Self-made motorhomes from minibuses. Organization of mobile home business. Making a trailer on your own

A motor home is a type of transportation that is both housing and a means of transportation. This kind of housing gained its popularity at the beginning of the last century.

By standards, the mobile home should accommodate eight people. Each tenant has his own sleeping place, there is also a small kitchen. Other amenities and equipment may vary depending on the specific model, but in most cases there are also:

More expensive models have a bathroom consisting of (often replacing a chair, which gives a few extra meters of free space), a washbasin and a shower. Sometimes mobile homes are equipped with showers.

Note! In a motorhome, the driver and passenger seats are movable, as a result of which, during parking, they turn into an addition to the living space. In the tail, a separate room with U-shaped furniture is often equipped.

Story

Serial production of mobile homes was launched in the last century, although some historians believe that there were earlier makeshift counterparts. They were small vans equipped for human habitation (mainly pastoralists).

The first motor home mounted on a conventional automobile chassis was introduced in 1938 by Jennings.

Varieties of mobile homes

There are several classifications of motorhomes. So, according to the design features, they distinguish:

Depending on the purpose, they are divided into:

• those used as long-term/permanent housing;
• those used for travel.

In the first case, there are more comfortable conditions, while often moving structures are extremely rarely divided into actual living space and a cabin.

Categories

Let's look at each category in detail.

C-class

Small houses designed for short trips. They are usually made on the basis of SUVs, so at night the cabin can be in a double bed (if desired).

B-class

The only difference between it and the C-class is a berth - it is stationary and is located in the tail of the transport. It is very popular among young couples (at least in America).

A-class

Such houses, which look like an ordinary bus, are the most comfortable and, therefore, the most expensive. They are built on the basis of trucks, therefore, in terms of transport classification, they belong to category "C".

They are distinguished by a large windshield, a fixed driver's seat and retractable partitions that form different zones and separate berths. Moreover, such structures are autonomous, equipped with a generator, have gas and a large supply of water.

Several additional categories can be distinguished.

About the title

The term “motorhome” (another name is “camper”) often means a car caravan.

Note! B- and C-class trailers are called campers, while motorhomes are exclusively A-class models.

It is also worth noting that in some countries, without exception, motorhomes are called winebago.

It will take a lot of effort and time, as well as the appropriate equipment, to turn a car into a motorhome.

Note! First, this issue should be studied from the point of view of legislation. Different registration organizations perceive homemade motorhomes differently, and it will be unpleasant if the transport ends up being illegal.

Stage 1. First, the number of residents is determined and, based on this, a vehicle and an internal "stuffing" are selected. A detailed design plan is drawn up - this can be done on paper, but it is better to use a computer.

Stage 2. Next, the car body is cleared. If dents are found, they are removed and the peeling paint is scraped off. Several windows are equipped (if they were not) in the housing for lighting and fresh air.

Stage 3. Ventilation holes and valves for gas supply are cut out. All areas of "bare" metal are coated with a primer to protect against corrosion and aggressive environmental influences.

Stage 4. The house is finished with thermal insulation material.

Note! To do this, you need to use only high-quality materials, it is extremely undesirable to save. In addition, the material from which the hardware (metal fasteners) are made should be similar to the metal of the car body - this is for additional protection against rust.

Stage 5. The inner surface of the motorhome is finished.

• carpet covering;
• waterproof plywood.

Thick panels with stuffed planks for furniture mounting are inserted into the side walls. It is characteristic that at first it is better to level the ceiling, and only after that go to the walls.

Stage 6. After installing the furniture, you should take care of the water supply. To do this, you can install several canisters of water under the sink and install small pumps. In addition, you can put large tanks - for example, for taking a shower.

Note! Do not forget about wastewater - another tank is installed for this. As a toilet, you can use the usual garden structure.

Stage 7. For cooking and heating, as noted earlier, it is better to use propane gas. The cylinder is located in the lower part of the body, as well as an additional hole for ventilation. This is explained quite simply: propane weighs more than air, so in the event of a leak, such safety measures will prevent sad consequences.

Stage 8. It remains only to take care of the power supply. The best option is a powerful battery equipped with an external charging outlet.

