used items, extras, and souvenirs. Storage at the head of the bed is drinks and fuel.

Image


The area under the bed is total storage. Ten 28"-deep drawers face the interior. The "tunnel" on the passenger side holds full packs, laundry, etc., closed off by the only door in the van.

Engel MT45 chest fridge lives under a counter-top lid with a large drawer underneath for fresh fruits/veggies and condiments. This drawer is generally cooler than ambient.

Tub is a non-plumbed 6"-deep steam table tray with microwave and drawers underneath for utensils, electronic gadgets, ditties, water boiler and breakfast supplies.

Image


Two Formica tables pull out from under the bed board at 28" high. Together, their surface is 29" X 29"; it is handy to be able to choose one or both or none for the large unobstructed area. They are supported by the shallow top drawers and thus quite sturdy with no legs. The split has never been an issue, nor have the exposed slides. We sit on the folding stools that store by the counter.

Image


Three 18"-deep drawers face the rear, along with 18"-deep shelving.

There is enough free area behind the bed to stand with the doors closed. This area makes it easier to make the bed, protects the bed when the rear doors are open, and allows access to food when the doors are closed.

Image


See my build thread for more details.
 
#26 ·
Many of the Euro conversions have a dinette, something we wanted and feel is among our best conversion features. I would like to have a seat/shoulder belt in ours to carry an extra passenger and perhaps a seatbelt way back for the sofa/bed. In the 136” van one needs to make a space for a galley too. Ours which occupies part of the slider space was a bit of a risk for us as we wanted to keep the openness of the door too. In fact that has been a wonderful choice as we keep the door open a lot (sans bugs) and can cook and clean up facing the open door, a fortuitous consequence of its placement. I park to have dramatic scenery out that side!
Image
 
R
#29 · (Edited)
We're retired and our bucket list has some sightseeing on it. I also teach antique clock repair as a hobby so I travel several times a year by myself as the Ms has no interest in most of the places I teach. Looked at lots of vans and decided that the 136 high roof would fit the bill best. A little large for me when alone, but wouldn't want smaller when we travel together so it's a good compromise. Being part of the Medicare set, our days of intense sports are pretty much over so didn't need a garage for bikes and such - just a space for day packs.

Looked at the Winnebago Travato 59K with the two twin beds but the extended length was more than we wanted to deal with, and the price indicated how justifiably proud they are of that design.

Neither the Ms or I are very good at crawling off the end of the bed w/o taking the sheets and blankets with us, and we don't want to crawl over each other on our nightly sojurns to the potty so we opted for a bunk bed solution. The Ms gets the lower bunk and I'm in the nose bleed section when she travels with me. We think it makes better use of space in the 136 WB. The top bunk hinges down to create a slanted back turning the bottom bunk into nice seating for 3 or 4 if we have company stop by for tea and crumpets. Normally the bunks stay made up as beds.

I ordered the factory swivel seats. This helps leverage the smaller space of the 136 as these seats work as our primary seating and we don't need to convert the beds into a seating area for normal use. The cabinet behind the driver has a cantilevered shelf, (may decide to turn it into a shelf that folds down when not needed) to provide a table for the driver, and the passenger has a table that folds down and swivels out of the way when not needed - similar to the Travato's passenger table. Floor is raised for about 18" so our feet don't dangle ala Edith Ann (if you're old enough to remember Laugh In). The raise floor space will be more storage.

This design leaves large storage spaces and counter tops for the galley, under the bunk, and behind the driver. Most storage will be full extension drawers as I'm getting to old to get down on my hands and knees and reach back into low cupboards. At this point we like the open feel with no upper cupboards. This may change but for now we're going to see if we can do without.

The little round recessed steel cylinder next to the sink is a 1 gallon steam table drop-in that will be used as our trash can. The Ms worked in the restaurant industry for many years and she likes being able to scoop the mess down the hole in the prep table.

Porta-Potty is stowed in the bottom of the cabinet behind the driver. Upper section of that cabinet will be drawer space. Batteries are under the bottom bunk bed as is the inverter, solar controller, and Battery to Battery charger. This only takes up about 1/4th of the space so the rest will be full extension drawers.

The sink, 66L dual zone fridge/freezer (mounted on drawer slides), 20qt fresh and grey water bottles, are on the passenger side. Cook top is induction and stored out of the way when not needed leaving counter top free for other stuff. This also gives us freedom to cook outside when the weather is nice and not heat/steam up the inside. Espar heater is mounted in the back between the galley cabinet and the rear door. This is a gasser so furnace will run on kerosene in a dedicated tank.

Lots of inspiration from Proeddie, MsNomer, RD, Gary and others. Many thanks to you all.
 

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#31 ·
Rookerlw said:
Neither the Ms or I are very good at crawling off the end of the bed w/o taking the sheets and blankets with us
Click to expand...
Our solution (same as at home): his and hers (twin-size) duvets. Bed making is way easier too. No blankets and top sheets. In the winter, flannel duvet covers and bottom sheet. Happy cozy campers
Image
 
#30 ·
Shiny's Floorplan 1.0

Image

From Shiny's Build Thread:
This is our general floor plan. Utilities (batteries, electronics, fresh-water tank, Isotherm Spa HW heater, etc) under forward end of the bed (over the axle) and stowage space aft. Grey-water tank underneath the van. Half of the shower doubles as the hall to the bed; the other half doubles as parking space for a clothes drying rack (etc). The head is a porta-potti. Lower kitchen cabinets hold sink, fridge, and portable induction cooktop. Upper cabinets and table yet to be determined. MaxxAir fan above the shower, with a pair of 100W solar panels forward of the fan and another pair aft. We'll fine tune all this once we get the van around the end of April.
PS - There will also be a step extension (foot rest) aft of the seats. And the twin beds won't be full size. More like ~36"x72" each.
 
A
#32 ·
So, just wanted to share here. I downloaded Google's free SketchUp program, and then watched getting started parts 1-3 of 4 intro videos to train myself (it's easy).


Then downloaded a Promaster 159 High Roof SketchUp model from Dennis M. as found here:
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/se...rt=36&id=0933642113888846279147630&createuserid=0933642113888846279147630&hl=en


From the model, I made a section cut to better "see" into the interior, and then started sketching up a conceptual proposed layout. I'm waiting 4-5 more months for ordered van to arrive (ordered in early April 2017). My order is a 159 High Roof, with few extras but two swivel seats, cruise control and power mirrors. Anyway, I'm really impressed with SketchUp and so I thought I'd share.
 

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