Pour passer d’une vie sédentaire dans un appartement à un mode de vie nomade dans un camion, il y a des choix à faire! Notamment, concernant les possessions. Vivre avec moins d’objets, car ils nous détiennent plus que nous les possédons! (et il y a moins de place) Il s’avère que Laurent, membre de La Patente a créé plusieurs objets artisanaux. La décision du voyage ayant été prise, ce n’est pas dans l’artisanat, tout du …
Il y a parfois des choses que l’on veut parce que l’on s’en fait des images, des idées, c’est parfois aussi simplement des lubies. Cependant, ayant la chance de travailler à La Patente et que celui-ci possède entre autres également un atelier de métal, pourquoi ne pas en profiter ? Dès l’achat de l’escargot, le nom de notre camion, Laurent avait l’idée de mettre un rack, les photos de gens mangeant sur leur toit au bord …
Once the different structures were done, we could better determine how we were going to organize the space. It was difficult to go by things that had already been done and shown on the internet, because what is out there is for bigger spaces, or refurbishing for short-term stays. The structure for the bed was already made, and we also had two other structures made, but we had yet to see what exactly we would …
When you go on a long trip like we’re getting ready to do, even though there are many important things to think about, the bed is one of the most important ones. If we think about our activities on any given day, it will be the piece of furniture we use the most. We thought about several different setups. A lot of refurbished vans use the classic “bench” setup, with benches set up around a …
Refurbishing a van is done in several phases, and progresses according to your priorities. As members of the Atelier Co-operatif La Patente, we were lucky enough to have a garage to keep the van in so that we could work inside when it was necessary. The first steps of this refurbishing were focused mainly on insulation and working directly inside the van, as you have seen from our earlier blog postings. The farther we went, …
Now that the insulation is done and the major part of the van is covered by plywood, it’s time to hide our mistakes. That’s one of the tasks that are less pleasant, because you don’t see the progress as easily at the end of the day. However, for a good final product, it’s an important step. In woodworking, when you make a hole in the wrong place, or a piece is worn out and you …
It took us a few days, but we are making progress in installing the plywood. In hindsight, we can ask ourselves if it was the best solution, but installing the plywood everywhere will give us a cozy place to stay in, even if it’s hard to attach the wood to the metal structure exactly. Most of these things have already been said in earlier articles, so this article will give way mostly to photos..
Installing a plywood floor is not an “easy peasy” job; you have to deal with the different curves that a van like this one has. Even though we striated the planks, it’s not always easy to get the curve right or to properly screw in the plywood. The pieces that were framing the Savpropeana don’t always stay in one piece, and sometimes you can make a mistake when cutting it, and the plank blocks your …
We have now finished insulating the back of the van and we’re starting the biggest part of the job, the part that is actually visible! The front of the van will be done a little later. The complexities of the shapes and the different curves are pushing us to go where we can make the most progress. We’re now at the stage where there is no going back: the walls. At the very beginning of …
On this 8th day of working on the Snail, we are still making progress on the insulation. As we said before, we put fibreglass insulation on the floor and roof, and we covered it all with a vapour barrier in order to keep out the humidity. It was the first time that we had ever installed this type of material. It’s not the easiest stuff to work with, especially when you’re installing it in a …