Mobile home from an old trailer

A trailer-trailer costs about 500,000 rubles. The amount is impressive, so if you have the opportunity to purchase an old car trailer, you can build a small motorhome with your own hands. This will require:

• trailer (necessarily with a strong chassis);
• wooden elements (slats, bars, wagon boards);
• plywood;
• metal profile (for roofing);
• fittings made in the same style;
• set of appropriate tools.

Manufacturing technology

Such a motorhome will be a trailer with in the back. By the way, it is better to make a bed for the entire width of the structure - this way it will connect the side walls and thereby increase rigidity. The bay window will be made later and equipped with an individual unit. The door is installed Dutch type - it will consist of two halves.

Stage 1. The trailer is disassembled, the chassis is carefully cleaned and covered with anti-corrosion paint. A frame is constructed from pine boards, supports are cut in appropriate places.

Stage 2. A frame is constructed from slats with a section of 2x2 cm, an oak rail with a section of 3x3 cm is additionally installed in each corner. From above, the frame is tied with a horizontal rail.

It is advisable to use lining of various thicknesses:

• for side walls - 6 mm;
• for front and rear - 19 mm.

Note! For thermal insulation, you can lay the lining in two layers.

Stage 3. The floor is covered with plywood sheets. Poplar beams are used for the roof - they are screwed along the frame in increments of 30 cm. Plywood is fixed on the beams, on top of which a moisture-resistant material and a metal profile of a small section are laid.

Stage 4. There will be only one window in the case (if the door is not taken into account) - in the upper part of the back wall. The window is preferably made in the form of a bay window.

The door lock in such designs is located below, but you can put one more - additional - on top. In addition, the door is equipped with a small casement window.

Stage 5. It is recommended to equip a table that slides out from under the bed (as was once the case on British trains). For this, special lockers are formed under the bed. By the way, the lower space can also be used as a bed.

In addition, shelves and a removable ladder are built from wood.

Letter of the law

No additional permit is required if the dimensions of the motorhome will not exceed:

• 400 cm high;
• 255 cm wide;
• 100 cm long (excluding the part that does not protrude beyond the trailer).

If the dimensions are larger, then the motorhome is transported according to special rules (flashing lights, escort, etc.). Of course, this only applies to trailer trailers.

Setting up a mobile home business

On the construction of motorhomes, you can organize your own business. There are four options for developing such a business.

Option number 1. Making houses for sale for summer holidays or living in the country. This will not require serious material costs, since the houses will be of a simplified design - for example, without insulation.

Option number 2. Rent out motorhomes. This is a relatively new business, and everything new can be charged very expensively. The number of motorhomes in this case is increasing as the customer base grows.

Option number 3. Make food trucks or shops.

Option number 4, he is the most interesting. It consists in the creation of a car park and its further use as a hotel. The main thing here is to divide trailers into budget, premium and middle class.

For a more detailed acquaintance with the construction technology, check out the thematic video.

Video - Do-it-yourself motor home

Some travelers and outdoor enthusiasts prefer do-it-yourself mobile homes to ready-made ones. The choice is explained not only by the lower cost of home-made structures - you can think over the layout and equip the interior of your own free will. Before you build a motorhome with your own hands, you should learn more about the process of manufacturing motorhomes, decide which option is better: a trailer cottage or a camper.

original motorhome

Motorhome and caravan installation

Regardless of the type of motorhome, it should have minimal amenities: sleeping places for each traveler and an area for cooking and eating.

In addition, inside the minibus or trailer there may be:

• wash basin;
• gas stove connected to the cylinder;
• shelves, cabinets and other storage systems.

In motorhomes designed for long journeys, there is usually a bathroom combined with a small shower.

Making a motorhome for yourself, with your own hands, you can provide for the presence of a bathroom and everything else that may be required on a trip.

Making a motorhome with your own hands

A do-it-yourself motor home is made on the basis of a van or trailer. Buses are suitable for this purpose - a spacious interior, a high roof make it a good contender for conversion.

Before converting a trailer or van, find out the conditions for registering motorhomes with the traffic police.

motorhome-bus

The construction of a motor home consists of several stages:

• drafting a project;
• carrying out external and internal works;
• communication device;
• furniture placement.

