A Major Re-think.

It had to happen. We've been convincing ourselves that the interior plan was workable and some elements couldn't be changed....

Well, we finally managed to meet up with John McP***.

We'd originally intended to visit him back in May or June, when the idea of a roof "lift" first popped up, so to speak. For various reasons this didn't happen before we actually took the lid off the problem and decided that the only option was the Alucab.

As I said, until recently we'd pretty much accepted that some elements of our current design were fixed in stone, mainly the arrangements for water, cooking and ventilation. The water tank filler was in an awkward place but we'd worked with it because the actual tank made very good use of what would otherwise be dead space, in the wheel arch. Because that's where the water was, it dictated the position of the "sink" - in our case a removable bowl. With that fixed, it just made sense to have the gas cooker on the same side, particularly as the NAAFI flap would provide ventilation and a decent view for the Chef.

So, our meeting with John to inspect his version of the Lifting Roof was a bit delayed but well worthwhile. A few minutes of discussion revealed that he had some very good ideas for getting the proverbial "quart out of a pint pot". I took a lot of photos and measurements...

At first glance there isn't much here that we haven't already thought of and incorporated in one way or another, but once you're inside...

...the ability to stand up has been taken advantage of to full effect. The lifting roof is much like the one we have but the bed base slides towards the front instead of lifting, which provides a table space. We have the same facility, but at the back, over the door, which isn't quite so convenient. The cupboard on the left slopes which gives a bit more room to climb in and out, and the worktops "step back" along the length of the cab to give a little more turning room when inside and working.

John's fridge slides out like ours does now, but his has a lower profile - no 2-Zone upper compartment - and opens along the long edge, not like ours. As a result he needs less height above the lid to get it open and can afford to fit it under the working surface. In addition, the design of the roof provides a shelf all around the edge which John has found extremely useful.

Moving forward, there's a proper seat which swivels to face the front when on the move and a "banquette" seat which sits on top of a storage box. Sue liked this a lot...somewhere to relax and stretch out...

Once installed in this area there's a bookcase, a window on both sides to enjoy the view, all the electrical gubbins, a flap-down table and...a spice rack.

The whole thing is insulated and lined with plywood. John used to be a joiner so is obviously adept at working with wood and getting a neat result. I was thinking that we might make more use of aluminium in our new build, but the wood gives a nice cosy ambience, is warm to the touch (even without insulation) and probably quieter to live with. Ply is easy to find and easy to work with at my amateur level, too, so perhaps we'll just stick with what we know.
The one thing that John doesn't have and we feel we need is a built-in, inside cooking arrangement. 

Edit: I sent John a link to this and he replied with: 

I went backwards through the blog and found the write-up of your visit - one error there - I DO have inside cooking - the worktop above the fridge is designed to take the two burner stove - the gas bottle has quick-release fittings and a permanent gas feed pipe is run through the van side above the quarter light, with a quick-release on the end so if I want to cook inside in rain or bugs I simply connect the cooker indoors and I have the sink behind me and the option of pulling out the fridge to use the top as additional working space. 

 

 

So, I stand corrected! I did wonder whether he either liked bugs or was immune...

The nearside of John's cab has a sink but the cooker is a small camping double-burner which normally goes on the fold-down table inside the back door. This is fine if the weather and insect life allow it, but wouldn't have been a comfortable option in Morocco for two of our trips and on a still, warm, Summer evening in the Highlands would be just as impractical unless you want to invite a million bugs to the party. It would, of course, be possible to cook inside and John does have a small backpacking stove which he uses when on his own, but Sue wants something more permanent and weatherproof. John also has a separate diesel heater which we combine with a diesel hob,which again means the installation must be permanent.

We left with a lot of ideas for things we hadn't considered before or had relegated to a low priority because of the "fixed items" in the present design. In a radical moment, we decided that if we ripped up the current plan and so-called fixtures, nothing much would be lost, we could have a more comfortable space and not be constrained quite so much by the things we'd seen as a permanent arrangement. Luckily we haven't progressed very far with the new plans yet so even if we have to undo a few things there's been no major investment in time and the elements like the new hob, seat and fridge are "must haves" so will be included somehow. I guess the first thing to do will be to remove everything on the "wet" side of the cab and look at it with fresh eyes.

Back to the Drawing Board, as they say.