Tuesday 31 March 2015

Side Mural

My old airbrush broke when I was doing a reading table for the local primary school.

You can't get good $23 airbrushes nowadays!

I splurged and replaced it with a $40 one.


The progress after day one. I rather like it black and white but I went ahead and did some colour anyway.


Here's the end result. It will go okay with the back and hopefully the other side... when I get around to doing it. Notice the spearhead on the dent to cover it up? The bus already had a couple of little bumps on it when we bought it. Nothing serious but they do tend to look obvious with the new bright paint job. I'm being rather strategic with the murals to mask imperfections.

A few bits and pieces... and unfinished business.

Just thought I'd do a quick update on what I've bought lately and were from etc.

The fridge.
We went for a Waeco 12/24/240V C1100 (110 litre) ordered from our local Jayco caravan place.
The price was comparable to online and we liked the idea of being able to take it back to the place of purchase if something were to go wrong.
We chose this one because of the low power draw on 12v and no need to have it on gas (which is a pain in the butt to certify etc).
We got the biggest one which would fit in the space when the gas is installed and the duel cooktop is in. I didn't want the bench to come up too high over the bottom of the windows.
It suits our decor too. Bonus!


I'll update you on the install when we blog about the kitchenette going in... which isn't too far off! We also got a table from Aldi (see in the background) and have modified it to suit our needs. 


Water tanks.
We were going to get some custom tanks made up to fit like Tetris under the bus but opted for some pre-fab ones from CaravansPlus (cheaper and easier to install). We will take the spare wheel from under the bus and pop it in the boot under the bed (with a cover) as there is plenty of room in there and it will distribute the weight of the water more evenly over the axles.  Here is the link for the tank for the freshwater (127 litre): http://caravansplus.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1354
And the little greywater one: http://caravansplus.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1345Which will sit under the shower, under the bus.

We also got a filler cap from Caravans plus (not pictured).

Table leg.
I'll blog about the dinette in the next few days but to give you an idea why we opted to spend a few more $$$ and get this Lagun leg, the dinette seat is a bench style seat. 
The table needed to be removable and very flexible in its positioning. 
It needed to be adjustable in height and I really wanted to do a fold out so it would be small enough for a laptop or tablet (without getting in the way) or big enough for two people to eat their meal off if the weather outside was yuck.
You can also buy additional mounting plates and put them in other spots if you want to move the table but I don't think we will be doing that. 
We will make the table from the same laminated wood that the bench top is made from (available at Bunnings by the sheet). It will be varnished and routed to match the bench in the kitchen too.

Gas bottle holder.
From eBay. Just a regular 9kg one. More about that later.

Outside gas door.
Fits a 9kg bottle through it. Lockable and fiberglass.
We love CaravansPlus for our smaller accessories. They are fast and have reasonable shipping rates.
Our door got damaged in transit and they replaced it!

I got a LPG storage sticker off eBay (required for approval by our gas man and our engineer man AND by law).

2.5kg Fire extinguisher.
I just bought this off eBay. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/171412743380?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT (make sure you get the right coded one).
The engineer checklist said we needed one with a hose. We already have one of those little 1kg caravan ones set into the dinette by the door (bought with the carrier at the local Jayco dealer) but it is tiny and hasn't got the hose. Can't hurt to have two! It hasn't arrived yet but I contacted the seller and he said he would throw in a free fire blanket for our trouble. I already have a fire blanket for the bus so I guess we will have one for home now too.

Narva oval LED for the kitchenette.
These are cool. They have a touch sensitive on/dim/off switch and are so flat and sleek. We have a smaller round one over the dinette and a smaller one again in the bathroom. Requires a 10mm hole ONLY to install. Awesome.
From a local shop.

Portable LED Light.
Picked this one up from a local hardware shop.
Totally cool.
Solar, battery, USB charge hybrid.


Hmm... what else?

Emergency info for seatbelt.
This is from the 'TwoThimbles' Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/twothimbles?fref=ts. The ladies make them.
Since the bus will only have my husband and I in it when traveling, it looked like a good thing to attach to the driver's side seatbelt in case of an emergency. Contact numbers and medical info such as allergies or medications go in it. The form that they included wasn't great but I will do up my own on the computer.

Batteries.
We have ordered two of the 12v 80A/H Optima ones from our local ARB store.
http://www.optima-batteries.com.au/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwi-moBRDL4Omf9d_LndMBEiQAQtFf8-XfrnSuXCY9cb2niluTRd-uj2kXx2Z1m0GkjCwqcOoaAuwx8P8HAQ
The added bonus is that they are sealed... no need to vent the box they are in!
They were kind of pricey (once again!) for the A/H and I'm sure you could get cheaper, but they come with a great name, a good warranty and are almost guaranteed to do the trick.
They seem rather small for our needs but the lower A/H means faster charging and with the good quality setup we bought, they should be perfect!
The brand is also renowned for being able to be slightly 'abused' and can withstand it if I accidentally discharge them a bit more than the recommended 30% max.

Slide out wire shelving for kitchenette.
We got these from Bunnings. Just measure up your hole and away you go.
There is only one cupboard requiring these, the other is shallower due to the gas box (perfect for glad wrap or cleaning products, I'm thinking!). The overhead cupboards will just have baskets from the $2 shop as they are short and shallow and the pantry will have regular shelving for the thermal cooker and plastic containers etc. These cupboards are all made from the same laminated pine sheets from Bunnings and held down with M8 bolts and 3mm steel 'L' pieces from Bunnings. 
Don't forget that they need to have some kind of closing and locking system which will not open while traveling along (see below).

MORE cupboard knobs.
We were very happy with the last lot we got from eBay from this seller: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/321685779206?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
So we bought all the kitchenette and pantry knobs from the same place. They are designed for caravans and motorhomes and will pass the engineer's check.

Flooring.
We are going with cork tiles. 
Good for insulating sound/temperature, flexible, soft, lightweight easy to install/cut, won't show camp dirt too much AND they were on special at Bunnings ($15 a pack). The down side is that they dent easy (but I can't see myself walking around in heels too much in there) and they aren't as pretty as polished wood. Oh well... I am happy to compromise considering all of the pluses they offer.

In addition to all this shopping, we have been working away at:
The dinette/table,
Pantry/electrical cupboard,
Overhead kitchen cupboards,
Kitchenette,
Gas Box and outside door,
Exterior mural (hmm... I might just blog about that next!).