First of all, you should decide what to take as a basis: a trailer or a van. The first option is more labor-intensive - the van already has walls and a roof, and in the trailer they will need to be built independently.

Do-it-yourself motorhome based on a car

To create mobile housing use a car or, for example, an old bus. The vehicle for conversion into a house is chosen based on financial capabilities and the number of people who will live inside the building.

Depending on the number of residents, they think over the design of the mobile home, as well as its content. To make things easier, make a plan.

Motorhome based on a cargo van

Before you make a motorhome, you need to stock up on the materials and tools necessary for work:

• grinder;
• automotive paint;
• screwdriver;
• welding machine;
• thermal insulation;
• finishing materials (plastic panels, lining or other);
• moisture resistant plywood;
• carpet;
• fasteners (self-tapping screws, nails, dowels);
• mounting foam;
• primer;
• paint brushes;
• sealant;
• with a metal brush.

outdoor work

When the drawing is ready, the design is thought out, they move on to outdoor work. Required:

1. Clean the car body from rust and other damage. If the paint on the surfaces has peeled off, clean it off.
2. Make a few holes in the van for the windows, if they weren't there originally. At the same time, cut holes for ventilation.
3. Determine the location and cut holes for exhaust outlets, drain holes and other communications.
4. Coat cuts, areas where paint has been stripped, with primer to prevent rust. Wait until it dries completely.
5. Paint the outer surfaces of the van.

Caravan based motorhome

Internal work

If you plan to separate the cabin from the living compartment. Then the partition is mounted either using fasteners, or the metal frame is welded to the body with a welding machine.

First, the body is covered with heat-insulating material. Suitable for any insulation intended for residential premises. To fix the material on the walls, ceiling, use hardware made of the same metal as the body - this technique will help protect the car from rust.

If the selected insulation does not tolerate contact with water, additional waterproofing will be required.

Insert windows. Moving on to wall decoration. For sheathing, we choose moisture-resistant plywood. The sheets must be quite thick in order to withstand a serious load - cabinets, shelves, and furniture will subsequently be attached to them.

Work starts from the ceiling. Having fixed the sheets there, sheathe the walls. Further, wooden beams as thick as the height of the heat-insulating material are fixed to the floor, insulation boards are laid between them. They cover the floor with plywood, fasten it to the beam with self-tapping screws.

The salon, in which the kitchen is located, and the shower with the bathroom should be separated using a frame partition.

Plywood can be painted, varnished or carpeted. The latter option also serves as additional thermal insulation. A special glue is used to fix the carpet.

The next step is the device of communications in accordance with a pre-drawn scheme: electricity, heating and ventilation. The cable, water and gas pipes are laid either over the inner lining, or mounted simultaneously with the laying of the insulation inside, making holes for the communications outlet.

Furniture

Furniture for motorhomes is selected individually. The required furnishings include:

• table with a bench for the dining area;
• bed or sofa bed;
• hanging shelves and lockers for storing supplies, clothes, bedding;
• washing.

Since furniture is subjected to increased stress during the movement of a motor home, it must be of high quality, strong, have reliable fittings and a minimum of moving parts. You should make sure that during a sharp turn the locker door will not open and the contents will not spill around the cabin.

All furniture must be firmly fixed, it is desirable that it be fixed at two points: on the floor and wall.

Interior solutions in a motorhome

Do-it-yourself motorhome from a trailer

Making a motorhome out of a trailer is harder than converting a car. In this case, you will need to build from scratch the base of the floor, walls, roof.

For the construction of a camper, single-axle trailers are most often chosen that can withstand a load of up to 1 ton. Therefore, it is necessary to select materials for the frame, taking into account the weight of the future structure.

The camper trailer is erected using a frame:

• metal;
• tree;
• sandwich panels.

The most affordable and relatively light material for making a trailer house is wood. It is easier to work with, and special tools are not required to connect the elements.

Vintage do-it-yourself camper trailer

frame

For the manufacture of the frame will require:

• timber 50 * 50 mm;
• moisture resistant plywood 10 mm for walls;
• plywood 12 mm thick for the floor;
• fasteners (self-tapping screws);
• screwdriver;
• drying oil, brush;
• galvanized corners;
• jigsaw;
• metal profile for roofing;
• galvanized steel (for outer skin);
• silicone sealant;
• insulation.

