HOW TO INSULATE and BATTEN out a campervan build...part 1.

[@GregVirgoe]

Hi guys, it’s so good to see you doing the right thing with insulation. So glad you are installing a vapour barrier that’s is the right way to go to prevent condensation inside the walls of your van. The conduit and cable choice also the best way to go. Brilliant start guys, I know this phase is a lot of work but will be so worth it when you are living in it. Best wishes Greg & Lou

[@campervibe]

Thanks Greg! I don't remember it all taking this long when we done the first van, it was only a L1h1 tho, the workload with a bigger van is so much more than I thought it would be! Means a lot coming from you 👍

[@kevinthebespectacledpilgrim]

Outside of Mr.V, yours is the best, most informative, well researched, skilfully executed, and recorded van build I’ve seen ....and I’ve seen a lot! Yours (and Mr. V) is now my go-to for my own van build (Fiat Ducato L2 H2). Totally congratulate and admire the hard work you have put in.

[@campervibe]

Thanks a lot Kevin, means a lot. Mr v certainly does know his stuff, watched most of his build too and he's so informative 😁 hope your conversion is going well, good luck with it, all the hard work is worth it, I promise! Thanks for watching 😀

[@steveeglen6564]

I love your videos ladies, your explanations are second to none, your finishing touches are awesome, I will be watching all of your videos as for me they are the best and very informative, I was scratching my head trying to figure out how to batten out my fiat ducato and after seeing how you have done yours, will be pinching your set up. thanks again.

[@campervibe]

No problem at all Steve, glad you have found them useful 😁 thanks for watching and good luck with your conversion 😁👍

[@DevelopFromWithin]

Thank you so much for your build video's. like so many people have said. you're such an inspiration particularly to people like myself. we are just about to embark on our own build, and feel a lot more confident to be able to see it through. Im sure I will have lots of questions as I proceed, but I can see you have answered so many of them already. I see that youre both now in France. looks amazing. Best wishes Pauline and Robbie

[@campervibe]

Hi guys, thank you. One of the biggest reasons lou wanted to document the build was to help others out feel free to ask any questions. Good luck with your build 👍

[@yorkshiresfinestpair]

Hi guys, Can you remember what size of conduit tube you used on your build.. 👍

[@SimonEarly]

excellent stuff. well done for the van and also the vids. I'm converting the same van but a year behind you so good to see how you're doing it. Greetings from Seaford...

[@campervibe]

Hopefully some of the info can be useful to you, happy converting 🙂🙂🙂

[@stubostar]

This is the stage I'm at. Watched this vid about 5 or more times now....I think I'm ready now.

[@campervibe]

😂😂 I would say you are definitely ready lol! This is by far the worst stage, it's tedious and boring and awkward, but once this bits done all the fun stuff starts. Don't rush this part, it's so worth doing right. Good luck with it 😁👍

[@tehdreamer]

Nice to see someone getting rid of most of thermal bridges! Those battens will act as insulation on the metal frame

[@campervibe]

Hi, yeh we were very conscious about thermal bridging, I think it is often over looked. Thank you for watching 😁👍

[@BanxArt]

Love these videos - really helping us with our own conversion!

[@campervibe]

Hi James, thank you 😁 glad they are of some use, good luck with your build 😁

[@greenfrog58]

Impressive work

[@campervibe]

Thanks Jonas 😁👍

[@quintenoorschot3500]

HI guys, I was wondering how you screwed the wood into the ceiling or walls of the van? You said you used screws and the holes that were already in the ribs of the van. But it looked like those where pretty big. Can you explain how you attached it? When you screwed it into the ceiling, did the screws go in easily?

[@homegrownheroz]

Was it sikaflex you used to glue the boards to the ceiling?

[@campervibe]

We used trim fix

[@catherinewinterburn1043]

Hi Im up to the walls now. When do we need to button the walls why can't we just put the cladding or ply straight to the beams?

[@frenchysvanlife]

Hopefully insulating my camper walls tomorrow and after watching yours and a few of Greg's video's Ive decided on the recycled plastic too. Look forward to your next vid - it's looking pukka

[@campervibe]

How exciting! It's a long process but worth spending the time on! Good luck with your conversion and thank you 😁👍

[@alanenglish8123]

Hi, what size battens are you using, also on the slope of the roof to wall? Thanks

[@campervibe]

Hi Alan, I used 25mm batten on the walls and cut up strips of 18mm ply for the roof and slope.

[@sebxj25vm]

I think the insulation bits get charged with static electricity because of the friction with the brush - and because they are charged with the same type of charge (negative or positive) - they magnetically repel each other - which probably explains why they were jumping out of the dust pan - as can be seen at 9:35. For once it wasn't Emily's fault :-)

[@campervibe]

🤣🤣 It's always Emily's fault lol! But yeh, you could have a point there 👍

[@sebxj25vm]

Hahaha - no hope for Emily then! On a side note, I've seen it happen before with beads of expanded polystyrene

[@LostNative]

Hiya what size battens did you use for the surrport for the walls and ceiling? The self tapping screws how long which ones please? Cheers nice video

[@campervibe]

Hi, I used 25mm roofing batten for the walls, and strips of 18mm ply for the ceiling.

