Van Buildout: Maintenance Break

Phew! After four months of van life, we are back in our home base (Mountain Green, UT) for a few weeks. I'm happy to report that it has been a success so far and we don't have any notions of quitting. We have a few personal things to take care of while here (dentist appointments, social engagements, planning out our next phase), and we have some van updates we want to make. Our stopover will only be a few weeks, so we won't be able to make major changes, but here's what's on the list: 

Likely Will Get Done:

• Replace latch system on pull-out drawers. We discovered pretty early on that our initial installation was not strong enough, so when we hit a tight corner all of the drawers swing open and startle us with a booming clatter. Surprisingly, nothing has broken. As a temporary fix, we've had bungee cords strapped across the front, but the elastics are starting to wear out, and it's cumbersome to get around them.
• Replace drawer face. The full cabinet construction needs to go (see the next list), but at the very least we need to replace the cabinet face that Cameron accidentally yanked off. For the last two weeks, we've been relying on a few strips of duct tape to keep everything inside. 
• Shorter footboard. It will be easy to trim down what we already have so that someone can sit on the edge of the bed without the wood pressing into their thighs. 
• Headboard replacement. What we have works, except Cameron accidentally cracked it a little when he tried to use it to hoist himself up onto the roof. 
• Remove unnecessary nails and paint over imperfections. I had made the mistake of trying to hang up some of our art in the traditional way, but we've learned that a Velcro system is better for lightweight art. Unfortunately, I think we'll have to retire my favorite piece, Robin; it's simply too heavy for a moving vehicle. 
• File down the sliding door near Aisha's bed. Because it's slightly too tall, it gets stuck. We also need to figure out a handle system for the same cabinet face (likely adding holes or handles). 
• Cabinet bottom for the electrical cupboard. We intentionally left it open to improve air circulation, but the light it omits bothers me as I try to fall asleep. We should be able to find something that will block the light, but still allow adequate ventilation. 
• Add a check valve to measure the fullness of the water tank. Once that's in, we'll seal the access port in the water tank. 
• Swap out the wooden bunny cubby door with a clear alternative.
• Redo the table support. We have to keep the table down while we're driving, and it seems to sit at a slight angle, but Cameron is actively looking into a clamping hook-and-eye system so the table can stay up while we're driving, which would allow for...
• ...Adding a third seatbelt at the bench seat. It wouldn't meet legal standards, but it would add some level of safety and make it feasible to have a third person. 
• Add a pass-through valve for the Starlink cable so it doesn't get slammed in the door every day. 
• Redo the window covers. The structural integrity is starting to fade and we'd like to add more magnets. 
• Reinforce the Velcro used to attach the bug nets. 
• Add an access door to the back of the van. Right now we just have a 1/4" piece of plywood blocking off the garage from the main living space, but it would be nice to have that visually blocked off but with better physical access. 

Likely Will Not Get Done (for now):

• Replace cabinet faces. They were cut out as a prototype and are poorly painted and shoddily put together. When we finally get around to redoing them, we will need to buy and cut new wood, and likely modify the paint type.  
• Stronger under-bed hydraulics. Similar to the drawer latches, what we bought is simply not strong enough for our use. The intent is for us to press a button to lift the bottom third of the bed, and again to re-recline it. What we have sort of works, but it is inconsistent and I am always worried about the bed clashing down on my head or fingers as I'm trying to access something under there. 
• Install a permanent stove. We still are operating with a single camp burner, but I'd like to upgrade to a two- or three-burner induction surface. If we do that, we'll need to reconfigure out pantry setup, because the designated stove surface is currently a hinged counter that lifts up. 
• Permanent toilet paper holder. Our TP wanders around the van, but we would like to have it mounted (surprise surprise:) near the toilet. We may be able to install a quick fix, but since that space is so multi-use (table, shower, toilet, bench), it will be difficult to find a spot that doesn't impact other things. Cameron has a clever idea for a convertible privacy wall, but the planning and building will likely take longer than this quick break will allow. 
• Router mount. The router for the Starlink sits on the sink-side counter top when we are stopped, and then get's placed on top of the bed when we are driving. We often forget to move it onto the bed before driving off, so we commonly hear it fall onto the floor a few minutes into the drive. For the sake of its longevity, we need to find a permanent placement, but don't yet have any clever ideas. 
• Buy interior doormat. I'm hoping for something that looks nice and cuts down on the amount of dirt in the main living space, especially when it's been rainy or muddy outside. Although this is a low-effort fix, it's something we can continue to live without until the right mat comes our way. 
• Add a water filter between the tank and pump. We already filter water before it gets into the tank, but there are still inconsistencies in taste depending on the source. There's some other under-sink plumbing that likely will get updated at the same time, but you'll have to ask Cameron about the details of those. 

Well that list is much longer than I initially realized, but that's ok! Like I said, we're in a good place and the van is really livable, so anything we can do to improve is just extra. 

Look at how happy we are with the van. I'm really glad that the first four months have gone so well. 

First step to getting back to Utah was fully clearing out the van. If nothing else, we'll be going back on the road in a clean van.

Well...not everything came out of the van, but the floors and sheets will at least be clean. 

Here's all the stuff in the meantime. We'll have go through to see what stuff we actually want to keep hauling around with us. 

Now that we're in a stable location for a few weeks, we're back on the delivery game. 

It wasn't a plan from the onset, but we've begun a bit of a pin collection that has continued to expand since we've been on the road. Hopefully we don't fill up before we finish. 

All this work has worn out baby bunny Pancake.