They first draw up a drawing of the future trailer cottage, only after that they purchase building materials for the manufacture of the facade and roof of the motorhome.

The minimum parameters of the motorhome are 230 * 160 cm. The height of the building is from two meters. With such dimensions, 2 sleeping places, a dining area and a sink can be arranged inside the living compartment. If there is a need to equip a full-fledged housing with everything necessary, then the size should be increased by 2-3 times.

The process of making a trailer

Work order

1. Take off the side of the trailer.
2. They clean the chassis, paint it with an anti-corrosion compound.
3. If there is a sufficiently strong base, the logs and the lower trim of the frame are fixed directly on it, but if it is absent, then the frame is welded from a metal pipe 50 * 25 mm.
4. Perform the lower strapping from a bar 50 * 50. The side elements are interconnected using logs. Logs are placed at a distance of every 20 cm. Metal corners are used to connect them to the timber.
5. Cover wooden elements with drying oil in 2 layers.
6. Insulation plates are placed in the space between the lags.
7. Cover the base with 12 mm plywood, fixing it with self-tapping screws.
8. Go to the racks of the frame. The beam is connected to the bottom strapping using corners and self-tapping screws. After that, the top strapping is performed.
9. Cover the entire structure with drying oil.
10. In places where, according to the plan, there should be windows, install crossbars and racks of timber.
11. Sheathing starts from the inside. Plywood is attached to galvanized self-tapping screws every 25 cm along the perimeter of the sheet.
12. Grind the inner surfaces using a grinder. Coated with varnish.
13. Outside, the sheets are treated with drying oil.
14. Insulation is placed in the cavity between the racks of the frame, the frame is sheathed with sheets of 10 mm plywood, which are pre-coated with drying oil on both sides.
15. The door is made from timber and plywood sheets. The door is installed on galvanized hinges.
16. Insert windows. A simple solution is plexiglass sheets.
17. A self-made motorhome is sheathed with sheets of galvanized steel. Self-tapping screws are used as fasteners, they are screwed around the perimeter at a distance of every 10 cm. The corners of the trailer are sheathed with a corner.
18. The joints of the sheets with each other and the corners are treated with sealant to prevent water from entering the structure.
19. It remains to make a roof and a roof. It is necessary to cover it with corrugated board, fasten the sheets to galvanized screws.

Internal layout

The walls, ceiling and floor are already sheathed, so they only need to be painted or varnished. If the size of the building allows, the shower and bathroom are equipped with a separate room. They erect a frame partition, hang a door. All the remaining space is divided into zones: a bedroom, a recreation and eating area, a kitchen. You will need to install sockets for electrical appliances, it is important not to forget about high-quality ventilation for a motorhome.

Furniture

To save space inside the trailer, transformable furniture is installed. For example, they do it on their own or purchase a reclining table, a sofa bed. At the top of the walls, shelves are mounted in which things, kitchen utensils, clothes will be stored.

Useful little things

What else is worth knowing before you start making a motorhome:

1. For the outer skin of the frame of a trailer motorhome, you can use not only galvanized steel, but also a profiled sheet.
2. If it is not possible to organize a ventilation system, you can cut small holes in the door and close them with a mosquito net. If there are windows that open for ventilation, then this is not required.
3. In order for the mobile home to serve for a long time, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the skin, paint the metal if necessary.

The process of creating a mobile home on your own is quite laborious, it requires financial investments, a waste of time and effort. Therefore, proceed to it with full confidence that you will be able to independently develop a project and bring it to life.

A motorhome on wheels, and even equipped with your own hands, is the dream of many lovers of auto travel and outdoor activities. It provides its owner with amazing freedom when traveling, eliminating the need to search and book a hotel, purchase tickets, pack suitcases, etc. In addition, owning a motorhome makes it easy to travel even with a large family, including pets - for this you need to use the appropriate furniture usually transforming.

When the motorhome-trailer on wheels first appeared on the road, it is rather difficult to answer. The first such experience was implemented by Jennings back in the 38th year of the last century, although home-made models of motorhomes appeared much earlier. All motorhomes on wheels can be equipped with almost all the necessary attributes of a familiar and comfortable life - bathroom, shower, gas stove, full bed, which are present even in the smallest motorhomes, which in Russia are often based on a budget gazelle.