[@johnremington3455]

Hi Both, I'm starting the same van and have a really boring question... what screws did you use to attach the wooden ply battens to the metal van body. Thanks

[@campervibe]

Hi John, we just used regular self tapping screws, every now and again. I backed it up with bolts, just for a bit more strength.

[@sianhoskins6512]

Hey! Do you remember what size wood you used for your battens on the sides? I'm spending a lot of time head scratching at the best way for me to do the battens for the cladding. I'm aiming for the cladding to run lengthways like yours did.

[@campervibe]

Hi. Yeh I used 25mm thick batten on the sides and floor and 18mm on the ceiling.

[@sianhoskins6512]

@@campervibe Thankyou! I'm currently watching your build series, its the best build series Ive watched yet. Really helpful for someone doing their first build.

[@campervibe]

@@sianhoskins6512 thanks so much, glad you are finding it useful 😁 good luck with yours!

[@sebxj25vm]

Hi. How did you find working with pozi/philips head self-tapping screws for the battens? I assume you didn't pre-drill a hole for them? Many people say that the heads tend to round off, because of the force required to drill through the metal - and recommend hex heads instead. The problem is that sinking hex heads into the wood seems like a problem in itself. Thank you!

[@campervibe]

Hi, I found the pozi bits just fine, buy decent screwdriver bit (not the soft grey ones that come in the multi packs) the gold ones are better. Make sure u apply plenty of pressure and they are fine. They are only going in once. The hex head are less likely to round off, if you're worried you could always pre drill and countersink the wooden batten first.

[@onlymaddogsandvw7241]

@@campervibe Hi guys sorry to comment an an old video, hope that's not too annoying:). I assume there is no need to protect/prime the drill holes from rust, but why? Thank you!!

[@PezCuckow]

Loving the build series. What's your day trade?

[@campervibe]

Thanks pez, I'm an office bod these days but I did work as a carpenter when I left school

[@sebxj25vm]

Hi. You mentioned several times that you are using recycled plastic insulation for the walls. Any reasons against using something like mineral/rock wool insulation? They seem similar to work with, and have similar thermal values. Or is it all the same?

[@campervibe]

Hi seb, the main reason we went for the recycled plastic is because it's slightly better for the environment. I think if you are having a vapour barrier then you could probably use either, I'm not sure if Rick wool holds water or not and if it gets damp from condensation it could potentially cause an issue. Thank you for watching 😁👍

[@sebxj25vm]

Brilliant - thank you for that!

[@tomwoodington3109]

Hi, I’m wondering how you attached the roof Batton at the back of the van as there isn’t a rib on the roof Thanks

[@campervibe]

Hi Tom, it was tricky to be fair, I think from memory I managed to get a batten along the rear arch over the back door. Screwing in horizontally if that makes sense, I know it wasn't easy, and fixing my cladding to it afterwards I had limited space to get a screw in. Hope that kind of makes sense lol!

[@tomwoodington3109]

camper vibe thanks for you reply!! I’ll see what I can do with it, loving the Chanel it’s been helping me loads

[@campervibe]

No problem, thanks for watching 😁

[@offgridtbone2162]

Hi, which type and size screws did you use to secure the battens please ?

[@campervibe]

Hey! To be honest I really can't remember now, heavy duty stainless self tappers I would guess, it was a long time ago and we were very much in a rush then and making many trips to screwfix/wickes etc. Sorry I can't be more specific.

[@iancoe3044]

I'm trying to work out the same thing. I'm probably going to get thicker battens now you've said you used 25mm (I bought 12 mm) but for the life of me I can't work out how deep in to the metal the screws need to go nor how wide the screws need to be.

[@offgridtbone2162]

@@iancoe3044 i used 40mm self tappers. Drilled pilot holes. Could hang off it

[@offgridtbone2162]

I also used 25mm battens

[@iancoe3044]

@te lee lee So 15mm metal penetration? I've got I think like 40mm behind the rib until the walls so 15mm sounds ok. Do you know what thickness of screw you used? A bit much I know, but I figure if I can get a thicker screw in, I'll get more purchase in the metal. Do you need pilot holes?

[@whiteeulogianraven7995]

So, here, apparently, is where the game changes... Video quality and edition starts getting magical. At least, that is how I feel it.

[@campervibe]

Thank you, for me I think it was the one where I fitted the kitchen work top, that's when I discovered how much I enjoyed it anyway 😁👍

[@joelikesconverse]

i like the waffle :)

[@campervibe]

😂🤣 Thank you 😁