Total disaster

[phil bobin]

good luck for your remedials

 

[Tootles]

My God......Didn't you smell it when you entered the van after it had been shut up for a bit??

 

[bernardfeay]

I fully understand how a holiday is spoiled if your mind is absorbed by things that need to be done to the motorhome. We don't all have the same mentality and I know that I could not enjoy myself if there was a major problem to worry about. I'm not suggesting I am right, I wish with all my heart that I could put my problems to one side but I don't have the mental capacity. Just as an aside, when I bought my first sat nav in 2005 I wanted to come straight home when it stopped working on the France/Spain border. My wife talked me out of it but my heart wasn't in it. I'm a worrier, and I'm bloody good at it.

 

[UK Pete]

well i have had a good nights sleep and decided its all fixable , i think the shock factor was what really panicked me, i am really good at fixing things and as a builder looking at it logically it should be no problem to get the job done, i will have to remove all four roof lights, and refix properly, batten out the ceiling and make a ply head liner, then i will have to source some 6mm foam backed vinyl for the headlining in the main area, do the same for the bathroom, but in there the finish is pvc tile panel glued to ply, again if i can source the same finishing materials i can have it all back so as no one would ever no and with no lasting damage
in answer to a few questions, i was smelling something when i got in the van i assumed it was the leather interior, that has quite a nice leather smell which to a certain degree masked it
It was not the van sweating that caused the problem, where there are no leaks the timbers are as dry as a bone, it was the bad fixing of the roof lights that let in water
i will up date on my progress as it happens
pete

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

Ralph used some Foil foam insulation from http://www.megavanmats.com/
He put that on the metal roof. Then used batons and put Kingspan between , finally covering with ply. Then ceiling board.
He took pictures whilst doing it and they are here.
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/rb-panel-van-conversion-begins.100614/
He's a builder too. Loving every minute converting pug. Hope this helps.

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[DanielFord]

Someone on here recently posted photos of a roof repair to their van that was much worse than yours, it might have been UKbill, but I could be wrong, can't find the post now, but will keep searching.

 

[Ufudu]

Pete now's the time to make any changes you were thinking of. Glad it's fixable

 

[Terry]

Time to do a revamp of your interior -feeling for you
terry

 

[Puddleduck]

@UK Pete, yes, I know it looks awful and you feel like something the cat passed..... and you are in shock. BUT it is not as bad as it looks. It can all be repaired and will look better than new when done.

Think of it as a facelift / modernisation and a chance to make any changes to things that narked you.

At least you found it now when it can be repaired.

 

[UK Pete]

The interior was visually perfect and i really liked it, i will repair and make it exactly the same, i will however put in better roof insulation and while i am there put in some speaker wires
here is the interior before grim discovery

This was it when i left it last night, the bathroom ceiling now stripped out and minus the rooflight

Here is the main interior above the kitchen area as i left it last night

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[Puddleduck]

Looks much better than the earlier pictures.

It won't take that long to put back

 

[CWH]

I really do envy you @UK Pete having the ability to tackle something like that however serious or otherwise it is. I wouldn't even have the nous - or the nerve - to take it apart!
Hope it's ready in time for your hols.

 

[New Dawn]

Blimey !!! Our hearts go out to you. Can fully understand now seeing your pics. Hope you can get it sorted & back on the road to enjoyment a.s.a.p.

 

[Lindacarole]

What a shame, it looks awful, on the up side the rest of the van looks very nice. Hopefully you will be up and ready to go soon, and on the plus side you can put in all that wiring that we are all afraid to touch!
Hope all goes well, looks like you have lots of help and advice from the folks on this lovely forum.
LC

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

You'll have to keep us posted on here as you go along. Good luck.

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[UK Pete]

Made some good progress today area above kitchen is battened out,insulated, and the ply ceiling cut to shape an awaiting light holes to be cut and vinyl headlining to be fitted

ply cut to shape and resting in position

Bathroom battened out

 

[Trikeman]

Triumph over adversity - you will sit down on your upcoming break and sup that cool beer knowing all's OK now.
Well done and keep the photos coming.

Regards (and respect)

Trikeman.

 

[PJGWiltshire]

Clearly you are not the average builder, for the amount of work you have done you couldn't have stopped for tea breaks.

 

[EssexBoy]

Bl**dy hell.... Good job... And so fast... Are you superman Pete !!!!

 

[Bluestar]

Yes well done great job. show her some love.

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[Ralph-n-Bev]

You will have a stressless sleep tonight now, your sorting it.
By the looks of it putting more insulation in it too.

 

[mitzimad]

looking at the roof minus the roof light were there anhy spacers in the corrugations of the roof

The interior was visually perfect and i really liked it, i will repair and make it exactly the same, i will however put in better roof insulation and while i am there put in some speaker wires
here is the interior before grim discovery

This was it when i left it last night, the bathroom ceiling now stripped out and minus the rooflight

Here is the main interior above the kitchen area as i left it last night

probably teaching my granny but you realley need spacers in the roof corugations to bed the roof light down on to i used strip mastic all round then the spacers then another layer of strip mastic then sika around the perimeter

 

[GWAYGWAY]

That looks a neat and well done job, I hope that you treated the wooden bit with anti rot of some type. I must say that I do not like the way they build vans with wood as this is what happens when water ingress occurs. Well done. The very thought of this happening to my van makes me sick, although like you I would set to and fix it but a coachbuild is more difficult as they are built from the inside out and the roof panel is all one piece. I keep panicking every time I put the damp meter into the roof lining.

 

[UK Pete]

looking at the roof minus the roof light were there anhy spacers in the corrugations of the roof
probably teaching my granny but you realley need spacers in the roof corugations to bed the roof light down on to i used strip mastic all round then the spacers then another layer of strip mastic then sika around the perimeter

This van is so well thought and put together really well, apart from the roof lights, the corrugated strips were in filled , but ply strips were used, needless to say i will be using plasic spacers

 

[cruiser]

great work pete. you know what you are doing. and you can accept advise

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[Deleted34567]

Well done Pete.
You'll rest easy on your up-coming trip away knowing that the van is now in good nick.
In a round about way maybe you finding this problem now prevented a much worse scenario in the future.
Keep the pics coming.

 

[Moodybrook]

You dun that deliberate just to show us how clever you are, b....y show off.

 

[colinw]

Bang , sorted ! . somebody has pointed out that the plastic repels sealant unless cleaned properly with some solvent or other . one of the self builders will help you with appropriate sealants etc . well done

 

[tonyidle]

I see you've used wood that won't rot ...................

It's the worst part of a job seeing the damage for the first time though it was obvious from one of your earlier photos that the van structure was undamaged - that must have been pretty comforting considering how wet it all was.

 

[MitchandJenny]

When its done you will be more pleased with your van than before the discovery.. You are doing an excellent job which will instil you with a new confidence in your van..
Particularly next time it rains !! Your skills as a builder are standing you in good stead..
Respect.. AND enjoy your holiday..
PS. I hope the County of my birth smiles on you weather wise..
Mitch..

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