Depending on what type the motorhome on wheels belongs to, it can be:

• trailed;
• van;
• combined.

A fairly common practice at present is the hand-made conversion of a suitable transport, the same domestic gazelle, into comfortable motorhomes for traveling. But before you make a do-it-yourself motorhome on wheels, you need to determine the main purpose of the conversion - long or short-term residence in a motorhome, as well as select or make the appropriate furniture.

RV classes

According to the generally accepted classification, all motorhomes on wheels are divided into three main classes:

Attention! Any motorhome of class "A", made on the basis of a bus or truck, according to the transport classification, requires the driver to have a category "C" license from the driver.

Speaking about the classification of motorhome trailers, the following concepts should be distinguished:

trailer tent

A homemade motorhome on wheels does not have to be expensive and difficult to manufacture, especially if it is used relatively rarely and for a small number of people. Some types of motorhomes do not even require the installation of furniture, and are used as a sleeping place. In order to independently make a motorhome trailer, you will need to make some effort and a sufficient amount of time.

The main "power" element of such a motorhome - a frame, can be purchased ready-made, or you can assemble it yourself, which will require skill and certain technical knowledge. When self-manufacturing, special attention should be paid to the anti-corrosion treatment of all steel elements of the future motorhome.

The frame, mounted on a chassis prepared for a motorhome, can be either steel or wood. When creating it, the main attention should be paid to the quality of the connection of parts, since when such a motorhome trailer moves, the entire structure will be subjected to serious dynamic and vibration loads. Inside such a motorhome, you can place a fairly comfortable sleeping place, and at the time of rest stops, the design of the motorhome unfolds, and a tent is quickly set up on top. Such a motorhome on wheels, the photo of which is presented below, is optimal for short trips and simple outdoor recreation.

Another version of the device of such a trailer can be viewed on the video:

How to make a do-it-yourself motorhome on wheels

In order to make a motorhome on wheels with your own hands, you can use any minibus, truck or even a bus. In order to create it, you will need to make a lot of effort, time, and be prepared for quite serious material investments, which later will more than pay off with the comfort when traveling in your own motorhome.

The process of turning a standard gazelle into a motorhome on wheels will necessarily be accompanied by a number of works that are mandatory:

In the case when a trailer-motorhome is created for the purpose of long journeys, it is desirable to provide a good audio-video system and satellite TV. If financial opportunities allow, it would be a good option to install solar panels that will extend the life of the generator.

Attention! In most cases, converting a vehicle into a motorhome trailer requires you to legalize all the "alterations" in order to avoid legal problems in the future.

Internal work

Many lovers of traveling with comfort are interested in the question - how much does a motorhome on wheels cost in Russia, but having learned the cost of the finished version, they prefer to create a motorhome with their own hands. And this is not without meaning, since making a motorhome on wheels from a gazelle with your own hands is within the power of any person who is ready to make a certain amount of effort and spend his time on it.

The first thing that needs to be done inside the cabin of the future motorhome on wheels is to dismantle the partition located behind the passenger seats. If it is bolted, there will be no problems, but if a welded joint is used, a grinder will be required. After dismantling, the interior should be completely freed from interior decoration. In parallel with this, it is worth checking the metal parts for the presence of foci of corrosion. Take measures to eliminate them, bearing in mind that it will be much more difficult to disassemble a finished motorhome.

Before proceeding with the insulation and interior decoration of the motorhome, you should carefully consider the water and electricity supply system, since it is better to hide all pipes and electrical cables under the casing - this will avoid their accidental damage. After that, a gazelle-based motorhome requires serious insulation. In addition to special materials with vibration and heat insulation characteristics, basalt mineral wool or extruded polystyrene foam can be used for motorhomes.

An important point in finishing a motorhome on wheels inside and out is the protective treatment of the material used. So, additional metal elements outside the motorhome must have high-quality anti-corrosion treatment. The elements of the inner lining are usually made of wood. For their processing, it is recommended to use a special fire and bio-protective impregnation, which will prevent the spread of flame, will not allow the formation of a fungus, which may simply be impossible to get rid of.

Certain ideas for creating your own project can be "borrowed" from the manufacturers of such houses by watching the following video:

Gas and electrical equipment

Any motorhome on wheels - a Mercedes or a gazelle - requires special attention in terms of electricity and gas supply. You should not be naive to believe that without having the appropriate education, you can perform high-quality electrical wiring and install the appropriate equipment in a motorhome. The same applies to gas equipment.

For example, few people know that for a gas cylinder in any motorhome, it is necessary to “allocate” a separate closed zone, in the lower part of which there must be openings that communicate with the outside atmosphere. This allows propane, which is heavier than air, to "leave" the motorhome when it leaks from the cylinder, and not cause poisoning or fire in the cabin.

An important point for a motorhome is the correct calculation of battery power. To ensure maximum autonomy, the daily energy consumption of all devices present in the motorhome should be summed up. The resulting value in watts will need to be divided by 12 (V), resulting in a value in ampere-hours (Ah) - this is what is indicated on the battery and allows you to judge its power. So, when energy consumption in a motorhome is 50-60 Ah/day, it is optimal to purchase a battery of 120-150 Ah. Such a car-motorhome on wheels will be able to function offline for two days. It is advisable to provide an external socket for recharging the battery of the motorhome in the parking lots.

Furniture

Despite the fact that at present it will not be a problem to buy ready-made furniture for a motorhome, according to reviews, it is not able to satisfy all the requests of car owners, especially those who create a motorhome on wheels according to their own drawings. Therefore, the best option is either its independent production, or an individual order for furniture production.

In most cases, self-made furniture is more optimal for a motorhome. Since for a small motorhome, for example, based on a standard gazelle or UAZ, not so much furniture is required, and it does not differ in particular complexity, you can save money at this stage of work. For the proper level of comfort in a motorhome, as a rule, the following furniture structures are made:

• dining table, to save space in a small motorhome, it is better to use a folding option;
• kitchen table with sink and work surface;
• open shelves or drawers located under the ceiling of the motorhome;
• if there is a toilet in a motorhome on wheels, you will need to make a partition with a door.

When a KAMAZ or a bus is taken as a base for a motorhome, the amount of furniture listed above increases. When making a motorhome on wheels with your own hands, to facilitate the task of determining the type and quantity of furniture, you can use special computer programs, or draw a detailed plan for the future layout of the motorhome on paper, where you can clearly indicate not only the type of furniture, but also its location.

How the most expensive mobile home can be designed can be seen in the photo - you can clearly see how refined and comfortable interior decoration can be.

When building a motorhome with your own hands, you should pay attention to the quality of materials. Yes, for furniture. it is desirable to use moisture-resistant materials that are resistant to household chemicals, since cleaning in any type of motorhome - from a bus, trailer or gazelle, will have to be done quite often.

Many lovers of free rest dream of traveling in a motor home, so as not to be dependent on purchasing tickets, booking hotels and being tied to one point throughout the vacation. A mobile home is both a home and a vehicle. It allows you to travel with maximum comfort and stop on the road where you want. In addition, it can be used as housing in the country or during the construction of the house.

Varieties of mobile homes

A motor home today can be purchased ready-made, although this is quite an expensive pleasure. But it is much more interesting and cheaper to make it with your own hands from an old vehicle, re-equipping its interior or making such a motorhome almost from scratch, not counting the base. For this, in addition to the “wheels” themselves, it will take not only funds for re-equipment and a variety of tools, but also certain skills for such work, as well as a lot of effort and free time.

Attention! Before investing in the conversion of a vehicle, you need to find out all the nuances of its registration with the relevant authorities in order to avoid any problems during registration. Otherwise, it is unlikely that such transport will be used for travel, and it will settle as a dead weight somewhere in the country.

A decent-sized mobile home can be made from a large van, but such a mobile home is too expensive a vehicle. Among the budget options, quite suitable for those who like to make anything with their own hands, there are three most convenient ones. So, a mobile home can be made from:

• Gazelles;
• old bus;
• trailer with a strong chassis.

House from the Gazelle car

To implement any of these three options, in addition to having the vehicle itself, which will be taken as a basis, you will need a plan for the future motorhome, at least in a schematic form. Such a plan will allow you to take into account all the design features and plan a living area with maximum comfort for being there. It can be simply drawn on paper or done on a computer, if it is more convenient.

Internal communications of the mobile home

Without electricity, water supply and gas, it is difficult to call life in a mobile home comfortable. To provide the premises with electricity, a battery and a charger are usually used. Electrical wiring inside must be thought out in advance. Do not forget about the external connector to charge the battery, which come in different capacities. The most suitable battery capacity also needs to be calculated in advance, taking into account the load and travel distance.

Interior arrangement of a mobile home

Gas cylinders are often used for space heating. Gas will also be convenient for cooking, which is much more profitable in terms of consumption than a stove from electricity. The presence of a kitchen in such a house implies the installation of a hood over the stove and the organization of a general ventilation system, which is especially important when using propane.

Advice. You should not undertake independent gasification and power supply of the premises in the absence of the necessary knowledge and experience, it is better to entrust such work to professionals. The safety of people in the motorhome directly depends on how competently they are carried out.

The kitchen will not be able to function without water, which is usually stored in containers where a submersible pump is lowered to supply it to the tap. To drain the used water, a tank is also used, which is mounted either indoors or outside. If desired, the mobile home can be equipped with a small shower. But the usual bathroom in a mobile home cannot be done; a dry closet is used in this capacity.

Kitchen area in a motorhome

As for the furniture, it is better if all of it in the motorhome is practical and compact, because there is not too much space to accommodate it. Variants of reclining beds, sliding tables and similar organization of space can be used. And all this must be securely fastened to the walls to ensure safety when moving. Furnishing furniture can be purchased ready-made, but for a person with hands it is easy to make it yourself, taking into account the size of the room, and make a sofa and chairs, for example, from car seats.

It is quite possible to equip the interior space in a mobile home, and all this can be done independently. But before that, you need to prepare the room. Depending on which option is taken - a minibus or a trailer, there will be differences in the stages of work required for the conversion.

Mobile home from a Gazelle or an old bus

Re-equipment of a minibus begins with cleaning the body from upholstery and seats, after which various holes are made - for windows, ventilation, for gas supply.

Mobile house from the bus

Then, work on the arrangement of the residential area is performed in the following sequence:

• level the dents on the inner surface, then primer all open metal parts of the body to prevent corrosion on them;
• the inner surface of the future house, including walls, floor and ceiling, is covered with thermal insulation;
• on top of the heat-insulating material, starting from the ceiling, moisture-resistant plywood or carpeting is laid.

Upon completion of these works, the electrification and gasification of the premises, the equipment of the kitchen and bathroom, and the installation of furniture are carried out. For reliable installation of furniture, plywood of a larger thickness is attached to the walls than on the floor or ceiling, or separate reinforced strips are placed to fix it. And, of course, if necessary, you need to put in order the chassis and engine of a Gazelle or an old bus, then such a house will become truly mobile.

Trailer based mobile home

Here, unlike the house made from a minibus, the work is somewhat different. First you need to protect the chassis from corrosion by cleaning and painting them. Then you will have to build the floor, walls, ceiling and roof, acting in this sequence:

• put plywood of sufficient thickness on the frame, surround the outer edge with a beam and fasten it with bolts;

Arrangement of the floor for the house based on the trailer

• lay the beams on the floor, fixing heat-insulating material between them and close it all with plywood on top;
• for the construction of walls, timber and lining are used, not forgetting in the process of work to make openings for windows and doors, as well as technological openings for the entry and exit of various communications;
• for the construction of the roof, install rafters, sheathe them with plywood, covering them with moisture-resistant material on top;

Wall construction

• after laying the electrical wiring, make the thermal insulation of the walls, then closing the fiberboard on top;
• to protect wooden walls, prime them inside and out, then paint in two layers;
• install a door and windows, additional interior decoration may be required.

Upon completion of these works, you can think about gasification, water supply, organizing a kitchen and a bathroom, installing furniture. Then only the fenders and headlights that the trailer is supposed to have left to install, and the mobile home is ready to travel.

Don't forget to get permits before you set off on your motorhome.

In a motor home, of course, traveling is very convenient. However, before starting construction, decide for yourself whether you can independently master all the work, because they will require quite a lot of effort, money and skills.

Do-it-yourself mobile home: video

How to build a house on wheels: photo